A Long Journey To A Healthy Diet
It's late, but I wanted to list the foods that I eat. These are the only foods that I eat. I will go into the reasons why I don't eat certain things (bread, etc.) anymore at a later date, as there are many things I now choose to leave out of my diet. The explanations are long, in some cases, and this will be a quick post tonight.
This wasn't a quick process, but it gradually happened over the years, and every year, I just naturally want to improve. One of the last things I stopped eating was organic raisins, which was a couple of years ago. I also add things to my daily health practices and will post those soon, as well. I quit eating raisins because they have a very high glycemic index, and load. The glycemic index, and glycemic load are a little different and I believe the glycemic load is the more accurate measure. None the less, raisins rate high in both. I also have trouble with sugar, and it is one of my trigger foods, so I found it hard to stop eating them once I started, and I wouldn't feel well and kind of felt like I was "drunk with sugar". My heart would beat a little faster and I would get a little shaky. I knew, if I continued with them, my diet wouldn't be the best it could be, and I would be flirting with diabetes as it runs very strong in my family tree.
My diet consists of only organic things. With one exception, I will eat conventional avocados, for a few reasons, they are not always available in organic, and when they are they are very expensive, and I can't afford to pay $2 or more for an avocado, since I usually eat the whole thing at one time. Also, they rate very low consistently when tested for pesticides. Conventional avocados and yellow onions are last on the pesticide laden list. They both test very low. I believe it is probably the tough skin that offers some protection, as far as the onions go, I don't have a clue as to why they test low.
Occasionally, I will have a conventional mango in the summer for similar reasons. Outside of that I consistently eat organic, and it isn't easy. I buy what is on sale, and adjust accordingly, and I buy the cheapest organic things I can. In fact, the organic items I buy are usually cheaper then the conventional foods. I need a whole post on that one day.
Now that you know all the foods I eat are organic, I won't have to specify each time, just assume everything is organic unless I say otherwise.
The things I eat are:
Vegetables - All kinds, except I only eat white potatoes once a year at Thanksgiving. I also never eat corn or its by products. Corn isn't a vegetable anyway, it is a grain.
Fruits - All kinds.
I eat one dried fruit and that is apricots, since I like a little sweetness with my yogurt. They actually rank lower, albeit on the high side of low, on the glycemic index. Strangely, the dried are lower then the fresh, which I cannot explain. I try to limit these, and it is difficult too.
Grains - I eat a limited amount since they are high on the glycemic load, and I always try to lower the load by combining with other things, that will lower the load. For example, some healthy fat or cinnamon. I usually eat 1 to 3 servings of grains a day. When counting the grains I eat, I count the amaranth, quinoa and wild rice as a grain in my one to three servings a day, even though they are really seeds. The true grains I eat are whole wheat pasta which I have about once or twice a week, and brown rice which I also have about once or twice a week.
Update: In 2014 I went gluten, and grain free. Now I only consume "pseudo grains" like quinoa, and amaranth, and I don't even eat those more than once a day, if even that. I do eat an organic red lentil pasta, once in a while, that is very good, but it's so expensive it's more of a treat. So I do eat legumes.
I stopped eating gluten for my thyroid, but what really happened was all digestive issues went away. I do believe gluten really isn't very good for most people, and my experience was congruent with that.
It's difficult to explain why I felt giving up all grains, was better for my health, especially since the only ones I was eating were organic whole grains, and rarely more than once a day. Dr. Mercola has a great article about that, so here is the link so you can read what he has to say about it. Reflect on it, and consider giving it a try.
Nuts - I love these, but they are loaded with fat, and high in calories. They are also good for you if you eat the raw ones only, which is what I do. I love cashews, and they are a bit of a trigger for me also, so I have to really watch how many I eat, and how much I bring into the house, lol. I do eat one, or two raw brazil nuts every day for the high selenium contained in them. Selenium is very good for you, but don't eat more then a couple of brazil nuts, or you will be getting too much selenium. And while it is a good thing, actually a great thing, you know what they say about too much of a good thing, and it is true with selenium as well.
Seeds - I eat raw pumpkin seeds almost every day. While I wouldn't recommend eating any food every day as that isn't a good health practice, this seems to agree with me. Sometimes I alternate with raw sunflower seeds, but the pumpkin seeds are the ones I like best. Sesame seeds are good too. I also have amaranth almost every morning as a cereal that I cook up, and while it is eaten as a grain it is really a seed, and the same with quinoa, I eat that a few times a week. Those two are my favorites. I eat wild rice as well, which is really a seed too.
Beans - Black beans are my favorite. I'm fairly new to eating beans, and haven't tried too many of the others yet, but it's on my to do list. I also eat lentils, and split peas, which I love. I make a split pea soup quite often, especially in the colder weather.
I don't eat any form of soy beans, and I believe they are very unhealthy, contrary to popular belief. If you want to eat soy beans, the only safe form is a fermented form, such as miso, natto, tempeh, and tamari sauce.
Yogurt - Whole milk plain, non-homogenized. I can't get raw where I am, so it is pasteurized. I believe yogurt is very good for you, but it is a trigger food for me also, and sometimes I eat too much of it. One of my goals is to cut back on the amount I eat and try not to eat it every day. I don't think eating any food, even the healthiest every day, is the best practice. Many believe that is one way to develop food allergies, or food sensitivities.
If you aren't eating yogurt you need to get your probiotics another way. You can eat almost any form of fermented foods to get your probiotics. Homemade sauerkraut is a good one, Kimchi is another. Probiotics are essential for a healthy bowel, and a healthy bowel with properly balanced flora is essential for a healthy you.
Yogurt is the only dairy that I eat anymore. On a very rare occasion I could see eating a healthy, organic, free range egg, and possibly I may have cheese again on a rare occasion, but I don't plan on it.
The only beverage I drink is filtered water. I will very rarely have a cup of green, or herb tea. I did start drinking 2 oz of freshly squeezed lemon juice in 8 oz of water in the morning. I do this as a natural healing cleanse, and because I was stricken with a kidney stone a year and a half ago. Lemon juice prevents them from forming, if I take it every day. I will be including the lemon juice cure that I used to dissolve another stone about 6 months ago. That will be posted in the Alternative Cures/Home Remedies section, listed at the top of my blog.
That is my entire diet, though I do eat a healthy amount. It is really late now, so one day I'll go into some of the recipes I use, and may even include a recipe section in my blog as well.
The Unseen Energy
In closing, I will say that I rarely ever go out to eat, and I really don't like to at all. Sometimes, obligations require it, but sometimes if people are understanding, without too much discomfort, I will just drink water, or have a cup of green tea. That is something you have to decide for yourself. I really don't enjoy restaurant food, and I know how it is prepared, (hint-not usually the best way) and I know it is a business to them.
You will never get food as good as healthy food prepared at home with love. I do believe that there really can be a "love energy" embedded in healthy food cooked at home with loving hands, and I believe it is a healing thing. I know that sounds a little crazy, and it is hard to prove. But until recently when they did a study, no one knew how prayer, another form of energy, actually did have a healing effect on patients even when they didn't know anyone was praying for them.
Energy is stored in food. Eating that food is, in large part, how we get our energy. The last thing I would ever want to eat is the meat of the animals that are raised by "conventional" means. Everyone should see "Food, Inc."
the movie. I feel, that meat has the worse energy to it. Not only are these animals fed a very unhealthy diet, but they are often mistreated, kept in cramped quarters, sick, and in pain. Given all kinds of drugs, to try and keep them on their feet, and to try and fatten them up. Then they are killed in not always the most humane way, and the animal is fearful and adrenaline is pumping through their veins. All these detrimental things are in the animal and it's flesh which some then eat. No wonder so many are so sick. I know that some of these things are painful to know, but not knowing is even worse. We can see why so much ill health has befallen so many,when we look at the for profit only food industry. We really all need to take a hard look. I know that energy thought of in this way is a new concept for some people, and it can sound pretty far-fetched, but I hope everyone will educate themselves about it.Hopefully, we will all be open minded enough to realize we don't know everything yet, and that many things still unimagined will be the norm in years to come.
Good Health and Wealth,
Jeanne
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment