DAY 11--21 DAY CHALLENGE

Happy Friday everyone!!  The weekend is almost here...If you have some time over the weekend, prepare your foods for the up-coming week so it's fast and easy to get dinner on the table next week.  Make some sort of whole-grains such as brown rice, quinoa, (try this if you have never had it, it's a complete protein), barley, millett, etc.  These grains are made the same way rice is made, cooked in boiling water....read the package instructions for how long to cook them.  Remember, there is not a lot of flavor to them, (think of the flavor of rice), you are either mixing the grain into a recipe or serving food over them, etc.  Also, cook some beans...remember, soak them overnight in water, rinse in the morning,  My point is, get them made over the weekend and have them ready to go during the week.  Buy your vegetables, bring them home, wash them and chop them up.  When the prep work is done, throwing recipes together becomes very easy. 

One of my favorite doctors to follow is Joel Fuhrman, MD.  He is a family physician and nutritional researcher who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods.  He has appeared on PBS several times.  What he teaches his patients is:

HEALTH=NUTRITION/CALORIES

This concept is called the nutrient density of your diet, i.e., how many nutrients are you consuming vs calories.  Foods supply us with nutrients and calories.  All calories come from either carbohydrates, fats or proteins.  Nutrients come from "non-caloric" food factors:  Vitamins, minerals, fiber and phytochemicals...these nutrients are vitally important for health.  

PHYTOCHEMICALS:  phyto means plant...plants have very powerful substances in them that give them their vibrant colors.  These same substances protect the plants from the outside environment, wind, sun, rain, hot temperatures, cold temperatures, etc.  These same protective substances protect our bodies from all the toxic substances that we breathe, eat and drink everyday.  These phytochemicals are more powerful than any drug on the market!  I cannot stress this enough.

So, my point is this:  YOUR KEY TO PERMANENT WEIGHT LOSS IS TO EAT PREDOMINANTLY FOODS WITH A HIGH PROPORTION OF NUTRIENTS (vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains), TO CALORIES, (carbs, fats and aninmal protein).

• Eating large quantities of high nutrient foods is the secret to optimal health and permanent weight loss
• Eating this way requires no deprivation, no counting of calories, carbs, fats, etc.
• There is one group of foods that scientific research has shown a strong positive association with increased longevity in humans:  RAW LEAFY GREENS such as romaine lettuce, kale, swiss chard, collards, and spinach
• In a review of 206 separate studies, raw vegetable consumption showed the STRONGEST PROTECTIVE EFFECT AGAINST CANCER

Dr. Fuhrman encourages people to eat raw leafy greens everyday.  The easiest way to do this is eat a salad with lunch and dinner.  He himself eats  the equivalent of a whole head of romaine lettuce everyday...half for lunch and the other half with dinner.  Think of all the phytochemicals you will get eating salad with red, orange or yellow bell peppers, onions, scallions, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, etc.  This list goes on.

Ok, Day 11 menu is:

Breakfast:  Cereal with Almond milk and a banana

Lunch:  Leftover Penne al Forno or a mixed green salad with beans on top

Snack:  Grapes

Dinner:  Sweet potato lentil chili

Remember, these recipes are found on the 21 Day Vegan Kickstart website.  Or, google Vegan recipes and you will be flooded with different choices.  

If anyone has any questions or concerns, please email me at:  [email protected].  I would love to hear from you!