As much as the diet industry wants you to believe that there are all kinds of secrets to losing weight, there really is only one: burn more calories than you take in and the pounds will come off. However, if you are attempting to do this by eating less and exercising more, you are just chasing your tail.
The beauty of eating whole plant foods is, you are eating calorie-light foods that are full of water and fiber, as well as layered with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Your body loves this! But, when you are eating meat, dairy and processed foods, you are eating calorie-rich foods that are empty of fiber, water and micronutrients and your body is not getting all the necessary nutrients it needs to thrive. People end up overeating because, they still don't have all the "nutrition" there body is looking for.
Despite knowing this information, one in three American adults are overweight and one in six children are obese. Americans tend to supersize everything, eat a boatload of processed and restaurant foods, and get way too many calories from meat, dairy and processed foods. Meat and other animal-based foods are usually loaded with fat.
Anyone that says that they don't feel full without eating meat just isn't eating enough potatoes, brown rice, squash, peas or steel cut oats. The bulk and fiber in these and other plant foods make you feel fuller on fewer calories. Now, don't get me wrong, if you eat french fries, fast-food salads with oily dressing and a lot of refined carbs like white bread. you will probably get as obese as any meat eater.
The dieting world is full of magic bullets. However, we all know fad diet do not work...most fad diets are based on calorie restriction in some form or another. But, the real problem with fad diets is they are not healthy. They are designed to make you lose weight, but you can't keep the weight off unless you are eating healthily. You diet for a while, but eventually most people return to "normal" eating. This in turn leads to yo-yo dieting....lose weight...gain weight, over and over again.....and, most of the time putting on more weight than you started with. This kind of weight loss has been linked to a weakened immune system, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes.
The worst type of diet is a "crash diet" where you do not eat food but allow small amounts of liquid. Although you initially lose weight, in the long term you will not because your body will respond by slowing down your metabolism while eating it's own muscles! Even when you begin to eat normally again, your metabolism remains depressed, causing you to gain more weight from less food. Doing this once will probably not hurt you, but doing this multiple times has been linked to increased heart attacks.
The absolute best diet for superior health is a whole food plant based diet. Fill your grocery cart with all kinds of vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. No need for counting calories when eating this way.... eat until you are satisfied.
The point is that plants are low in calories, low in fat, high in fiber, high in water, high in micronutrients and if you eat them daily and get rid of the foods that are making us sick and fat, (meat, dairy and processed foods), the only thing that will get bigger is your EGO!
OMG WALNUT SAUCE
This recipe is from the book, My Beef with Meat. This sauce will get you eating greens by the bushel! For people that haven't developed an appreciation for kale, arugula, collard greens, mustard greens, etc., this dressing will help you love them.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce
1 cup of walnuts
2-4 garlic cloves
1 T tamari sauce (health version of soy sauce)
1/4 - 1/2 c water for desired consistency
Combine the walnuts, garlic and tamari in a food processor and blend, adding water until the desired texture is reached, (1/4-1/2 cup); use more water for a thinner dressing, less water for a thicker dip.
Serve over kale, greens, salads, grains or veggies, or use as a spread in sandwiches or as a topping on pizza.
The beauty of eating whole plant foods is, you are eating calorie-light foods that are full of water and fiber, as well as layered with vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals. Your body loves this! But, when you are eating meat, dairy and processed foods, you are eating calorie-rich foods that are empty of fiber, water and micronutrients and your body is not getting all the necessary nutrients it needs to thrive. People end up overeating because, they still don't have all the "nutrition" there body is looking for.
Despite knowing this information, one in three American adults are overweight and one in six children are obese. Americans tend to supersize everything, eat a boatload of processed and restaurant foods, and get way too many calories from meat, dairy and processed foods. Meat and other animal-based foods are usually loaded with fat.
Anyone that says that they don't feel full without eating meat just isn't eating enough potatoes, brown rice, squash, peas or steel cut oats. The bulk and fiber in these and other plant foods make you feel fuller on fewer calories. Now, don't get me wrong, if you eat french fries, fast-food salads with oily dressing and a lot of refined carbs like white bread. you will probably get as obese as any meat eater.
The dieting world is full of magic bullets. However, we all know fad diet do not work...most fad diets are based on calorie restriction in some form or another. But, the real problem with fad diets is they are not healthy. They are designed to make you lose weight, but you can't keep the weight off unless you are eating healthily. You diet for a while, but eventually most people return to "normal" eating. This in turn leads to yo-yo dieting....lose weight...gain weight, over and over again.....and, most of the time putting on more weight than you started with. This kind of weight loss has been linked to a weakened immune system, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and diabetes.
The worst type of diet is a "crash diet" where you do not eat food but allow small amounts of liquid. Although you initially lose weight, in the long term you will not because your body will respond by slowing down your metabolism while eating it's own muscles! Even when you begin to eat normally again, your metabolism remains depressed, causing you to gain more weight from less food. Doing this once will probably not hurt you, but doing this multiple times has been linked to increased heart attacks.
The absolute best diet for superior health is a whole food plant based diet. Fill your grocery cart with all kinds of vegetables, fruits, beans, and whole grains. No need for counting calories when eating this way.... eat until you are satisfied.
The point is that plants are low in calories, low in fat, high in fiber, high in water, high in micronutrients and if you eat them daily and get rid of the foods that are making us sick and fat, (meat, dairy and processed foods), the only thing that will get bigger is your EGO!
OMG WALNUT SAUCE
This recipe is from the book, My Beef with Meat. This sauce will get you eating greens by the bushel! For people that haven't developed an appreciation for kale, arugula, collard greens, mustard greens, etc., this dressing will help you love them.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce
1 cup of walnuts
2-4 garlic cloves
1 T tamari sauce (health version of soy sauce)
1/4 - 1/2 c water for desired consistency
Combine the walnuts, garlic and tamari in a food processor and blend, adding water until the desired texture is reached, (1/4-1/2 cup); use more water for a thinner dressing, less water for a thicker dip.
Serve over kale, greens, salads, grains or veggies, or use as a spread in sandwiches or as a topping on pizza.
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