Trying to achieve a healthy weight is not easy in today's society. As I have said a zillion times, there is so much conflicting information in regards to nutrition. Fad diets come and go constantly, supplements, "diet pills" and the latest and greatest magic bullets that are "guaranteed" to melt off the fat are everywhere. I believe, that we are drowning in an ocean of very bad information which is intended to put money into someone's pockets. What we really need is a solution to this whole nutritional mess we find ourselves in....not to mention the obesity and diabetes epidemic that is growing out of control.
The solution to our health crisis, not to mention the solution to losing weight is a Whole Food Plant Based diet (WFPB) mixed in with a little bit of exercise. It is a long-term lifestyle change, rather than a quick-fix fad, that will not only let us achieve our ideal weight, but will PREVENT, STOP AND REVERSE disease.
Think about this...have you ever known anyone who regularly eats fresh fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods, rarely eats meat or junk food and are obese? The answer is probably not. Think of the traditional cultures of people, (Japanese, Indian, Chinese), where a couple of billion people eat a mostly plant-based diet for thousands of years...these people are basically at a very good weight. On the other hand, the guy buying two hot dogs, (please, never eat hot dogs!) and ordering his second beer at a baseball game, or a woman ordering a cheeseburger and fries at a local fast-food place. The two visuals you get are completely different! The fast-food eating people are the "all-American" image...overweight...people that come from other countries often comment on how everyone looks so "fat".
Solving this problem does not require supplements, shakes, diet pills or some other magic bullet, nor does it require calorie counting, fat counting, carb counting, etc. When you eat a whole food plant based diet, you eat all the vegetables and fruits you desire, some whole-grains, and small amounts of nuts and seeds. There are recipes everywhere for all kinds of plant based dishes that are so good you will NOT miss the meat or dairy!! When you eat a WFPB diet, you eat an abundance of food, but, this food contains much less calories than the Standard American Diet, (SAD), so you naturally lose weight. The plants come loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but have NO cholesterol, saturated fat, or loads of calories! A plant based diet is NUTRIENT DENSE, which means very little calories but all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants your body requires.
There have been thousands of studies done proving a WFPB diet is the optimal diet for health and weight loss. If you think you just don't know how to begin making this change, start out with taking baby steps. For breakfast try cooked oatmeal topped with all kinds of fruit.....no time to cook oatmeal, make a green smoothie with romaine, bananas, apples, pears, or any other fruit you may have on hand. Whip it up in a blender and put it into a to-go cup. There's breakfast! For lunch have a huge green salad loaded with vegetables, or maybe some homemade soup you made over the weekend, (cooking over the weekend in big batches saves a lot of time and money) with a fruit. For dinner, make a simple stir-fry with whatever vegetables you may have on hand served over brown rice or quinoa. It really is simple to eat this way.
This does not have to be complicated....it can be as easy as filling up on lots of fruit, or you can find thousands of recipes that are easy and on the table in minutes, or as complex and gourmet as you would like. Just take the time to look for some recipes you and your family would like, go shopping and get started. Really, the secret to making this way of life easy is to make big batches of beans (red, white, cannelli, black beans, kidney beans, etc.) whenever you have time, and freeze them in ziplock bags. Do the same with batches of brown rice....also, chop of vegetables and put in ziplock bags so when you come home you can just grab foods that are all prepped and ready to go. This will cut down on getting food on the table. Believe me, with a little planning this is really an easy lifestyle.
Here is a really easy, quick, recipe using vegetables that are in season now.....and, this requires no cooking!!
MEXICAN SWEET CORN SALAD
2-3 ears of corn
3-4 tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 stalk of celery
3-4 leaves of kale, thinly sliced (or any green will do)
1 red bell pepper
1/4 red onion
1/4 avocado
bunch of basil, cilantro or parsley (or a combination of all three)
juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime
Peach or mango, chopped (optional)
Chop everything up and toss in large bowl.
SALSA
4-5 tomatoes
1/3 avocado
4 stalks of celery
slice of yellow onion
herb of choice
lemon or lime
Place everything in a food processor and pulse for a short period of time. You want small pieces of vegetables, not a puree. Pour over the Mexican Salad and toss well.
The solution to our health crisis, not to mention the solution to losing weight is a Whole Food Plant Based diet (WFPB) mixed in with a little bit of exercise. It is a long-term lifestyle change, rather than a quick-fix fad, that will not only let us achieve our ideal weight, but will PREVENT, STOP AND REVERSE disease.
Think about this...have you ever known anyone who regularly eats fresh fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods, rarely eats meat or junk food and are obese? The answer is probably not. Think of the traditional cultures of people, (Japanese, Indian, Chinese), where a couple of billion people eat a mostly plant-based diet for thousands of years...these people are basically at a very good weight. On the other hand, the guy buying two hot dogs, (please, never eat hot dogs!) and ordering his second beer at a baseball game, or a woman ordering a cheeseburger and fries at a local fast-food place. The two visuals you get are completely different! The fast-food eating people are the "all-American" image...overweight...people that come from other countries often comment on how everyone looks so "fat".
Solving this problem does not require supplements, shakes, diet pills or some other magic bullet, nor does it require calorie counting, fat counting, carb counting, etc. When you eat a whole food plant based diet, you eat all the vegetables and fruits you desire, some whole-grains, and small amounts of nuts and seeds. There are recipes everywhere for all kinds of plant based dishes that are so good you will NOT miss the meat or dairy!! When you eat a WFPB diet, you eat an abundance of food, but, this food contains much less calories than the Standard American Diet, (SAD), so you naturally lose weight. The plants come loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, but have NO cholesterol, saturated fat, or loads of calories! A plant based diet is NUTRIENT DENSE, which means very little calories but all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants your body requires.
There have been thousands of studies done proving a WFPB diet is the optimal diet for health and weight loss. If you think you just don't know how to begin making this change, start out with taking baby steps. For breakfast try cooked oatmeal topped with all kinds of fruit.....no time to cook oatmeal, make a green smoothie with romaine, bananas, apples, pears, or any other fruit you may have on hand. Whip it up in a blender and put it into a to-go cup. There's breakfast! For lunch have a huge green salad loaded with vegetables, or maybe some homemade soup you made over the weekend, (cooking over the weekend in big batches saves a lot of time and money) with a fruit. For dinner, make a simple stir-fry with whatever vegetables you may have on hand served over brown rice or quinoa. It really is simple to eat this way.
This does not have to be complicated....it can be as easy as filling up on lots of fruit, or you can find thousands of recipes that are easy and on the table in minutes, or as complex and gourmet as you would like. Just take the time to look for some recipes you and your family would like, go shopping and get started. Really, the secret to making this way of life easy is to make big batches of beans (red, white, cannelli, black beans, kidney beans, etc.) whenever you have time, and freeze them in ziplock bags. Do the same with batches of brown rice....also, chop of vegetables and put in ziplock bags so when you come home you can just grab foods that are all prepped and ready to go. This will cut down on getting food on the table. Believe me, with a little planning this is really an easy lifestyle.
Here is a really easy, quick, recipe using vegetables that are in season now.....and, this requires no cooking!!
MEXICAN SWEET CORN SALAD
2-3 ears of corn
3-4 tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 stalk of celery
3-4 leaves of kale, thinly sliced (or any green will do)
1 red bell pepper
1/4 red onion
1/4 avocado
bunch of basil, cilantro or parsley (or a combination of all three)
juice of 1/2 a lemon or lime
Peach or mango, chopped (optional)
Chop everything up and toss in large bowl.
SALSA
4-5 tomatoes
1/3 avocado
4 stalks of celery
slice of yellow onion
herb of choice
lemon or lime
Place everything in a food processor and pulse for a short period of time. You want small pieces of vegetables, not a puree. Pour over the Mexican Salad and toss well.
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