Think outside the "healthy food" box!
Most of us, (if we are honest) have only a few foods we eat when we are trying to eat healthy: for me, its pretty much salads, apples, oranges, bananas, strawberries, carrots, corn & green beans. It's easy to get in a rut if these are the only foods you reach for. I can't tell you how many plain romaine salads I've choked down with low calorie dressing. If there was one main message to this chapter it would be:
Healthy food is meant to be yummy! and Try something new!
The chapter has great suggestions such as taking old standbys and serving them in a new way (such as the grilled romaine I posted about on the Facebook page), and shopping at local whole foods stores & farmers markets to find less common fruits & veggies to try. The recipes don't have to take a long time & effort to prepare: simple really is best: many veggies only need a little heat (grilling, baking or sauteing) and maybe a bit of olive oil and a dash of spice.
I really like that the chapter gives you permission to eat fat! The good kind, that is. Since I've started reading the book, I've been having an avocado for breakfast one or two days a week with a dash of lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Try this! It's great, and keeps you full for awhile. It has a good bit of fat/calories, but it is still great for you. I was blown away by the part of the chapter that mentioned the study that had participants on a Mediterranean diet getting a liter of extra virgin olive oil a week and doing as well as if they were put on statin (cholesterol) drugs! I'm on a statin drug! Could having more olive oil drizzled on my veggies give me the lower cholesterol without swallowing the pill every night??
Boy, and the part about what the bad foods are doing to us -- THAT was hard to read. But it makes total sense. There is so much we still don't know or understand about chronic illnesses: and I'd be willing to bet that it has WAY more to do with our diets than we even realize or care to admit. Tons of research is supporting the idea that the root problem in so many of our health issues today is inflammation. But just where is this inflammation coming from? Sugary, processed foods full of chemicals, trans fats and preservatives: this has to be a huge part of it. So often, I meet people who are so willing to take a pill for their problem, but not willing to just try going gluten-free, or try changing their diet. What I love about eating healthy and exercising is that compared to to the cost of most drugs out there: the cost is not all that high. Also, there are usually only good, healthy side-effects to changing your diet/lifestyle whereas medications often come with harmful side-effects.
Another big point in this chapter: never NEVER get into a food emergency! So often we skip meals, or wait way too long to eat. Before we know it, we're starving, and all of our good intentions go out the window and all we want is pizza with a huge regular soda. I love how the author is saying that thinking will-power can save us from making poor food choices when we're starving is like thinking that will-power can help us hold our breath for fifteen minutes. Keeping healthy food around and making sure we eat every few hours is a must. It requires a bit of effort up-front, and some planning, but can save us from a diet disaster later. Once super-sized meal at the drive thru will take us like, a week of regular exercise to burn off!
I also rarely stop to think about how certain industrial-made foods are supporting farming practices that are harmful to the planet and to poor farmers in certain places in the world that are exploited by the practices of huge corporations. A HUGE part of the American diet comes in the form of packaged foods with a long list of chemical ingredients made by giant companies that are anything but good for our planet. Choosing to eat locally grown, fresh ingredients is a way of not only affecting your own health but the health of the planet!
I also really loved the part of the chapter that calls for all of us to reclaim our kitchens. The most common thing I hear from people (and from myself, if I'm honest) is "busy busy busy!" We are all so busy. But let's face it: we have time for what we make time for. I have tried out this healthy way of eating for a week or two now, and it really doesn't take all that long. I've been making Daniel Plan recipes all week, and the time I spend on cooking and preparing food really hasn't changed. All of us have different levels of skill when it comes to cooking, some of us were raised in the kitchen, and some of us never learned. But we live in the You Tube nation now! There isn't a skill you can't learn nowadays with great, free how-to videos. One website I absolutely LOVE is www.allrecipes.com Check it out! IT has hundreds of thousands of great recipes and how-to videos. Cooking is a skill/practice we cannot afford to live without. If you are eating out more than once a week, you are setting yourself up for problems. Most restaurant foods: the portions are out of control and even the "light" or "low fat" recipes can be laden with calories.
Let's all introduce more cooking into our lives! I like how the book is saying that even if you want something sweet, or "comfort" food like pizza or fries: you can do it once in awhile, but make it at home with fresh ingredients. The Pinterest page I posted has a yummy looking Daniel Plan barbecue chicken pizza I'd love to try one day.
Those are just a few of the thoughts I have about the FOOD chapter, but there is so much more in there to talk about. What are your thoughts? I love the personal success stories written in little boxes in the book from others who have tried the Daniel Plan! Anybody have stories they'd like to share? For me, I've noticed I have not been as hungry in the past week. It's counter-intuitive: I'm probably eating less calories (although I haven't been counting), but I'm less hungry! I'm enjoying the food, too. I feel great overall, and I've been sleeping really well.
I'd love to hear from everyone else: what have you tried? Any areas you've been struggling with? How are you feeling? Let us all know, and hope to see you Sunday evening at the walk!
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