I have started a new diet. Well, it is marketed as a diet. But I’d prefer to call it a “live it.” It’s a way of eating for optimal health. Why am I doing this?
- Because I’m trying to get my cholesterol numbers down with just diet.
- Because a good friend has breast cancer and I told her I would do a nutritional component of her treatment with her. Really, we’re at different places with diet right now, but we’re both trying to eat healthy and maybe at some point our “live its” will converge. Maybe not. But we can still support each other in our efforts because there are a lot of common principles.
- Because I knew I wasn’t eating the right things for optimal health. Our human bodies are amazing and survive on less-than-optimal nutrition. But do they thrive? Nope. And if you don’t believe me, just look around you. How many people do you know who have diabetes, heart disease, cancer?
And so I’m trying to figure this all out. Right now I’m basically on what most people call a vegan diet. No meat (not a problem for me, a vegetarian diet is my preferred way of eating). No dairy. Yipes! No yogurt? No cheese? This part has been the hardest. No processed foods. Takes longer to prepare food, but this is healthy eating. Very limited sugar - any sugar is mostly natural sugar like honey, agave nector, and maple syrup. But I’m really not using much of that, either. I’m mostly satisfying my sweetness needs with real fruit.
So, lots of vegetables, lots of fruit. Complex grains. Legumes (a.k.a beans). I’m feeling good. I also take a multivitamin because this “live it” doesn’t supply adequate amounts of vitamin b12. More on that another time.
The basic concepts are to eat foods that have a high nutrient-to-calorie ratio and that vegetables and fruits provide phytochemicals, which are powerful weapons in fighting off disease. Turns out this “live it” is also helping me loose weight. Which wasn’t my primary goal, but it sure is a nice side benefit!
I plan on posting more about healthy living on my site. I’ve not been actively blogging for awhile, but I hope to change that.
If you want to find out more about this “live it,” pick up the book “Eat to Live” by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Or visit his website.