There are so many diets out there, each claiming supremacy as the most effective. Each of us has our own ideas about the healthiest way to eat, and every body is different. Instead of adding our opinions to the mix (and we do have some), we would rather focus on some guiding principles that can keep you healthy in the long term. Healthy eating is a lifestyle that takes tons of practice in order to make it a part of your life. So, here are some tips to make that happen!
1. Stay away from added sugar! - The average amount of sugar in the Standard American Diet (or SAD as I like to call it) is unprecedented in human history. Read labels on your food. About every 4 grams of sugar translates to a teaspoon. Refined white sugar acts like octane fuel in the body. Your liver goes into hyper drive, pumping up insulin production to carry the octane fuel back to your liver where it is coated with fat and stored as empty energy for later use. This can lead to fatty liver, insulin sensitivity, diabetes, and heart disease. The recommended daily allowance for sugar for men is around 9 teaspoons(37 grams) and for women around 6 teaspoons (25 grams). A twelve ounce can of coke has about 10 teaspoons of sugar in it. If you have a sweet tooth, replace your sugary snacks with a piece of fruit. Fruit can be high in sugar too, but the added fiber makes it easier for the body to digest and eliminate correctly. The spike that sugar creates in the body is followed by a drop in energy and mood. When our energy and mood drop, we go back to sugar to bring us back up. It works quite literally like an addiction. White sugar makes you over fat, under nourished, and more likely to develop health problems.
2. Throw away the scale! No, really! - Most people will hate hearing this, but the experts agree - weighing yourself everyday is a very bad practice! If you are working out, you are gaining muscle which weighs more than fat. Sometimes you will retain water and weigh more the next day even though you lost fat and sculpted your body. Constantly stepping on the scale is a sign that you are more interested in short term results rather than a lifestyle of healthy eating. The best way to tell if you have made progress is to notice how your clothes are fitting. Ignore the number on the scale and eat right for the long haul. The results take time, but they will be undeniable! They say when eating right and exercising, it takes about a month to notice results yourself and two months for others to notice. There are no quick fixes!
3. Drink tons of water - The body needs to be hydrated. We are liquitarians! we can go a long time without food, but not without water. Drink two glassed of water immediately when you wake up on an empty stomach and wait 45 mins before eating if you can. This helps flush out your kidneys, gets hydration directly into your brain and skin, and will probably wake you up more naturally than a cup of coffee!
4. Learn to replace - Rather than eliminate things, replace them slowly. You can replace your white table salt with pink himilalayan salt. White table salt has only 3 minerals and pink himalayan salt has over 80. You might consider replacing milk with almond milk. Hard to get used to at first, but once you do you won't look back! The purpose of Milk is to fatten baby calves, what do you think it's doing to you? It also contains tons of casein, a terrible protein responsible for inflammation in your arteries. The FDA allows a certain amount of puss to be present in the milk sold at the grocery store, so you're also drinking puss when you drink milk. Another replacement is replacing white for brown! Instead of white bread, buy brown whole wheat or whole grain bread. Instead of white rice, try brown rice. Instead of white pasta, switch to brown whole wheat or rice pasta. The brown grains burn slower and offer a steadier source of energy which keeps them from being stored as fat as easily.
5. Eat your greens!! There is just no replacement for green leafy veggies. They are high in nutrients and low in calories. They make your skin look healthier, keep your digestive tract in order, nutrify your body on the cellular level, and offer tons of fiber. I try and do a Vitamix of green veggies everyday with a little fruit and some flax milk. Juicing is also great, but make sure you get the fiber too! Green powders will never substitute living, raw or steamed veggies!
6. Eat for vitality not longevity! - When I tell people how I eat they often say "well i'm not trying to live to be 100 anyway. I wanna eat cheeseburgers and live to the fullest!" But are you really living to the fullest when you eat that way? I mean, really? how do you feel day to day when you are spiking insulin and gaining body fat? How does your brain feel when its recovering from the fried fat bomb you threw in your gut last night? Look, no one knows how long we are going to live, but when we eat right, we feel vital during the years we are alive. I intend to take life by the throat, and in order to do that, my body needs to feel its best. Eating right is the greatest gift you can give to yourself. When you treat your body like a temple, everything you do becomes sacred!
7. Stop chasing the perfect body and start chasing the most nourished body - I had a friend in California that was a professional bodybuilder. His body would look amazing right before he went on stage. He would eat absolutely no carbs for 3 weeks before his show, then drink 2 cans of Welches grape juice before he went on stage. It made his veins pop out on top of his ripped (and steroid infused) muscles. He looked like a God...but felt like he had the flu! Many of his friends had heart attacks as a result of chasing that "look". I'm sorry, but no thank you! Being fit and muscular is awesome, but being nourished correctly is the best! When your body is in that state, then you can realistically reach your fitness goals and feel like a million bucks doing it! Eat your veggies, folks!
8. Try intermitten Fasting - This might be a great solution for you. Eating in an 8 hour window and fasting for 16 is picking up steam in the health community. It allows your body to repair itself, get rid of unnecessary fat, replenish brain cells (in lab mice at least) and lowers inflammation. There are tons of ways to do this and i won't go into them here. The one that works for me is eating between 2 and 10 pm only. When i'm not eating, I drink black coffee and drink water. I feel alert and energized while not eating and have no problem working out. Youtube this one for more info, it might work for you!
9. Easy on the Meat - Don't worry, I'm not going to try and make you a vegetarian! However, if you do eat meat, then you should know that the world health organization has categorized all processed meats (bacon, deli meats, hot dogs etc) as class 1 carcinogens! In other words, eating processed meats is known now to be just as dangerous as smoking a cigarette....google it! Also, red meat was found to not be much better. So, try and stay away from these or even eliminate them - they are killing you! If you're going to eat meat, try and eat less and eat farm raised animals that are smaller than you. I eat very little meat now and it has made the biggest overall change in my health. Whatever you decide, move in the direction of healthier meat consumption.
10. All things in moderation...even moderation! - Even though I try and move in the direction of healthy eating, I will on occasion have a steak or eat some bacon. You have to discover what works for you, but try and move in the direction of healthy eating without beating yourself up when you fall off the wagon here and there. Allow yourself some cheat meals. If going to Cattleman's steak house is an occasional treat, you're probably ok. If its a normal occurance, you're probably headed for medical issues! Have an overall directional sense of what you should be eating and you won't feel as guilty about wings and beers with the boys from time to time!
11. Get plenty of sleep! Nothing will make you overeat more than lack of sleep. Your body will crave fat and sugar to give it the energy it needs to keep you awake. Sleep is your best and first doctor. Sleep puts you in the right state of mind and makes you stronger at impulse control.
12. Don't take diet advice from an overfat or unhealthy person. - This one is obvious, but it needs to be said.
Eating right is a lifelong process. God directs a moving ship, so get moving on some of these and gain some momentum!
