Ok – one more post as we head into 2012 – particularly relevant as I’m surrounded by all of the holiday food and approaching New Year’s Eve junk food! Am I going to eat it – well, maybe a little in moderation to be honest. I’m not a saint, and I do believe that if any fat burning diet requires 100% compliance 24×7 then it likely won’t be kept up…
When I started getting serious about getting rid of my very non-six-pack stomach, as well as hopefully influence my blood chemistry, I thought I knew what healthy foods to eat were – a bunch of fruits, vegetables, limit intake of meat, avoid sugar and junk food. Seems quite straightforward right? These are healthy food options I can eat…
Wrong.
I google’d whenever I found a minute to try and get more info on how many fruits and vegetable, how much meat and what kind, what vitamin or fish oil supplements I should be on, etc. Needless to say everyone has advice on healthy food options, and a lot of it is contradictory…so what was I to do. Not sure I wanted to experiment with the only body I have [although you could argue the last 12 years have been a real bad experiment that went wrong relative to my weight!].
I wanted a simple, credible, well-researched set of information on what foods were healthy to eat, and also readily available in my local grocery store (shipping in fish from Japan or some rare vegetable from India wasn’t going to work for me).
I wanted also something I could get started on quickly, without having to get the equivalent of a PHD. I wanted someone to tell me that eating a lot of grains wasn’t good for me and why. I wanted healthy eating advice around why I could buy regular bananas but I should always go organic on apples and grapes. I needed to understand that strawberries have one of the higher concentrations of pesticides across the fruit bin.
Should I be buying organic meats as one element of health foods to eat? Is that money well spent?
Sigh. Too many questions, and too much random pieces of information. I’m not a weight watchers kind of guy, although I know many people love the eating advice and planned meals etc. from that program and see results. I know my limitations also about simply being handed a set of meal plans – I need to know the WHY behind a particular approach for eating lunch or dinner.
Country Harvest by Kim NewBerg
Healthy Food Advice – Here is what I’ve learned
So here are some nuggets I’ve learned, and am still learning about:
- Grass fed beef has a much different nutritional profile than normal grain fed beef, and is much better for my body [and I can eat more of it versus the normal bulk raised and slaughtered beef]
- Calcium doesn’t have to come from dairy – in fact the right approach and foods provide all the calcium your body needs without dairy products.
- Corn is not a vegetable but is a grain
- Grains shouldn’t be a primary part of most meals – bread, rice, pasta aren’t as good for my body as I’ve been lead to believe (in fact I’ve personally cut my grain intake by about 80% after understanding more)
- I need a certified nutritionist to help me through this…but I can’t afford a private one!
- The right fish needs to be part of my diet several times a week
- Eggs are an awesome source of multiple nutrients – but they need to come from range fed, organically raised chickens
- Fatty foods [beef, bacon, etc.] may not be as bad for me as I once thought, relative to some of the other findings on grains
- Kale is an awesome vegetable, doesn’t taste as bad as I thought it would, and has an incredible nutritional profile
- I can double or triple my vegetable intake my expanding my tastes…Had Turnips for the first time a few weeks ago and actually like them!
- It takes an extra 8min to add carrots, radishes, and tomatoes to my salad
- I can’t give up coffee…but I think that is ok…
- A proper Omega-3 supplement is critical. I take one that is manufacturered to have the exact proportions of omega oils as you would get from eating salmon.
- I’ve learned the proportion of Omega oils can almost be more important than the actual quantity you are taking.
Most of what I learned so far, and feel is credible, comes from the Diet Solution Program, and the wonderful research and knowledge Isabel has provided as a certified nutritionist.
I think that’s enough rambling for now. Whether you follow my path with this program or another path or program, good luck with your research and driving a change into your eating healthy lifestyle!
Russell