The first thing I want to share with you is a lifestyle that finally makes sense to me! This lifestyle of eating is called "flexitarian". Now when I looked on line I found one RN that has a complete diet plan of what you can and cannot eat each meal etc. This is NOT what I am doing. I don't want to have a "diet" I am following each day, but rather I am just making choices that my body likes. Those choices have led me to be a flexitarian. The first I ever heard of this was through a documentary called "Forks over Knives". It was a fantastic 97 min documentary discussing the negative consequences of eating a "western diet". A western diet is high in animal protein and dairy and low in whole grains and fresh fruits and veggies. It seems like common sense right? I further believe this because of the word of wisdom found in the Doctrine and Covenants Section 89:10-20.
10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome aherbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—
11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.
12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—
17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.
18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive bhealth in their navel and marrow to their bones;
19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
One of the stats that I was most impressed with was a study that was done in India and repeated several times since using mice to test a diet high in casein (20%) (a protein found in animal milk) compared to a diet low in casein(5%). The results were astounding. Those rats who ate a diet high in animal protein "turned on" cancer cells and those who consumed low amounts "turned off" cancer cells. What a concept! We can control what happens to our bodies much more that we think. Vegetarians tend to live 3.6 years longer than those who don't live that lifestyle. We think no big deal 3.6 years is not that long but they also have a higher quality of life through out that time. They tend to weight 30lbs less than the average american. I think those are stats I am interested in.
So some of you may be wondering "what about your food allergies?" Well, I am not sure yet. I am going to try and slowly incorporate whole wheat, barley and rye and see how I handle it. I hope that if it is in it's true form (not overly processed) I will be able to utilize it in my body with out the ill effects I had before. Fingers crossed!!!
I have spent a ton of time on pinterest looking up recipes and trying to plan yummy healthy meals that focus on whole fresh fruits and veggies and whole grains. I will post ones that I come up with that we particularly like. That way even if you don't plan on the flexitarian lifestyle you can incorporate a few healthy recipes to your repertoire. So join me on my quest for a healthy fulfilled life!
Cilantro Lime Chickpea Salad
adapted from Heather at http://www.heathersdish.com/
3 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 loosely packed cups fresh spinach
1/2 onion, chopped small
juice from 4 limes
1 bunch of cilantro (about loosely packed cup)
3 Tbsp xylitol
2 Tbsp homemade mustard (recipe below) or dijon mustard
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/8-1/4 cup olive oil
Chop the spinach very finely.Put the spinach, chickpeas and onion, in a large bowl. Blend the lime juice, cilantro, sugar, mustard, garlic, chili powder, and olive oil until it resembles a dressing. Pour over the chickpea mixture and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let sit for about 10 minutes to marinade the chickpeas. Serve alone as a salad or use with crackers as a "dip".
Thanks Heather for such a yummy dish!!!
Homemade Mustard
from HCG Diet Recipes Phase 2 by Carla Martell and Audrey Scott
1 c apple cider vinegar (I like Braggs if you are looking to purchase some)
2 T garlic powder
1/2 c water
2 T onion powder
2 T lemon juice
1 tsp ground ginger
4 T ground mustard powder
sweetener to taste (I used xylitol)
Heat all ingredients together thoroughly in a saucepan for a few minutes. Refrigerate and use in recipes as needed.
Now last but not least time for a shout out to PetSmart! We enrolled Dash in the puppy training class and it ROCKS! Our trainer Allison is awesome with Dash! She understands that Border Collies need breaks through out the hour and is patient when he seems to lack all interest in learning. To top it all off we had only one other dog enrolled in our class and they dropped out and so Allison offered to let us join her beginner class that starts up in a couple of weeks so that Dash could get more socialized with lots of dogs. Thanks PetSmart and Allison for such a great opportunity!
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