This is the first of many times I will post about this subject here on my blog. Reason being, this knowledge has changed my life personally and that of my children, and because of that i am incredibly passionate about it.
About 3 years ago while pregnant with baby #7, I developed severe morning sickness. At the time I figured it was simply the fact that I was carrying the 3rd baby in just under 3 years that was making me so sick, while that may have been some of it, even more so it was my diet.
It wasn't until I decided to goo to a friends get together at her house to learn about this supplement stuff she used. I went with a few mommy friends as some time out that week, not realizing how much it would change my life.
What I learned that night was...my diet was so depleted of real food and full of processed *junk* that it was seriously affecting my health in major and subtle ways. After the 2.5 hours we spent there, eating the nutritious foods they had made, including the protein shakes (all fresh organic fruits and veggies mind you)...I went home at nearly midnight with more energy than I had recalled having in years! I stayed up 2 more hours cleaning my house, slept well and woke up feeling refreshed the next morning. Could it be that simple? Could it really be that the key to feeling good and longevity was really based on what we eat? I have come to find out since that yes, without a doubt, it is!!
Since that day, I've spent hours learning and being open to learning new and better ways to not only feed my body what it needs, but also that of my growing children. We started taking a daily whole food supplement called juice plus which is backed by research as giving bodies what they need daily to thrive. Whats in it? fruits and veggies and lots of them!!
So, lets back it up here,...a few facts that I have learned and want to pass on to basically put this whole post in a nutshell.
1. the FDA recommends that as adults we get at least (LEAST) 9 fruits and vegetable servings each day. That's a LOT if you ask me. For children the minimum is 6.
2. Processed food will kill you. A whole foods diet is the only way a body can function properly, avoid cancer, diabetes, heart disease and the like.
So, what IS a whole foods diet?
I'll tell you what it is, and what its not and why.
Whole foods are:
anything that comes directly from nature in it's natural form.
Wikipedia give the definition... "Whole foods are foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible before being consumed. Whole foods typically do not contain added ingredients, such as sugar, salt, or fat.[1] Examples of whole foods include unpolished grains; fruits and vegetables; unprocessed meat, poultry, and fish; and non-homogenized milk."
Meat, fish, vegetables, whole grains, fruits, natural fats, spices...all good examples. One good way to get your share of them while grocery shopping is to shop the perimeter of the store, typically this is where you will find most of them. the center isles are where you will find refined sugars, processed items and worse so only buy those in limited (or not at all) quantities.
What is not a whole food?
Anything that has ingredients that you 1. cannot pronounce or #2 don't know exactly what it is. Kids snacks are the worst for this sort of thing. They promise you vitamins and minerals that keep your kids healthy, yet are full of artificial flavorings, coloring and sugars and no real *food*. They taste good to your kids because the big food companies spend a lot of time and money adding ingredients into said snacks which entice the palate and make the brain *think* it tastes good. That's why you meet people who hate the taste of water (wha?! Water has a taste?? really?!) because they are so used to consuming liquids that have added artificial flavorings and sugars that their taste buds don't know how delicious water truly is.
Also anything labeled *diet* is not good for you either. These are loaded with something called neuro-toxins which literally destroy brain cells and your nervous system. Anyone that has ever had an addiction to diet drinks will find that once you get them out, your memory improves as does mental focus. That's because the saccharin or artificial sweeteners effects your nervous system and will destroy it little by little over time. NOT good!!
My kids when we first started down this road were not thrilled trust me. I'm not going to sit here and tell you their conversion was easy, or that we are perfect when it comes to their diets. My kids still get treats once or twice a week, and will on occasion get the coveted Mickie D's run, but it is on an incredibly limited basis. And by limited I mean 1 time a month, maybe 2 times if we are super busy and it can't be helped but if we have the choice we try and do subway (great fast-food alternative!) or I try really hard to keep quick easy fix meals here at the house, not only is it cheaper for a family this size (a fast-food run is now costing us roughly $40+ these days and I only have 3 that eat bigger kids or adult size meals...scary isn't it? lol), but in the long run I know I have not loaded their bodies with trans fat, sodium and junk calories.
One thing to watch for when shopping...anything that has the word *hydrogenated* in the ingredients, even though it says no trans fat, it really actually does. The FDA only requires food makers to record trans fat if its in a quantity greater than 1gram per serving. A lot of food manufactuer's have found a way around this in their products,...they still contain trans fat (a minimal amount by never the less they still have it) but according to the *food rules* they can claim its trans fat *free*. I'm not sure how they do it other than maybe they have added other chemicals/ingredients in to make up for the bulk of the trans fat?? Not sure, but what I do know is that it is also recommended that no one consumes more than 2grams of trans fat per day. I can tell you right now, there isn't a single burger or chocolate item on the Mickie D's menu that doesn't contain that much TF or more. You can find this information on their website, look it up.
Sugar is my next victim, and then I will close for the day. Did you know that every time you consume sugar (regardless of the form, organic, processed...which is worse but still, honey you name it) it automatically lowers your immune system for a minimum of 4 hours after consuming that sugar. Lowered immune system means look out infection, here I come! If you deal with infection of any kind, reoccurring colds, you name it, look to your diet, are you consuming sugar? especially refined sugars? (white table sugar, processed sweetened foods, even breakfast cereals and granola bars are chalk full of it!). Over time this kind of consumption puts you at a higher risk for cancer, diabetes, etc.
So in essence what I am saying is this....people ask me all the time why I look so young and how I have so much energy. The truth is, I am what I eat. Trust me I am sooo not perfect all the time. I have times where I crave cake (my fav cheat food! LOL) and i eat it...but I eat it knowing full well whats in it and that I might feel awful for a little while after consuming it. It's an educated *choice* versus a staple in my diet.
A typical diet for me for one day would be this...
protein shake in the am with coffee (with low fat organic creamer & stevia...a plant based sweetener with fiber), sometimes a banana or a small bowl of kashi type cereal if i'm really hungry post workout.
snack mid morning is usually an apple...
lunch 4-6 ounces of tuna with low fat mayo or none, 1 slice of whole grain bread and some kind of veggie (sometimes fresh, sometimes leftover) and my 4 JP capsules.
afternoon snack...protein shake w/fruit and maybe some celery or sliced bell pepper
dinner...depends but a typical one here is some kind of fish (salmon, tilapia, etc.) a veggie and usually rice or a potato. (I eat limited carbs, but I do still eat them...)
if I'm really hungry at night, I choose cottage cheese and fruit, fresh veggies, a bowl of good cereal , oatmeal (whole oats only) and on occasion if hubby and I are watching a movie, i LOVE salsa!! I will eat it with chips...but I only buy the non flavored tortilla chips that have corn and oil and salt.
A huge tip....the smaller the ingredients list on a food item, the better!! ;)
So that's it for now. I could go on and on, but I've got a toddler that needs to have a few books read to him and a diaper change, oh and its almost snack time! :) Today's snack is red bell peppers and cheese chunks (mont. jack cheese, yum, they love this combo!). Have a great day, and remember ...eat food that will help you thrive and feel ready to live the best possible life you can!!
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