Once in a while you come across a book that’s both visually appealing and content wise sharing-each and every page. This book is one of those. I would recommend everyone to own and gift a copy of it to their loved ones. We don’t realize how integral good health is for our well being. But even one day in pain (mental or physical) makes us lose the zest of life and crave for a healthy body and mind. I for one know what I am going to ask Aladdin’s genie if he ever comes seeking me- A day of no aches and pains..whatsoever! Wouldn’t that be glorious?
Genies and wishes apart, this book is the next best thing to gift yourself. And till you end up buying it, please consider reviewing the book review which basically is a summary of the book minus the beautiful imagery that accompanies each of these suggestions.
It’s divided into 5 parts; read over 5 days or 5 hours but do give it 5 minutes of your time. Enjoy!
Eating
1. Fill the kitchen with real food- with limited shelf life, grows in the ground. Limit packaged foods.
2. Fat is good for you:
whole eggs,
nuts (such as almonds, pecans, walnuts, and cashews),
seeds (such as sunflower seeds and flaxseeds),
Avocado,
Olive Oil, coconut oil
Fatty Fish (for example, mackerel, tuna, salmon, and trout)
Avoid bad fats-in processed and fried food.
3. Eat the colors of the rainbow
4. Buy organic and local
5. Sugar is poison. This is the MOST important lesson one can learn and follow. Stevia is the best sugar substitute
supplements can help you wean away from it.
7. Too much fruit is not good since fruit has a lot of sugar in it. Don’t drink fruit juices.
8. Opt for fruits with less sugar: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries. melon, and grapefruits.
9. Raw nuts are better than packaged salted nuts. Toast at 165 for 10-15 minutes. Add some sea salt later on.
10. Eat less bread
11. Eat less gluten-pasta, bread, cookies, pastries. Most people are mildly gluten insensitive. Avoid gluten-free products from the market.
12. Too much soy can mess with your thyroid, metabolism, and hormones. This is because soy is a processed protein which is not a good protein. Edamame (natural soy) or Miso, tempeh (fermented soy) are better choices.
13. Think of dairy as a condiment. If you do eat it, make sure it’s organic. Replace it with substitutes such as almond or coconut milk.
14. Choose cheese that’s less bad for you such as: raw cheese, sheep’s milk cheese like feta, manchego, roquefort, goat milk cheeses, and buffalo mozzarella.
15. Eat the egg’s yolk
16. Don’t count just calories; look at the source. A 100 calories from kale are better than a 100 calories from the vending machine.
16. Eat TILL you are only 80% FULL.
17. Eat smallish fish; not big fish. Better ones are:black cod (sable), canned sardines, anchovies. These are lowest in mercury content. A good source to find local fish is vitalchoice.com
18. Wild salmon are naturally pink- eat that. Farmed fresh fish are mostly dyed pink and so should be avoided.
19. Avoid GMOs by buying local and organic where possible.
20. Avoid caffeine after 1.00 pm as it stays in the body for unto 7 hours. Too much caffeine can throw the body’s natural rhythms.
21. Switch morning coffee to green tea.
22. Buy these every week: dark leafy greens, cruciferous veggies, avocados, blueberries, eggs, walnuts. For summer- maybe Kefir. For winter- maybe coconut oil
23. Prep as you put your food away- clean, air, boil.
24. Your gut loves fermented food such kimchi, kombucha, pickled vegetables. Buy these refrigerated.
25. If you eat cows, make sure they eat grass.
26. Organic eggs are best.
27. Olive oil in salad is better than olive oil in cooking. If used in cooking, use olive oil that can burn till 400
28. Skip the grains, add more veggies. Have healthier grains such as quinoa and amaranth (both deliver proteins)
29. Eat dark chocolate with 70% or more cacao.
30. Make your own trail mix: raw almonds, raw walnuts, raw cashew, raw brazil nuts, raw sunflower seeds, raw raw pumpkin seeds, cacao nibs, dash of chopped dates.
31. Stay away from carbs for breakfast. Choose healthy fats such as eggs with greens, sardines, avocado with oil, salt and cumin
32. Right size your meals. Dinner should be small. Lunch should be the biggest and breakfast non-existent or light.
33. No matter what time of day, practice portion control.
34. Breakfast in a glass: water + coconut milk + green powder + frozen or fresh blueberries + avocado pieces + kale
35. Don’t eat over the kitchen sink or directly from packets. Serve a conscious portion and eat SLOWLY
36. Have peppermint tea instead of candy.
37. Chew your food well. It’s good for the digestive system and also makes you full on time to prevent excess eating.
38. Give your digestive system a rest. Practice intermittent fasting by forgoing breakfast when possible. Remember; if you need to lose fat fasting will help your body utilize fat during periods of fasting.
