Simple Diet Plan
Where to start on the road to a healthier lifestyle? Do you need to pay money? Any special supplies? Think it’s too much work? Here are the answers to those questions!
First determine why you would like to change your eating habits. Is it a newly diagnosed health issue, a desire to lose a few extra pounds, or just learning to eat healthier? Keep reading!
Next determine when you are most hungry during the day and when you are most likely to snack. A few days of keeping a “food diary” really helps with this. Eat normally and write down EVERYTHING you ingest, including liquids (coffee, tea, juice, pop, etc.) and the time of day. Are you a breakfast eater or do you have a coffee and run out the door? Do you get ravenously hungry at 10:00 a.m.? Sleepy at 3:00 p.m.? Starving by 5:00 p.m.? Snacking at 8:00 p.m.? Now you can actually see when & what you eat and feel the rises and falls in your blood sugar levels. We usually reach for a quick carb snack when our blood sugar level has dropped because we are tired and carbs give us that needed boost. Learned behaviour? Genetic/natural inclination? I don’t know. What I do know is; protein is a better choice as it will keep you going further, longer. As are whole foods containing natural sugars/carbs – they take longer for your body to assimilate/digest, thereby providing a steady stream of energy, instead of a quick fix and the flop that follows from eating processed foods – chips, cookies, snack bars, donuts, muffins, etc.
To balance out your eating schedule, first do a short cleanse. This will clean out all the “stuff” stuck inside and help to regulate your blood sugar levels. Don’t buy a box, do it yourself using natural foods. There is a post describing an easy cleanse on my Facebook Page … Green Tea in the morning, a shake/smoothie/juice, a light meal consisting mainly of veggies with a bit of protein. Apple Cider Vinegar – 1 tablespoon first thing in the morning or the juice of a lemon stirred into 1/2 a glass of water with a pinch of cayenne. During a cleanse it is best not to drink any coffee or alcohol, nor eat any dairy, processed foods or glutens. This gives your body the time it needs to clean itself of any impurities. If you can, do a cleanse once a month, your body will love it and show the love you are giving it! More energy, bright eyes, clear skin, weight loss and much more!
More money or less? You decide. If you do not buy any processed foods, snack foods (junk foods), pop, specialty coffees – you will save money. This money you are saving can make you healthier! How? Spend part of it on healthy, organic food, (not all food purchased has to be organic – see list below). Buy a juicer and make your own healthy, natural, flavour packed, nutrient rich juice.
In the beginning it will seem like extra work – after all, it is much easier to open a bag of chips than it is to make houmous, or salsa, or guacamole … but the energy boost you receive from the latter choices will very quickly outweigh the apparent ease of the former choice. Even better … you will lose the desire for greasy, salty foods … not altogether but at least on a daily basis! In a very short space of time, you will become so adept at making these snacks and stocking them in your refrigerator that you will wonder why you hadn’t done this sooner.
List of Foods:
FOODS WITH THE LOWEST NUMBER HAVE THE MOST PESTICIDE CONTENT/RESIDUE
1. Apples
2. Celery
3. Strawberries
4. Peaches
5. Spinach
6. Nectarines (imported)
7. Grapes (imported)
8. Sweet Bell Peppers
9. Potatoes
10. Blueberries
11. Lettuce
12. Kale/Collard Greens
13. Cilantro
14. Cucumbers
15. Grapes (domestic)
16. Cherries
17. Pears
18. Nectarines (domestic)
19. Hot Peppers (Chili, Jalapeño)
20. Green Beans (domestic)
21. Carrots
22. Plums (imported)
23. Blueberries (imported)
24. Raspberries
25. Green Beans (imported)
26. Summer Squash (Zucchini)
27. Oranges
28. Broccoli
29. Green Onions
30. Bananas
31. Cantaloupe
32. Honeydew Melon
33. Cauliflower
34. Tomatoes
35. Papaya
36. Cranberries
37. Plums (domestic)
38. Winter Squash
39. Mushrooms
40. Grapefruit
41. Sweet Potatoes
42. Watermelon
43. Cabbage
44. Kiwi
45. Cantaloupe (domestic)
46. Eggplant
47. Mangoes
48. Sweet Peas (frozen)
49. Asparagus
50. Avocado
51. Pineapples
52. Sweet Corn
53. Onions
From the EWG’s 2011 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce TM
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