Eat What Your Body Needs and Not What Your Body Wants*
There comes a point in person’s life (preferably sooner rather than later) when we just know we have to learn new healthy eating habits and become a healthier person. I started my nutrition and cooking makeover by making an effort to eliminate alcohol, sweets, trans and saturated fats, white bread, and coffee as much as I could.
*When you’ve been eating very healthy for a few months, your body actually starts WANTING what it needs! If you can hear your body’s subtle cues, making healthy food choices at the right times becomes very easy!
My effort to become a healthier person led me to explore alternative healthy food habits. I began to eat a whole and well-balanced breakfast, more fruit, organic vegetable salads, vegetable-based soups, and various natural supplements.
Throughout the process, I’ve come to the conclusion that no matter what the cost, your #1 priority should be to maintain your health – it’s the best low-cost insurance policy for your long-term well-being. Once things deteriorate, fixing is often costly, painful, and takes a long time. Also keep in mind that for the optimized health, the body needs variety and balance.
Healthy eating habits and going to the gym helped me lose 35 pounds of weight (ie. lose fat and gain muscle), ending up at 190 lbs. I also had a fit and toned physique. There’s no doubt that your diet can do wonders for losing weight. In fact, fat loss is 70% about the diet and only 20% about the exercise.
It’s a very good idea to explore ways to boost your well-being through healthy supplements such as herbal remedies or superfoods. Echinacea, rosehip, and vitamin C are the answer to increasing your immunity against colds and flus. Ginseng, ginkgo, lecithin and Matcha green tea are excellent resources for boosting your energy and metabolism, and thus the perfect replacement for coffee. Cinnamon (Vietnamese Saigon, Cassia Ceylon), fresh lemon juice, apple cider vinegar (with extra virgin olive oil over salad), fresh raw cocoa, and green tea when consumed before or during a meal help control blood sugar after a meal, and in turn help keep the body from depositing extra body fat.
Taking a high quality multi-vitamin and probiotic (good bacteria) supplement daily will promote good digestion and elimination, which in itself is a great well-being booster (you eat less, don’t feel hungry, and feel light). An occasional gentle cleanse and detox further increases that well-being (see the monthly Cleanse Pack option at www.GetFitBodyNow.com for more information).
But don’t just take my word for it; educate yourself on herbal remedies and vitamins that lead to a healthier lifestyle. Do some blood tests and/or EIS Biofeedback Scan, which evaluate all your body organs to find out what imbalances in your body you need to address with the appropriate supplements. Ageless Essentials are great age-defying and full-loaded vitamins with convenient AM and PM packs. Here’s a video with more information: What’s Aging You?
Healthy Eating Habits
The following are some useful ideas to keep in mind when eating or thinking about eating.
You should:
- Always Always wash your hands before eating
- Eat most fresh and nutrient rich food you can
- Eat a balanced diet (pay attention to variety of colours in your meals)
- Bless the food (be grateful for it and its value)
- Eat slowly and chew each bite – think about eating
The first three points are pretty self-explanatory (more on that below). However, blessing the food, eating slowly, and thinking about eating may not be. The way I think about it is being aware of what you’re eating and seeing it as a process. This way you feel less inclined to snack and you establish a formal process about your mealtimes.
You should chew your food thoroughly before swallowing – up to 30 chews per bite. Digestion starts in the mouth, and if we don’t chew our food properly before swallowing, we’re only getting a portion of the nutritional value of our food. Also if you don’t chew your food properly, your body needs to use a lot of energy for digestion and thus you don’t function as well, for example, you feel sluggish and mentally unclear.
I also enjoy an occasional change of scenery as an important part of the balanced life. I spend time or have my meals in the countryside or parks where the air is cleaner and where there’s no noise pollution. The value of such a recharging break is priceless.
Cooked / Uncooked Food
During my research about being healthy, I also came across some useful principles of super health.
Most nutritionists agree that some nutrients including vitamins, minerals, and amino acids are destroyed through the cooking process. Enzymes, which are essential for proper digestion, are destroyed too. Further, because cells don’t get enough nutrients, you feel hungry even though you’ve just eaten; you eat more food and gain weight.
When I learned about this, I realized how important it is to eat as much raw food as possible to ensure that I’m getting enough nutrients. I actually feel a huge difference in my body after a freshly squeezed vegetable juice or fresh vegetable salad.
However, keep in mind that some vegetables need to be lightly cooked or steamed to increase their nutritional value. For example, cooked carrots, beets, mushrooms, asparagus, cabbage, peppers and many other vegetables supply more antioxidants, such as carotenoids and ferulic acid, to the body than they do when raw, according to Scientific American.
I did a 3-week experiment once, eating just cold raw food. At first it was great, but eventually I started feeling pretty awful. My body was craving a hot meal. I know a few gluten-free no-milk vegan people and even they eat hot soups or meals from time to time. Not only does cooking kill bacteria and other unwelcome organisms, but it tastes better, it’s softer to chew and warms up the insides. Note that Vegan diet is not for everyone. Most people simply need to eat meat to keep healthy as this confession by a ex-vegan reveals.
For example, I highly recommend eating hot soups such as Pho Ga, a (spicy) Vietnamese chicken soup, or a vegetarian alternative with tofu. Whenever I eat it, it clears up my mucus, sinuses, breathing, sleepiness, and my overall sluggishness. It also makes my stomach feel lighter. So do alkaline Japanese meals such as Miso soup with Dragon Roll sushi or Smoked Salmon & Avocado sushi. Cooked food has its benefits!
In general, it’s like the saying goes – everything in moderation. Balance as part of a healthy diet consists of both raw and cooked (or smoked) meals.
Breakfast – The Most Important Meal of the Day
According to a generally known fact, breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day. Because of that, I’ve been making an effort to eat healthy breakfasts. And it really makes a big difference during the day (performance, effectiveness, well-being, etc.)
One day, I had a really nice breakfast. It consisted of some small dark blue grapes, 2-egg veggie omelette, 1 piece of toasted bread with tex-mex cheese and a glass of orange juice. I find it’s a really good breakfast because it feels satisfying but not heavy. Plus, I don’t need coffee, which I should be avoiding anyway.
The omelette had red and green peppers, broccoli, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, and oregano. It’s not only delicious, but very healthy.
When going out for breakfast, it’s the omelette that looks best to me on the menu – not crepes with jam or fried sausage. This tells me that I am definitely thinking in more healthy terms when it comes to food. I know that once you get used to the healthy food habits, you’ll never find the bad stuff appealing ever again! (you might have a rare occasional sugary snack, but it’s never due to a craving).
There are many healthy options for your breakfast. If you want to apply some of this information to your breakfast, just remember to have a balanced diet with many varieties of vegetables, cheese, optional light meat, but no sugar. You’ll find that you stay full for a longer time.
Alternatively or if you’re short on time, I highly recommend Isagenix meal replacement shakes that are nutritionally complete, all-natural, gluten-free, and vegan. The 30-Day System comes with cleansing and fat burning super supplements, and the Performance President’s Pack is a full-loaded big kahuna for total healthy performance and healthy aging. Here is a video with more information: Are You Toxic?
Practical Ideas about Food
Easy Rule of Thumb:
When choosing or having a meal, make sure your dish contains all the major colours, preferably as rich (saturated) as possible. As a general example consider including green, red, yellow/orange, purple/black, brown, and white foods in your meals:
- Red: tomatoes, red peppers, radish, beet
- Green: broccoli, beans, kale, swiss chard, spinach, green peppers, peas, lettuce, celery
- Yellow/Orange: cheese, eggs, carrots, ginger, pumpkin, squash
- Purple/Black: purple onion, cabbage, eggplant, black beans, olives, raisins, figs
- Brown: whole wheat bread, pasta, and rice
- White: almond milk, plain yogurt, coconut, garlic, cauliflower, onion, potato
Ensure that your healthy eating habits are based on a balanced diet, which includes as many of these colours as possible. If you can’t do that, at the very least, include the major colours like red, green and yellow. Many authentic Chinese dishes are usually balanced.
Eating a wide range of colours means ensuring your body gets the nutritional variety it seeks. If you include colourful and healthy foods in your diet, you will not feel hungry for an extensive time. Hunger is nothing else but a signal that you are running low on nutrients. If you’re skilled in listening to your body, you can actually tell what your body needs at any given time.
Also don’t forget about a wide gamut of colourful fruit. One of the best fruit for snack is grapes (low GI [Glycemix Index], rich source of over 80 nutrients, anti-oxidant, and other numerous health benefits). Explore local and exotic fruit for even more selection. Just FYI, Tahitian Noni® Juice has over 10,000 nutrients and in part contains grape and blueberry juices for flavour.
One easy way to get fresh and colourful meals is to take advantage of fresh organic salad bars. They also usually offer delicious soups such as Red Curry Cream of Coconut, Minestrone, or organic Chicken Noodle. I sometimes opt for couscous and 7 grain salad, soup, and plain organic yoghurt. It fills me up and feels good for hours.
Another healthy option I like to enjoy includes Mediterranean cuisine, such as falafel (but only few places get it right so it doesn’t taste and feel oily), fish pitas, lentil soup, etc. Keep in mind that food high in protein and fat requires more energy to digest and produce more metabolic waste, which takes even more energy to clean up. This means less energy available for your other mental tasks.
I eat a lot of fruit throughout the day – 3 to 4 portions, which are high in water and vitamins, and digest quickly and easily. This includes grapes, mangoes, apples, oranges, kiwis, berries w/ yoghurt, and possibly a small croissant on the side. I try to keep bananas only for the immediately-after-workout times due to it’s high carbohydrate count (double of average fruit).
Generally recommended daily consumption is 5-10 servings of fruit AND vegetables combined. Balance between fruit and vegetables can vary daily depending on taste, health, and other personal factors.
TIP: Fruit is a privilege – the more fit you are and exercise frequently, the more fruit you can eat, as you easily burn the excess carbohydrates. When you’re just starting a weight loss regimen, it is generally advisible to skip all fruit for the first 2 weeks to decrease sugar in your body. It’s a tough gig, but it really works magic for your waist line!
TIP 2: Exercise can be very easy – Regular exercise that gets your heart rate up will help to boost your metabolism and will help deliver greater mental clarity well into the afternoon. Don’t make excuses or overcomplicate it. If you can’t think of anything you’d rather do, just put on some music and dance around for 20 minutes in the morning. Then stretch for 5 minutes and you’re done.
TIP 3: Get your daily dose of veggies – the best way to accomplish this is through daily vegetable juicing. You can either buy freshly squeezed veggie juices at various locations (thou freshness and selection may vary) or you can make your own at home. I’ve used a juicer machine for a while, but a waste was pretty significant and the clean up was just painful. High power blenders are good, but the end-result is pretty pulpy unless you get a really powerful blender such as Vitamix. The best results for the price come from the Nutribullet. I’ve used it myself and the juice comes out pretty liquid, and the clean up is a snap! Plus it comes with a really well done and well organized nutrition manual with recipes for ultra healthy juices, smoothies, as well as soups. I highly recommend it.
One day at I ended up in the sauce section at my local food store. I bought some healthy Lebanese sauce and black beans. That night, I had whole wheat rice, chicken cutlet, and black beans, plus a mixed-greens salad. I had an awesome meal in less than 10 minutes!
I enjoy a healthy vegan lunch like lasagna, humus, sweet potato cake, and apple cider. Just remember that it’s the healthy colours that keeps you full until your next meal!
While I was changing my diet, I noticed that I wasn’t tolerating meat as well anymore. It made me feel overly full, and the taste and visual, especially in the raw state, wasn’t appealing to me anymore.
So I stopped eating lamb, moose, or pork. I can still tolerate a bit of beef and chicken, but in a small quantity such as once or twice a week. I could still enjoy shrimp and fish. I really began to appreciate vegetables, beans, and pasta.
As part of the healthy switch, I decided to push my comfort zone and went on a very strict candi diet. It was rough, but I felt better and went down a belt loop in my waist! I dieted on beans (full of fibre), powdered protein, brown rice, and salads (greens). I found that they filled me up and lasted longer, which meant I ate less. Click on this diagram for more info:
Teach a Man How to “make” the Fish
I decided to take some nutrition and cooking courses. From my experience I can tell you, they are an excellent way to learn how to cook well, especially healthy meals.
I began with a course called “Chef on the Go”, which I signed up for in January-March of 2009 through www.learn4life.ca. It was really cool and hands on cooking on the go class – I learned how to cook my own healthy meals in 30 minutes or less.
Sometimes when you’re on the go, it’s difficult to eat healthy, so the “Chef on the Go” course was definitely beneficial to me. We cooked our own meals in groups of 3 people.
The “Chef on the Go” class was really great. I began to get the reputation of timing everything, being a calculator, and constantly thinking ahead. The food was always so amazing. My absolute favorite meal was a coconut chickpea soup, which was really really delicious!
Every dish we made was so rich in flavour. I was shocked because I enjoyed a vegetable and mushroom dish more than a chicken dish. It had sweet chard, pepper, onion, garlic, Lebanese spices, and tomatoes. Each ingredient was sautéed individually in olive oil first.
We made baked potatoes too, which were so good. They were smothered in a chicken tomato sauce and olive oil. Then they were baked at 400’F for 45 minutes.
Another course I signed up for was a very healthy “Mediterranean Cooking.”
The class was small and friendly. The meals were on the advanced level, but it was educational to watch everything progress and see how it’s all done. My instructor was cool and fun, but came across as knowledgeable and respectable.
One of the Mediterranean cooking classes focused on cooking vegetarian food, which was fantastic.
I loved some of the food so much that I sent the instructor, Nabil, an email to ask for the recipes. I asked him for a sweet chard salad recipe and the recipe for baked potato wedges.
One day I decided that I was going to make dinner for my family based on the first two courses. I did some grocery shopping, including the crème de coconut for the coconut and chickpea soup I learned to make.
I did the soup, a chicken stir fry, and baked potatoes. The potatoes didn’t turn out the best (not perfect), but the main two dishes were excellent!
After my initial excursion into nutrition and cooking, I ended up buying some basic kitchen tools. These included a quality can opener, peeler, a set of professional knives, measuring spoons and a measuring cup. Cooking is so much easier if you have the right tools.
I cooked many kinds of other dishes too. Once I had so much hands-on practice and observation, I was able to come up with my own dishes on the fly. Sometimes I use lots of garlic (like Nabil used to do), which is a great and really healthy ingredient to use, especially in the flu season.
One time, I made a quick tortilla with sautéed vegetables and ham inside. I also made pasta with sautéed vegetables, a vegetable pasta sauce, and basil. Both were pretty good, and I only spent 20 minutes making them.
Besides the “Chef on the Go” and Mediterranean Cooking classes, I took a “Tastes of Thailand” cooking class. The food was really amazing. We made Pad Thai, Lemon Grass soup, and many other light and healthy meals, for example, rice paper spring rolls, chicken, shrimp, vegetables, and a spicy vegetable soup.
After that I had a great cooking night at home. I decided to make salmon in mushroom sauce, which I had learned at one of my cooking classes. I didn’t have all the ingredients, so I simplified it a bit, but it was still very delicious. I really felt joy while cooking.
I think it’s really important to cook if you want to be a healthy person. You can control your ingredients and have as much variety as you want. It opens up doors to healthy food options from other cultures too, as I learned through my nutrition and cooking classes.
Alkaline Water and Handy Snacks
Drinking lots of water is important for keeping yourself healthy. Often the hunger or craving can be quenched with water. It’s really important to be able to tell the difference between thirst and hunger. Water is integral to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
I suggest starting your day with a glass of warm water with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice.
In pursuit to be at your healthiest, check your body’s alkaline level. I tested my alkaline/acidity level with the orange pH testing paper on my tongue. I was pretty balanced, at around 6.8. I was told it would be even better if I was at 7.4, meaning slightly more alkaline. Below 5.5 is really bad and many long-term ill people are below that mark. Eating a lot of fast-food or “yellow food” and coffee is NOT one of the healthy eating habits and is sure to get you in the acidic side pronto.
Sometimes my body is craving an alkaline meal, especially after a stressful season of hard work and fast food. First remedy for me is an alkaline break consisting of Acai Protein with Powerzone herbal add-on smoothie at Jugo Juice. I would have some Noni Juice or E3Live! and voila! What a difference! I have a nice light and clear feeling after that.
Just fyi, most bottled water is highly acidic and you don’t want that acidity in your body. Tap water is neutral (because city’s priority is to minimize maintenance on the underground pipes, so they stay clear of acidity), however, I suggest getting a high quality filter that will get rid of the bad things in your drinking water and keep your body’s pipes protected.
Another option is to filter your water with an alkaline water machine. These usually run in hundreds to thousands of dollars, but the water is so pure, clean, soft, tasty, thirst-quenching and healing – it’s amazing.
It is important to drink water because dehydration makes you tired. Dehydration can also cause dizziness, constipation, hair loss, headaches, and numerous other conditions. You should be hydrating yourself every hour to prevent this.
However, drinking too much water isn’t good for you either, because you dilute electrolytes, which temporarily decreases your mental clarity. You should drink a glass of water once every hour. When you’re feeling sluggish (eg. after a power workout) you can add a pinch of sea salt to every gallon of filtered water you drink to restore the electrolytes the easy way.
Besides the act of drinking water, snacking can also be difficult to get under control, especially when you’re trying to be healthy or lose weight. I find that bars that are low in sugar and fat are excellent snacks to have on hand. My favourite bars are Taste of Nature bars, which are Gluten-free, organic, and contain nuts, seeds, fruit and crispy brown rice.
Some seemingly healthy snacks aren’t really what they seem. Baby carrots, for example, which are cut from larger deformed carrots, are not the most healthy to eat. When the carrots are cut, they are then dipped into a solution of water and chlorine. The water and chlorine help to preserve them, because they no longer have their skin or their natural protective covering. Chlorine is a carcinogen, so it’s not a good idea to be eating it.
Black beans, on the other hand, are extremely good for you. Preferably fresh, but canned beans are ok too, since beans are loaded with antioxidants. They also keep you full for a long time, while help you stay regular.
Nuts, in particular walnuts, are rich sources of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a type of omega-3 fatty acid. A mixture of walnuts served with dried fruit pieces is known in some regions as student food (orig. German: Studentenfutter) and is popularly recommended as a snack for students and other mental workers.
Oily fish, such as salmon or fresh tuna (not tuna canned in oil) are also good. There are numerous solutions for improving your memory, and it’s useful to consider all of these options.
Coffee and Alcohol
Coffee and alcohol are somewhat okay to drink, but only certain ones and only in moderation. They aren’t the best products to maintain your best health though.
While trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle, I reduced my coffee intake a lot. I went to having only 1-teaspoon coffee in the morning. Sometimes I had an optional 1-teaspoon coffee in the afternoon as well. Generally, though, it’s best to try to stick to 1 light coffee per day maximum.
While coffee isn’t good to drink in excess, and you shouldn’t have have more than 5 coffees per week maximum, it’s a good metabolism boost in the morning, especially 15-30 minutes before an extraneous workout.
One coffee once in a while is great, but having caffeine too often puts your body into a state of stress and your mind becomes increasingly foggy. It becomes more difficult to focus and make clear long-term decisions. After about a week or two on caffeine, your body adapts to it and soon you have to drink coffee just to feel normal. This isn’t your optimal best performing state.
I know it’s really difficult to reduce your coffee intake suddenly, and I definitely felt it. I felt sleepy sometimes, but I didn’t want to ruin my health by drinking too much coffee. I knew I had to think of some other solutions.
I found that a good way to fill the void of coffee was by gradually switching to high quality herbal teas like Green, Chai or Earl Grey tea, interleaved with decaf coffee once in a while.
I found a further great coffee void-filler to be Arthurs Goji juice, which I bought at Dominions supermarket. Later I discovered Tahitian Noni® Juice and FIT Reset cleansing drink to be VERY effective and ultra healthy alternatives.
A few notes straight out of my Journal:
Sleepy biorhythm kicked in, so I took a quick nap, followed by breathing and meditation, instead of coffee. Felt so good and reenergized. I could feel the power back in my veins. Listening to your body and giving it what it wants is the key! This includes a break, good food, green tea and frequent glasses of water.
As far as alcohol is concerned, I completely eliminated beer and liquor. The only alcohol that has some anti-oxidant benefits is a vintage red wine (based on grapes mentioned above), which I have no more than 3-4 glasses per week.
Sugar High, Sugar Low
When experiencing Sugar Low after unintentionally overdosing on sugar (Sugar High), I found the following helps me to recover the quickest:
- avoid more sugar – NO white sugar and maximum of 2-3 servings of fruit per day (including in smoothies)
- have a quick nap, freshly squeezed veggie juice (MaxVeg), peanuts/peanut butter or almonds/almond butter
- do an intensive cardio exercise, go to a steam room, and drink a lot of water
- have an espresso after a couple of hours to reboot
During my strict regimen, I made the mistake of having too much “secret” sugar over the course of a day. One morning for breakfast, I ate cereal and a “regular” nutribar which had a lot of sugar. I felt ill after eating them and felt hungry all day. My teeth were sensitive to the sugar too for a few days, which never happened before. It was a great wake up call and from then on I was paying more attention to the hidden sugar in my food.
Related Resources
Tropical Traditions Gold Label Organic Virgin Coconut Oil – not hydrogenated oil, not bleached!
About Coconut Oil – coconut and olive oil – good for metabolism and weight loss
CBC Best Recipes Ever website has a lot of great recipes. I use it quite frequently for inspiration.
Powdered Greens Supplements – review of the Best Green Drink Supplements
IMPORTANT NOTE:
The information above is based on personal experiences, true results, and real stories. However, please consult your physician before following any advice on this website. For more details read this Important Disclaimer. 11:11
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Have no idea where to start? Freshen up on basic nutrition and the food groups . I’ll then help get you moving in the right direction by helping you develop a healthy eating attitude . My successful clients have all adopted it!
One of the many factors contributing to childhood obesity is the increase in time spent watching television and surfing the internet . Not only does this decrease a child’s physical activity but children are bombarded with advertising for unhealthy lifestyle choices and food products. Marketers know that children and adolescents are an important demographic to advertise to because they will be the future adult consumers. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) estimated that in 2006 more than $1.6 billion was spent to promote food and beverage products to children and adolescents . One popular marketing technique used in advertising is the use of characters from popular television programming. In a research study conducted by Sesame Workshop in 2005 , it is shown that the use of popular characters has a strong influence on the food choices little ones will make regardless of it being healthy.
Onions are one of the favorite foods of picky eaters to pick on, maligned for their pungent scent and taste. Of course, many a cook knows that once an onion is cooked it changes to a wonderfully sweet and savory flavoring agent and would never dream of cooking without it. And let’s not even get started about how many dishes would just not be the same without a healthy dose of garlic!
One major misconception is that dieting is boring, tasteless, unfulfilling and borderline torturous. Although we really don’t consider the way we eat “dieting”, but just “eating clean” – it’s more than satisfying and definitely not tasteless or boring. However, sometimes yummy healthy food can be too much for a dieter to handle. So, for some people bland may be better. Here’s why.
School lunches can be another learning lesson for kids. More important, if you can get them thinking about what they eat for lunch, you might be able to help them make positive changes. Brainstorm about what kinds of foods they’d like for lunch or go to the grocery store to shop together for healthy, packable foods.