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A Plant Based Diet: The Importance, and How To Get Started

Eating a plant based diet works beautifully to increase micronutrients and alkaline foods in your diet. 

Micronutrients, are the vitamins and minerals in our food and are the materials used to create the cells of the body and are crucial to hormone production.  (Read more about the importance of micronutrients here). Though all foods contain micronutrients, the foods that are plant based are the ones that are alkaline in nature and fight inflammation.  Some of the most powerful foods rich in micronutrients include vegetables such as spinach and kale, plus tomatoes, onions, carrots and other brightly coloured vegetables.

Did you know that we become more acidic as we age?  In 1931 Otto Warburg won the Nobel Prize for his research finding that cancer cells can’t survive in an alkaline environment.  If you bathe yourself in alkaline-rich foods, you increase oxygenation. Your cells will dance with gratitude and protect your health.

Here are suggestions for adding more plant based, alkaline foods to your diet:

  • Spinach and kale are leafy greens that can be added to salads, smoothies, or sautéed and enjoyed as a side dish.
  • Wheat grass makes a great addition to morning juices.
  • Broccoli  is a wonderful as a side dish to any meal, and is quite delicious when enjoyed raw.
  • Cucumber slices and peppers will make a fantastic salad topper, or snack when paired with a healthy fat like hummous.
  • Fresh watermelon and cantaloupe are an alkalizing, hydrating summer treat.
  • Both sweet potato and pumpkin can be enjoyed roasted, or enjoyed as a soup in the cooler months.

Do you follow a mainly plant based diet? How do you ensure you’re eating and benefiting from a wide variety of micronutrient packed fruits and vegetables? Go for the 80/20 rule and try to make 80% of your diet plant based.  Let me know if you have questions and remember, Health is contagious, pass it on by sharing below.

Sugar is damaging to our health

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Did you know that Alzheimer’s has been called diabetes type 3? 

Limit the amount of sugar and foods that turn quickly and easily into sugar like pasta, bread and rice.  Sugar can appear in lost of places; here are a few to begin to look, in order to limit your intake:

  • Drink powders, soft drinks and other sweetened beverages
  • Flavored yogurts
  • Dried fruits
  • Spreads and jams
  • Bagels
  • Condiments such as BBQ sauce and ketchup
  • Sweet treats such as cookies, cakes, and ice cream

Sugar is a treat and make sure that you are fully present when you enjoy these things.  So many times we are eating while doing another tasks that we rarely even remember the texture or the taste.  Savor your treats and if you are eating sugar every day, it is no longer a treat!

Success is much greater when we replace rather than remove, here are some suggestions for replacement of the above sugar-laden snacks:

  • Fruit infused or sparkling water
  • Plain yogurts with fresh fruit
  • Fresh whole fruits
  • Homemade spreads, jams and condiments

Start Your Day With Protein

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The best source of vitamins and minerals is food.  However, most of us do not eat enough of the fruits and vegetables we need to detoxify and to build cells effectively.  Additionally, our food sources are less nutrient-dense than 50 years ago due to pollution, pesticides, and other factors.  The answer: Eat food your great grandmother would recognize.

The time of day you eat certain foods is as important as what and how much you eat, especially if you suffer from adrenal fatigue.  For example, American breakfasts set us up for a guaranteed crash in the afternoon.  No “good” fat or protein is included.  Everything is high glycemic–sugary junk food or foods that convert to sugar.  For example, a slice of white bread is a quick step toward sugar.  As for cereal, anything that can stay on the shelf for two years really shouldn’t be labeled food.  Even bugs don’t want cereal.

I’m suggesting you forget about danishes, muffins or cereal.  Make the switch to eggs, but make sure to load them up with onions, spinach, tomatoes, and other micronutrients.  (If you’re concerned about cholesterol, use egg whites.)  Or try a protein shake blended with frozen berries (rich in anti-oxidants) and coconut milk or hemp milk. Cook with olive oil at low temperatures, and with grape seed oil at high temperatures.

People who choose protein and micronutrients for breakfast wind up eating about 200 calories less throughout the day because this combination stabilizes blood glucose levels and takes the edge off hunger.  What are you eating for breakfast? If you’re up for a challenge and ready to incorporate more protein and less sugar, tell me in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!

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