Donato & I started Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat To Live program today. We are already enjoying our first day and we've only had two meals so far.
BREAKFAST
1) Strawberries, orange and cantaloupe sprinkled with ground flaxseeds
LUNCH
1) Mixed green salad topped with Great Northern Beans and Balsamic Vinegar
2) Portobello-Red Pepper Pita - a great Tahini spread that is made with garlic, lemon juice, dates, Mrs. Dash and low-sodium Tamari Sauce.....the sauce was spread on the Ezekiel whole-wheat pita, and eaten with arugula, roasted Portobello, jarred red peppers and red onions. Delicious!
3) Water - of course
Dinner later will be:
DINNER
1) Mixed greens and watercress salad with red peppers and Tofu Ranch Dressing
2) Golden Austrian Cauliflower Cream Soup
3) Strawberries sprinkled with cocoa powder
I had my reservations about eating on this program....but I am so far, pleasantly surprised. Both of us are.
I'll do my best to post pictures of our meals while we're eating all this wonderful food.
Good Health, Good Soul....
Tammy
Monday, June 2, 2014
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
That's a lotta enchilada!
Love,
Tammy
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Good Health, Good Soul
Dear friend, I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit.
How beautiful is that?! THAT, my friends is what I wish for you. "I hope all is well with you and that you are as healthy in body as you are strong in spirit!"
I have been on an adventure for the past year with my husband, Donato. At the age of 46, he and I decided that after a lifetime of eating very rich, highly processed, fatty and high-caloric foods, with practically no physical activity outside of just going to and from work, that we'd better start taking care of our bodies. I mean, afterall it does says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20:
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
I know in my heart, that God wants us to be best buds AND He wants me to take care of my body. I've had a few people tell me that eating a diet of only organic fruits, veggies, grains, nuts and legumes is really bad and not what God intended for me. I've heard things like, "Don't you know God created animals so we could eat them?" or "You are letting satan in by eating that crazy, new-age way." First, I have to say that Donato and I pray over all of our food and over all of our meals, thanking Him and asking the Lord to bless our food. Also, I'm pretty sure that our fruits, veggies, grains, nuts and legumes grew back when Adam and Eve were in the garden, which to me means that God created them for us to eat, and I'm pretty sure that they didn't spray them with chemicals and pesticides back then. So, if you ask me....I'm eating as close to how God created food to be, as I possibly can. As for meat....I find that my insides have a hard time digesting it and it makes me feel sick and sluggish. Many years of abusing food by eating excessive amounts of meat and other things like processed foods, cheese, eggs and cow milk have made my body not only unhealthy but also bigger than my little 5'2" body should be. I must do what I can do be a better manager of my body and help bring it back to health, the way God intended for me and my body. Jesus created my body to take care of itself. It heals itself when I feed it the foods He intended for me to eat. It is amazing how quickly our bodies bounce back to being healthy, when we eat good, nutritious, real foods that the Lord grows and put on this planet for us to consume.
Honestly, I realize that everyone's body is different.....we all have to do what we need to do to take care of our own body. I mean, think of the sun. It is wonderful, warm, provides beautiful sunshine and light, it's full of vitamin D that our bodies need to survive and be healthy, but if we don't regulate how much time we spend in the sun, we can burn our skin and even make ourselves susceptible to skin cancer. Some choose to spend hours and hours in the sun which not only causes burning, but may also cause their skin to get permanent sun spots and cause premature aging with wrinkles, and as we all know too well, in Texas, spending too much time in the sun on the hottest summer days can be very dangerous. Others are more careful not to burn their skin, yet still enjoy the sunshine in managed moderation. There are even those who use artificial sunshine (tanning beds) to make their skin appear as if they spent time in the sunshine. We all know the health risks that are associated with that sort of artificial radiation exposure. Over time it can be life-threatening. It's the same kind of concept with food. Spraying foods with harmful chemicals and poisons are not only spoiling the foods we grow and eat, but as we consume them, we are putting those same poisons into our bodies. Our bodies are not made to be immune to poisons. Those poisons can cause cancer. Cancer is scary, and in many instances preventable. Then there are those who have learned that they need to be careful of what foods they eat to avoid any allergic reactions, health issues, and sensitivities to some foods they may have. I believe we all need to be good stewards of not only our bodies, but of the foods we put into our bodies. I know that as far as food goes, what is good for you, may not be good for me and vice versa. I am choosing to be a better steward of the foods I eat and of taking care of my body.
What has been very interesting to me is that I have been down the what seems to be, the never-ending road of yo-yo dieting for most of my life. Yes, as a youngster, a lot of the reason for me to lose weight, was vanity. I wanted to look good, attractive and fit into pretty clothes and things. I remember trying nearly all of the trendy things out there, including Weight Watchers, Herbalife, NutriSystem, Adkins, the "See-food" diet, counting fat grams, calories, the fat smash diet that is loaded with animal protein, even going to a (not so good) doctor who prescribed speed as a "diet pill". You name it, I've done nearly all of it under the sun. The yo-yo effect was truly real for me. I'd lose a few pounds, then gain what I lost and more. I experienced over 30 years of, "I'll start on Monday", or "I'll be better tomorrow". Truth be told, what may be good or needed for my body, may not be the same thing you need. I have learned (the hard way) that even though my friend Tracy can eat every thing she wants to and not gain an ounce, that the same formula does not work for me. Instead, that formula causes me to gain 15 pounds to her one ounce. Not good and very unhealthy as pounds pack on. In my case, not only will it cause me to gain weight, but I get sick. Literally. I get bloated, nauseous, light-headed or in a fog, my heart races, retain much more water than my body should be carrying, I sweat a lot more than I should, my body aches, I have irregular and heavy periods, I'm moody and snap the head off of everything and everyone around me.....the list seems to be endless and it goes on and on. It's actually pretty scary. If I was like that towards people around me, imagine how I'd act towards people I love the most! My behavior because of my unhealthy body was wrecking my relationships. At one point, every time I'd eat really fatty and greasy foods, I'd get indigestion so badly that I thought I was having a heart attack. In retrospect, it was probably my gall bladder screaming for help, but living in the denial world kept me from having that diagnosed.
Honestly, I realize that everyone's body is different.....we all have to do what we need to do to take care of our own body. I mean, think of the sun. It is wonderful, warm, provides beautiful sunshine and light, it's full of vitamin D that our bodies need to survive and be healthy, but if we don't regulate how much time we spend in the sun, we can burn our skin and even make ourselves susceptible to skin cancer. Some choose to spend hours and hours in the sun which not only causes burning, but may also cause their skin to get permanent sun spots and cause premature aging with wrinkles, and as we all know too well, in Texas, spending too much time in the sun on the hottest summer days can be very dangerous. Others are more careful not to burn their skin, yet still enjoy the sunshine in managed moderation. There are even those who use artificial sunshine (tanning beds) to make their skin appear as if they spent time in the sunshine. We all know the health risks that are associated with that sort of artificial radiation exposure. Over time it can be life-threatening. It's the same kind of concept with food. Spraying foods with harmful chemicals and poisons are not only spoiling the foods we grow and eat, but as we consume them, we are putting those same poisons into our bodies. Our bodies are not made to be immune to poisons. Those poisons can cause cancer. Cancer is scary, and in many instances preventable. Then there are those who have learned that they need to be careful of what foods they eat to avoid any allergic reactions, health issues, and sensitivities to some foods they may have. I believe we all need to be good stewards of not only our bodies, but of the foods we put into our bodies. I know that as far as food goes, what is good for you, may not be good for me and vice versa. I am choosing to be a better steward of the foods I eat and of taking care of my body.
What has been very interesting to me is that I have been down the what seems to be, the never-ending road of yo-yo dieting for most of my life. Yes, as a youngster, a lot of the reason for me to lose weight, was vanity. I wanted to look good, attractive and fit into pretty clothes and things. I remember trying nearly all of the trendy things out there, including Weight Watchers, Herbalife, NutriSystem, Adkins, the "See-food" diet, counting fat grams, calories, the fat smash diet that is loaded with animal protein, even going to a (not so good) doctor who prescribed speed as a "diet pill". You name it, I've done nearly all of it under the sun. The yo-yo effect was truly real for me. I'd lose a few pounds, then gain what I lost and more. I experienced over 30 years of, "I'll start on Monday", or "I'll be better tomorrow". Truth be told, what may be good or needed for my body, may not be the same thing you need. I have learned (the hard way) that even though my friend Tracy can eat every thing she wants to and not gain an ounce, that the same formula does not work for me. Instead, that formula causes me to gain 15 pounds to her one ounce. Not good and very unhealthy as pounds pack on. In my case, not only will it cause me to gain weight, but I get sick. Literally. I get bloated, nauseous, light-headed or in a fog, my heart races, retain much more water than my body should be carrying, I sweat a lot more than I should, my body aches, I have irregular and heavy periods, I'm moody and snap the head off of everything and everyone around me.....the list seems to be endless and it goes on and on. It's actually pretty scary. If I was like that towards people around me, imagine how I'd act towards people I love the most! My behavior because of my unhealthy body was wrecking my relationships. At one point, every time I'd eat really fatty and greasy foods, I'd get indigestion so badly that I thought I was having a heart attack. In retrospect, it was probably my gall bladder screaming for help, but living in the denial world kept me from having that diagnosed.
One weekend when Donato and I went up to visit my sister and her family, she told us about a book she was reading called Engine 2 and we reluctantly watched the documentary about it on Netfix. Honestly, we thought this was just another crazy diet or fad. We thought, "really, an Austin firefighter is teaching everyone to eat more fish and chicken and watch your calories. Been there, done that". Boy, were we wrong. The information in that documentary really caught our attention and piqued our curiosity. We immediately went out and bought the book. That led us to watch other health-related documentaries and read more books on health. But real health and nutrition. Not some fad diet or "magic cure-all" that was because of someone's special pill or diet that you had to pay gazillions of dollars for. This was about real food. Food that grew in the ground. Real, God-grown food. We read and learned and studied.....there is still so much more to learn.....but in the meantime we have learned ways of eating that have been helping our bodies heal themselves back to health. Our motivation for weight-loss has changed. It's no longer for vanity, but just to be healthy.
We went and had our blood work done after about 3 months of eating this way, and the results were amazing! In just 3 months, our good and bad cholesterol were not only in the good range, but in the very good range. Our blood pressure has not only been staying in the normal range, but has been in the athlete range. Our bodies are healing. And yes, the side effect has been that we've been losing weight....not fast by any means, but we are obviously losing body fat that has been stored on our bodies for years and years of neglect and poor diet and nutrition. Honestly, how we had avoided strokes or heart attacks really blows our minds. We thank God for keeping us safe during that time, and thank Him for the opportunity to bring our bodies back to where He designed us to be.
So, yes, we watch what we eat and exercise.....but not because of reasons a lot of people may think. We want to undo the damage that we have done to our bodies for many, many years. Our hope is that our bodies and good health will be restored and that we will be allowed to use our older years to help others do the same. We also want this experience to help our relationship with Jesus grow closer and deeper and that we can help bring others to have the same desire.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I will try to write regularly about our journey. I hope it will encourage and inspire you. I hope to give beautiful recipes that we are learning and enjoying. I hope to bring any messages that we have learned along the way.
I pray you all have Good Health, Good Soul.....
Love,
Tammy
We went and had our blood work done after about 3 months of eating this way, and the results were amazing! In just 3 months, our good and bad cholesterol were not only in the good range, but in the very good range. Our blood pressure has not only been staying in the normal range, but has been in the athlete range. Our bodies are healing. And yes, the side effect has been that we've been losing weight....not fast by any means, but we are obviously losing body fat that has been stored on our bodies for years and years of neglect and poor diet and nutrition. Honestly, how we had avoided strokes or heart attacks really blows our minds. We thank God for keeping us safe during that time, and thank Him for the opportunity to bring our bodies back to where He designed us to be.
So, yes, we watch what we eat and exercise.....but not because of reasons a lot of people may think. We want to undo the damage that we have done to our bodies for many, many years. Our hope is that our bodies and good health will be restored and that we will be allowed to use our older years to help others do the same. We also want this experience to help our relationship with Jesus grow closer and deeper and that we can help bring others to have the same desire.
Thanks for visiting my blog. I will try to write regularly about our journey. I hope it will encourage and inspire you. I hope to give beautiful recipes that we are learning and enjoying. I hope to bring any messages that we have learned along the way.
I pray you all have Good Health, Good Soul.....
Love,
Tammy
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