75% of people in hospitals are there due to what they ingest and stress related illnesses. Both of these can be addressed with simple food changes and stress reducing techniques.
Eating healthy as a lifestyle is different than a diet. Diets may be short term solutions to facilitate faster healing but most of the ones I have seen restrict whole food groups. I don't necessarily believe that this is long term healthy approach. I believe in consuming real food in traditional ways.
This does not mean that you have to give up most of your favorite meals. It does require adjusting ingredients in many typical meals and it occasionally takes time to adapt to slight alterations in flavor (but not always). The improvement in energy, mood and becoming healthier becomes a huge motivator once you get a taste of it. (Pun intended.) I am here to help simplify this for you in the form of information, recipes and suggestions on how to incorporate healthier choices.
Real food is key and here are some foods that you should include in your diet:
*Vegetables: EVERY diet says, "More veggies!" Start with dark, leafy greens and work your way through a rainbow of colors every day. Ferments count. (More on this coming.) Save veggie cuttings in your freezer to add to soups, bone or vegetable broths/stocks
*Fruits: Fresh, frozen, dried. Eat them as a snack, add them to a smoothie, put them on a salad. Berries should be organic and are a superior way to sneak in antioxidants.
*Herbs & Spices: Dr Josh Axe just mentioned that 150 years ago if someone said that they were getting medicine it was a spice or herb. Woah. Dr Rawls, an expert on Lyme's disease says that including a variety of spices keeps our immune system functioning at a capability. We happen to be the most under spiced country in the world! Try keeping several shaker bottles on a round about on your dining room table and let everyone add additional spices and herbs to their meals as their palate desires. Even children can learn to try different spices and herbs. Cinnamon, Turmeric, Cayenne and Garlic are all important ones to master. If you purchase a Pumpkin Pie Spice blend (for smoothies, healthy ice cream, cookies), an Italian Blend or an Indian Spice Blend (Garam Masala) and learn to use these in a variety of dishes you will cover a lot of different spices in a just a few jars. Savory blends can be added to stir frys, burgers, soups and meat rubs.
*Organic and grassfed meats, organ meats, wild caught fish and pastured eggs. Grassfed liver is a superfood! I have been eating it for over a decade. Homemade bone broth is another nutrient dense healing food. Make a fantastic blend of broth like a cup of tea only try adding coconut milk, lime juice, garam masala or Italian Spices. Use broth to cook rice, quinoa or for your soup base.
*Fermented Foods-Rich in prebiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, enzymes the process of fermenting also magnifies the nutrition in some ferments and makes them more bioavailable. Yogurt, keifer, water keifer, kombucha, sauerkraut, veggie slaws are all examples of fermented foods. You can save your vegetable cuttings from fermenting for broths as well! Top eggs, sandwiches and baked potatoes with fermented slaws. Learn how to make treats, desserts and side dishes like cole slaw or veggie dips with fermented veggies. More info here: Why Should You Be Consuming Fermented Foods? (lchaimessentialoils.com)
*Good fats: Avoid all hydrogenated fats such as soy oil, safflower oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil, canola oil and vegetable oil. This may feel daunting but it is easy to replace them with good fats like coconut oil, unrefined palm kernal oil, avocado oil (not for cooking), olive oil (also not for cooking) and real butter (grassfed when possible.)
*Sprouted or soaked whole grains like brown rice, millet, buckwheat, quinoa and some people can tolerate sourdough einkorn. Avoid all wheat, white flour and most corn. These are mostly GMO and contribute to heart disease, inflammation and obesity. You may be surprised that the feeling of being bloated may disappear by this change.
Food does not need to be boring in order to be healthy! In fact, discovering new foods can be very palate pleasing! Do you have a recipe that you would like me to look at? I would love to try to make it healthier so that you can live happier. Email me at lchaimessentialoils@gmail.com.
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