Lifestyle vs. Diet

For many years, I have been prone to picking a new "diet" and trying to make it work, then after several days, or weeks, (if I am strong willed), I go back to binge eating the junk food that my brain craves, (processed carbohydrates like bread and crackers, sweets, and comfort foods high in saturated fats).

Well, trying and committing are two different things. I have been reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat To Live book, and it is truly amazing to see how I fit in with those people he describes: crash dieting, yo-yo-ing with my weight (+10, -10), and finding it hard to commit to a diet. Well, as he, and several other nutritionists describe, it isn't a diet, it is a lifestyle.

For the past 5 years, I've known that I have a mild intolerance to dairy products. For the past 10 months, I have realized that I have an intolerance to gluten products. And, for the past several months, I have realized how important it is to limit and be wary of any and all animal products. With all of this milling around in my brain, finding a diet (meaning purely the food I eat, not necessarily a "diet") that fits me perfectly isn't something that is written in a book. So, that is what I want to start doing. I want to write about my life, my food choices, and my health. This is the topic of this blog, and I am happy to say I've come up with an acceptable blog title, FINALLY!!

So, if you, too, are out there searching for another diet that is going to help you lose the weight that you want to get rid of, or if you are fighting a serious illness, and want to gain health through nutritional and preventative measures, this is the right spot for you.

To begin telling you about my food lifestyle, I will describe the foods I avoid (or try to):

• non-organic meat
• non-cagefree eggs
• dairy (except goat cheese and greek yogurt)
• soy
• processed anything
• artificial anything
• gluten (wheat products)

The staples of my diet that I DO eat are:

•  fresh, organic (when possible due to availability and cost) fruit and vegetables
•  dried fruit and nuts
•  legumes (beans)
• whole gluten-free grains

The only reason that I am pointing out organic foods is because of the meaning of the word organic.
  Organic- To be grown, produced or farmed with no artifical pesticides, herbacides or fertilizers.

( To be labeled organic, the ingredients must ALL be organic. There is an $11,000 fine if the information given is false!)


The reason those artificial or commercial -cides are not good, is because they always have trace amounts that remain on the crop, even after washing, milling, or cooking. There is no escaping them, and not only do they build up in your system, they can cause cancers, diseases, and DNA mutations. 

Also, the nutrient content of the soil that non-organic produce is grown in is seriously depleted because of the leeching caused by those commercial and artificial -cides. It's scary to think that even though you are eating healthily, the fresh produce you are consuming can also cause other bad problems for you! 

More about organics in another post, but this is where I am at right now. I am reading constantly to learn more about the health and safety of our food for not only my health, but also the health of my son! 

Remember, we must eat to live. Let's eat right. 

--Amelia--10/10/12