I know that I have not even begun to scratch the surface of truly healthy living. I wish I could choose only organic products - I wish I could grow all of my own vegetables - I wish I could raise my own grass-fed beef. . . . etc. etc. etc. It is not to be - at least not at this juncture in my life. Unless someone wants to turn my blog into a movie, these things are just to far outside of my budget.
While home with my family for Christmas, I read Dr. Mercola's Total Health Cookbook & Program. I don't know if I buy into the 'Eat for your body type' philosophy, but I am quite thrilled that it contains 150 grain free recipes. Dr Mercola's philosophy includes the conversion to a completely organic lifestyle with an emphasis on animal products and vegetables with a minimum of grains, starches, and fruits. I struggle the most with the lack of fruit in this particular prescription.
I have tried some of the fad diets - Atkins, South Beach, I think I even tried the cabbage soup diet for a short time. Any diet can help you lose weight. Simply by eliminating a food group, or by halving one's calories it follows that weight loss would be the result.
I have noticed lately that I have often dwelt on and expounded upon the weight loss aspect of my decision to give up sugar. Don't get me wrong, after more than a decade of struggling with my weight, I am thrilled to have lost weight. What's even better is that it takes very little effort on my part to maintain my new weight. More importantly, though, my health has been transformed. I do feel vital. I wake up every day with a new plan to conquer the universe. No matter how overstated a cliche, it is so true that only a change in lifestyle, not just a temporary fast or binge, is what enables us to change the course of our health.
Yes, I do wish for a Pepsi now and again. I wish for the simplicity of boxed dinners that only require adding water to make them 'food'. I wish that dark chocolate bars didn't contain sugar. Wishing doesn't make things happen. Action makes things happen. So I am going to act in such a way that my health continues to progress from that of an average person to the point where people start wondering if I'm really a super-hero.
I have two major goals for the first quarter of 2011:
- No more Vitamin Water (or similar beverages). I have been telling myself that these drinks are acceptable because they are sweetened with a stevia product. The problem is, I suspect that the sweetener used is far more processed than mere ground stevia leaf. It's back to water and unsweetened tea for me.
- I am going to drastically cut back on the amount of pasta I eat despite the fact that I adore pasta. OK. Here's the truth. I detest whole wheat pasta. I can never seem to cook it properly. Either I don't cook it enough, and it is tough, or I cook it too much and it becomes mush. Either way, I just don't like it. So I have continued to eat regular pasta. White flour, however is generally considered as unhealthy as sugar itself - having had all the nutrition refined out of it. An anti-nutrient, if you will.
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. - Teddy RooseveltStrive Valiantly!
Dare Greatly!
Avoid Sugar!
JamiK
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