How Atkins Will Kill You and Plants Will Unkill You

I just read a great testimonial  on Plant-Fueled Trucker's FB page and thought I'd share it. It was posted by one of his page followers named Timmo Post.  It's a bit long so I figured I'd write a bit and put the rest in a blog entry.

This guy did  Atkins , Weight Watchers and other internet based info. None of it really worked and some of it almost killed him. Simply switching to plant based food is all he really needed to do all along. It's amazing how difficult we can make something that is so simple. The latest "diet" that I've seen going around is "the blood type" diet. You eat according to your blood type!  Haha! Does anyone really think that humans at the time of the dawn of man were expected to know their blood types and eat accordingly?!? How in the world can anyone think that this DIET has any lasting effect. I capitalize DIET because it is just that >a diet plan<.

 A "diet plan" suggests a beginning and an end. What then do you do when the "diet plan" is over? With something like the Atkins plan you will undoubtedly die if you try to stay on it for life. All animal fat and little to no fiber has a way of killing people. If clogged arteries, massive constipation,  liver and heart failure sound worth losing a few pounds then Atkins is definitely the plan. My only guess as to why people do Atkins is because it allows them to continue their poor eating habits and lose pounds. My other guess would be that great sticking point.. protein. People really are convinced that we are all protein deficient somehow. It's what the television tells everyone and I guess everyone just buys in.

With Weight Watchers you are expected to add points and balance a diet budget for life. Processed foods are a big part of the WW plan. Foods that are calorie dense and nutrient poor will not leave a person feeling true wellness. If it's just about the number on the scale then this plan will give you a lower number but definitely not optimum wellness.

Wouldn't just eating plant foods whenever you're hungry and as much as you want be easier?
I eat whenever I want. I never look at calories or carbs or fat or protein.. I simply eat whole organic plant foods and trust my body to utilize them as needed. If I have a specific craving, it's because after years of eating a plant based diet my body is in tune and is asking for a specific nutrient. I don't crave meat, dairy, junk or processed foods because I never eat them.  They have become as foreign to me as they should be.  I eat organic whole plant foods only. If it comes from a plant, it's food.  If it's made in a plant, it's not.
That's it. No rules. No plan. Just eat.
Simply eating close to earth is all it takes. Nature is set up for US to thrive if we will just use it.

Here is this gentleman's testimony. It's a good one...

My diet and health testimonial.
I am living proof of what a plant based diet can do for your health. There's no arguing fact. I was on a diet of primarily meat and animal products and it literally almost killed me. I was turning yellow and didn't know why. Liver failure due to unused proteins. Also my overall health didn't improve. Instead I lost weight but I also lost muscle mass and developed other health problems. Also there is the invisible causes of death that were present such as heart disease and cancer development that were an issue. The one best single thing I've ever done for my health is to change my diet to whole foods plant based. I don't understand why people seem to want to fight against good health. Such negative strong reactions to a positive and harmless message. Maybe it's caused from their addictions to meat and animal products and processed foods. Or guilt in having to face up to the fact that they are making informed decisions to pursue their poor choices and not being able to hide behind ignorance. If we would only shut up they wouldn't have to feel uncomfortable.
In the beginning I was a dyed in the wool meat eater who thought that vegans were a bunch of liberal wackos. It's not about being a vegan. It's about being healthy. I had some health issues but did not relate them to my diet. I decided I was getting too fat and wanted to lose some weight. My son had been on Atkins before and lost weight so after trying Weight Watchers with my wife and having no success I thought I would try Atkins. I lost some weight on Atkins and thought I was doing okay. Their plan tied into my meat eating habits rather nicely. (I always had the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that eating all that animal fat and bacon was going to clog my arteries because I already had a stent in one of my arteries and was diagnosed with heart disease.) Then one day I noticed myself turning a yellowish color in my skin. I also had a hard time after working out, in my recovery, and my muscle ache was constant. It just seemed like it would not go away. I still did not relate this to my diet. I, like so many others, decided to consult Dr. Internet with my symptoms to try and see what was wrong. With just googling my symptoms I started getting all kinds of information popping up on low carbohydrate high protein diets and how they can cause all the symptoms that I was experiencing. Basically it said I was stressing my liver to the point of failing. Thus the yellow skin tone muscle ache and fatigue. My wife has been training with a plant based trainer named Kris Calmese for quite some time and had mentioned that he was a plant-based eater and preached it religiously. At the time I figured he was just a nut. It wasn't that I was stubborn it was just that I was uneducated. She was also in contact with a plant-based nutritionists through the newspaper named Cyd Notter. She suggested we make an appointment and just go to hear what she had to say. I am not afraid of learning new things so I was okay with it. After talking with her, a lot of what she said made sense. She sent us home letting us borrow the video" forks over knives". Watching that video pissed me off. It opened my eyes to the hog washing that I had been subjected to all through my life just for someone else's profit. I immediately bought copies of that movie and the adjoining literature and cookbooks and sent a package to each of my kids. I felt it was my duty as their father to let them know what I had learned. Unfortunately they like so many others refused to respond because they are too comfortable in their standard American diet. :(  ever since that time my wife and I have been 100% whole foods plant-based in our eating. We can't be happier. Prior to my diet I suffered from high blood pressure, reactive hypoglycemia, acid reflux, plantars fasciitis, heart disease, arthritis, incessant back issues digestive problems high cholesterol, being overweight, and a general feeling of poor health. As per my doctors orders I took eight medications to try to fix it. Nothing worked. Now I am cured of all of the above. I take no medications. I am the same weight and waist size as I was as a senior in high school. My energy levels have increased. My pain is way way lessened. my back issues have almost entirely ceased. My arthritis has stopped. And my general sense of well-being and feeling of health are off the charts. Did I say BAM?............BAM! Funny what an open mind and a little bit of research can do for a guy. I guess that's why I try to spread the info as much as I do. Hopefully it catches on with someone else.

"Let yourself fall ill"

I came across this quote (where else) on the internet. Seems many of us (myself included) are enamored with philosophical quotes, thoughts and ideas about this life we are living together and the internet is full of fodder. When I first read this quote it didn't really strike me as meaning much so I sat there and considered what it meant and how it might apply to the fitness and nutrition goals of myself and others. 

Obesity has recently become classified as a disease. It being widely accepted as such is a completely different problem. It's common for people to make fat jokes and not just about others but a lot of times self deprecating jokes about their own weight. Obesity isn't something that people look at like they would someone who is overcome with a "recognized" disease. We wouldn't look at a person with (random example) multiple sclerosis with disgust or laughter. We wouldn't judge them and say "why don't they just try harder to not look like that".  It's this same unfair approach that's generally taken towards all sickness brought on by addiction. The majority of obesity is brought on by food addiction. There are definitely cases that are thyroid and metabolism problems but for the most part it's brought on by people losing their way and going down a path of making poor food choices. After years of these food choices it's easy to lose sight of what it is to simply eat proper healthy foods that enrich our existence instead of slowly kill us. The food becomes a thing of momentary comfort which perpetuates the problem and the cycle just continues... on and on and on. AKA addiction.

"If you desire healing, let yourself fall ill. Let yourself fall ill".....Food has played an addictive role in my own life. It never quite made it to the forefront of my addiction issues because before I was able to "let myself fall ill" alcohol was always my substance of blatant addictive behavior. It was easy to move forward and not let myself admit that any of these things were problems so long as I maintained what I felt was a convincing facade to the outside world. If I made sure to hit the gym daily in order to pack on muscle, the world would assume that I am a man of means and perfectly balanced.  If I can bench 400 lbs then surely I am fit for all that life can put in front of me. Sounds logical, right? Not at all. I know this now but it wasn't anything that I would have ever become available to learn had I not "let myself fall ill".  It was only when I admitted that I was completely clueless about how and what and why I was doing all of the things in my life that one area began to connect to the other as they repaired themselves. I learned that when I ate garbage the result was that I felt like garbage. And when I felt like garbage my default fix was to use alcohol as an analgesic to give a synthetic temporary feeling of calm and wellness. I needed to re-learn how to feed myself properly, exercise my ENTIRE body (just because you can't see your insides doesn't mean they're not there) and finally recognize ALL of the addictions that had somehow snuck in the backdoor over the years and completely hijacked my right to living a great life. 

In short... I needed to willfully surrender and cross over into an unknown territory. I had no evidence that any of this would work and I stood a good chance of disappointing myself and loved ones around me. Wouldn't it be so much easier to just skip it, go out for a cheeseburger, fries and about 10 beers?  Yes had been the answer for years. It was time to try answering that urge with a "no". I could write an entire book about the days that followed (and I may) but the idea is that when I decided to "let myself fall ill" in front of my immediate world I began to heal.

Eating plants, running, yoga, meditation, resistance training, etcetera are all such simple actions in theory. They just are. But what they have meant to me is a complete reversal of life. I felt like an inert substance before. I was living what I felt was a life of mediocrity at best. I had become spiritually and intellectually unavailable. I had become completely polluted and lost all lust for life.

Flash forward to today... To anyone who might have a look at a day in my life it would seem like nothing extraordinary... boring actually. To me it's far from that and that's what matters. How in the world could I come from a place where nothing seemed to please me to getting excited about eating a new kind of banana an old friend sent me in the mail all the way from California or a new way to bake a can of chickpeas to make a new kind of taco that I never thought could taste so great or to go for a run and look just like any other jogger on any other day but somehow in my mind feel like what I'm doing has profound meaning to me personally or just sit and look at my wife and realize that I'm so goddamn lucky that I met her and she actually married me and we will spend the rest of our lives together and even if that means 50 years or just one more day, it's fantastic. 

"Letting myself fall ill" has been life changing. It all started with letting it happen in front of myself and the world.  I hope that the personal contentment that I wrote about here is currently how you all are feeling in your own lives and if not I hope that you will allow it happen soon. Each one of us has a right to feel it.  As I wrote earlier.. obesity is a disease. Some of you may be at that point while others may not. That just shows an example of one's addiction  being more chronic than another's. It may just be that you only have 10, 20 pounds that you feel you need to shed. The most important takeaway here should simply be considering what you are putting in your body day in day out... no matter where you are aesthetically. Eliminating processed foods or refined sugars or alcohol or all three for starters is a great way to begin to feel just how good your body intends for you to feel. With a sane body comes a sane mind and with a sane mind comes a sane spirit. I truly believe that each one of us has addictions of one sort or another. As I said earlier, some people's addictions are just more chronic than others. Getting honest with yourself about what it is that you know you are doing that's holding you back from being the best version of yourself is a personal journey and one that I highly recommend. Until we do this it's really not possible to truly heal. We may have "a good run" of weight loss or proper diet but it is a half measure and not nearly what we are capable of. Give yourself that opportunity if you haven't and if you have... well then that's just awesome!

The 3 Simple Rules For Perfect Health

Recently I got a shared article from a friend. It was about LeBron James' recent cramp failure he had during the Finals game against the Spurs. I didn't see the game but I read the story. Basically he had to leave the game with a massive leg cramp in the final minutes and couldn't help his team who went on to lose. The story my friend shared was about what electrolyte or mineral deficiencies might have brought that on and it mainly focused on magnesium which they felt was the culprit. It was an interesting read and I thought it was pretty thoughtful of my friend to think of me to share it. So we had some comments afterward and others got in what they were thinking... basic Facebook stuff.

The conversation turned to which sports drink on the market would be best for proper hydration and electrolyte, salt and mineral replacement. Gatorade was mentioned and another guy had a drink which was like Gatorade but with a little more of a natural healthy approach. I went on to comment that I thought Gatorade wasn't good because it is full of high fructose corn syrup, food dyes, chemical and preservatives. I haven't drank or looked at a Gatorade label in years. I said what I said based on what the product was made from to the last of my knowledge. After looking it up it turns out that the chemical I remembered it having (brominated vegetable oil) is no longer in the product. High fructose corn syrup had also been replaced with sugar. Although some were still saying that it isn't really sugar but still just HFCS under other confusing names. No one seemed to have a clear answer.. such is the internet.

Then my friend posted a picture of the label of the new drink that is better next to Gatorade's label. It indeed did say "sugar" and she also said that this one is free from food dyes. I realized now that I looked pretty misinformed and not very knowledgeable on the subject of sports nutrition drinks. I admit I am not.  I haven't used them in years and don't ever plan to. I suppose I spoke out of school on the whole thing. Nutrition is a subject that I like to talk about or in this case write.

Anyway.. from there I looked up a few things about the changes that had been made. It looks like the public outcry was enough for Gatorade (which is owned by Pepsi Cola) to change these things about their product. People were not satisfied with what they were buying, demanded change and received it. Sounds like a win for the people right? If you're asking me, I'm going to say no. I say no because it seems like a huge amount of trouble to go to in order to get this huge company to make changes.

*I will say this once now and be done... this is obviously my opinion on the matter. That's why I have a blog. So I can write whatever I think.*

My question I would be asking myself if I were looking at sports drinks is "What am I trying to accomplish here?" The answer is that I need to hydrate, replace salt, electrolytes, minerals etc.. So what should I eat and drink to accomplish this using single ingredient organic whole natural foods? I don't believe in or use any supplements. I don't subscribe to a reductionist approach to health. I don't believe that any supplement can serve my body more efficiently than a whole food.  I have figured my way through this hydration problem already because I do a lot of high endurance training. For me it is bananas, coconut water and fresh pressed juice with celery. That is the answer FOR ME. Maybe I'll come to find out the coconuts being used for my coconut water are GMO and grown in a landfill and harvested by enslaved puppies... but for now I think it's all good on the coconut front. When I read the label on the back of the package, there's one ingredient.. pure filtered coconut water.  I also have capsules with whole mineral ingredients I can take with me on extremely long runs which I can just swallow with water. Each person could come up with what would work for them and they will all be different yet similar.

In this case it's also a natural reaction for me to try to be courteous and say that I realize most people can't do all of this because it is time consuming and impractical.  The reality is that they can. They just probably won't. That's not to be rude or judgemental.. it's just realistic. It's easier to have things pre made and ready for purchase than to do all this work yourself. I realize that but I also realize that when we purchase those products we get what we get. It is a one size fits all product that more than likely is not going to be custom tailored to meet our specific needs. In the case of my friend she was talking about her son and what he wants being in compliance with what she feels is best for him. Tricky situation. I did say that I thought the one product was a much better choice than the other and in hindsight that wasn't being very true to what I believe. I just didn't see that what I really thought would be very plausible or accepted in that particular comment thread. Maybe best I didn't say anything. Hindsight.  I don't have kids and I won't even go into a "well if I had kids.." thing because that would just be me serving up a big bullshit sandwich. I don't know what I would do unless I were there. I know kids want to fit in and have things like other kids have so when the whole team is having Gatorade for example it would be hard for me as a parent to hand him/her a bag of bananas and coconut water and celery juice. Not sure that would go over well with too many kids. Alas, these are the challenges if someone wants to adapt to a whole food plant based diet. That's what this blog and page is about.

One of the points I am trying to get across here is that we don't have to buy the things that are put out there for public consumption. Recently there was an outcry against Subway for having some chemical in their bread that is also used to make yoga mats. I'm guessing that this chemical wasn't exclusive to yoga mats but that was the sensational spin that the media placed on it.I knew the name of the chemical briefly until my brain almost immediately moved it to it's spam folder. Anyway the public once again said "Hey Subway we're mad about what you are making us eat.. You have to change this!"   Umm.. what?  Last I checked every Subway has a swinging door in front that you can either go in or just keep walking. If you don't like yoga mat sandwiches then don't go where they serve them. Make yourself a sandwich that you know exactly what is in it or find a small independent cafe that focuses on quality whole foods and fresh ingredients. It seems ridiculous to me that everyone goes into a protest about this like they are on lockdown somewhere and have absolutely nothing else to eat other than Subway. This mindset of depending on and expecting others to feed us and feed us proper is a no win situation. Profit is always a corporation's #1 priority... it's never your health. Ever.

Starbucks is another major chain that has been under fire recently by healthy food advocates. Petitions are making their way around urging Starbucks to start using Organic/Non GMO milks in their drinks. Other petitions have gone around urging them to only use fair trade coffee. I saw another that urged them to control their waste to our landfills. Does this sound ridiculous yet? What's the solution? Same answer as how to avoid yoga mat sandwiches.. don't go there. Buy your own fair trade coffee and organic plant milks and make your own. Find a locally owned shop that carries these things and cares about the product they send out their door. I'm pretty sure they can use the money a little more than *$'s.

It's about choosing yourself to be in charge of what you eat and drink. It's about not complaining that the world's businesses just aren't feeding you to your standard and then stomping your feet and protesting til they get it right. You are in charge of you and everything you need to be healthy is here for the taking if you just will take charge of it. You! Choose YOU to feed YOU.

Three simple rules for perfect health. That's the title here... So what are they? They are the three simple rules we were assigned as humans since the dawn of man. They are rules of survival more than anything..
1.Eat
2.Drink
3.Breathe
That's it. That's the rules.
 EAT the foods that grow here on earth for you to enjoy. Our food literally comes up out of the ground and is ready to eat.  (or at least with a little prep time for some)
DRINK fresh clean water that we are lucky to have in the part of the world we live. Or drink juices from the fruits and vegetables that grow. Milks from the plants. Filter some of the water through tea leaves or ground coffee beans. These things are all here for the taking. Use them.
BREATHE deep breaths of clean air. Aerobically exercise your lungs and heart daily. Don't smoke and avoid being in the presence of people who are smoking.

It sounds corny I know. These three things are a little obvious aren't they? You'd think they are obvious but what have we done instead of these "obvious" guidelines? We ( and when I say we I don't mean me or you. I mean..y'know... others. *wink*wink*) have turned food into a catastrophe of indecipherable ingredients and chemicals. We have turned our fluids into the same as the food. Loaded with sugars and high fructose corn syrup or chemical sweeteners developed in a laboratory. While others excessively consume alcohol polluting their livers and entire well being. We don't exercise our lungs and heart. Instead we sit sedentary and some even smoke cigarettes, weed, crack, heroin...you get it. Others have found a new way to inhale chemicals through a vapor device that they carry around with them and suck on like addicts. We pollute our air without a thought. We pollute our bodies without a thought. And in turn we pollute our minds without a thought because when our bodies are sick our mind and spirit is sick right along with it.

Instead of eating some whole plant foods and drinking water  earth provides, we have invented things like Waffle Tacos or Chicken McNuggets to be washed down with new Mountain Dew with electrolytes or a "Diet" Coke and while you're at it... super size it! We have taken the simple foods that earth provides for us and manipulated them into poison and call it normal and then when we are sick, obese, depressed and dying we ask why.  I realize this is a rant. So what?! It is definitely a rantable subject.

I will stop the rant there though. I'm hungry. Should I head over to Subway and get a spicy chicken enchilada yoga mat sandwich and 44 ounce diet cherry vanilla Coke or make myself a green smoothie here at home?  I'm feeling lazy. I think I'll just stay home and have the smoothie...

Alcohol: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

I spend a lot of time researching plant based nutrition articles and I see many about various meal plans and nutrient values of this food or that but I rarely see alcohol addressed. I mean I'm assuming we all know that alcohol isn't the best thing for you and is empty calories.. right? I do see studies saying that glass or two of red wine or a beer a day is beneficial to our health but then I can find just as many studies that will say that one or two a day is terrible for you. (see image above) What I'm left with is opinions and nothing more. So let's look at what we do know.

Caloric value of alcohol:
Alcohol has a very high caloric value. When you ingest alcohol the liver breaks it down into a chemical called acetate (LINK). Acetate is then used as an effective fuel source in the body. A 1.5 ounce shot of liquor has between 100 and 200 calories. Beer and wine average 150 calories per serving. Mixed drinks which are generally very high in sugar have an average of 300 but as high as 800+ calories.

Vitamin and mineral content:
Alcohol itself has no vitamins or minerals whatsoever. Therefore the higher the alcohol content of a drink the lower the nutritional content will be. Beer has a small amount of the RDA for vitamin B6, riboflavin and folate. Unfiltered and craft beers are usually higher in these nutrients while processed commercial beers are very low. Wine also offers a small amount of B6 and inconsequential traces of various minerals. A single shot of hard liquor offers virtually no vitamins or minerals whatsoever. The only way any nutritional benefit can be gained from hard liquor is in the mixers used to make cocktails. (such as juices)

Fat, sodium and protein content:
Most alcoholic drinks offer little to no sodium or protein content. A serving of beer has no fat, a trace amount of sodium and an average of 2 grams of protein. (usually from wheat or corn) Wine and hard liquor have no fat, protein or sodium at all. Mixed drinks will vary according to mixers used and in special cases like a salted rim the sodium content will go up dramatically.

Nutritional benefits of alcohol:
Like I said earlier, there are various reports of moderate beer and wine use having some nutritional benefits that relate to cardiovascular health and longevity due to stress relief.  On the other hand there are reports that link any alcohol use at all to hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, liver damage and a weakened immune system. I could go on and on about the pros or the cons but obviously we have found some good along with some bad effects from alcohol use. Whenever "use" crosses to "abuse" the effects are always negative. It's my experience that most do not stay within the limits of moderate use. I say most because there really are some who do stay within the guideline but for the most part the majority do not.

Antioxidants in red wine:
Red wine contains antioxidants called polyphenols and also another called resveratrol. These contribute to cardiovascular health and reversing bad cholesterol. These antioxidants are also available in grapes, non alcoholic grape juice, 75% or greater cacao chocolate, most berries, green tea, and green tea extract to name just a few. So.. there are some that will swear by their glass of wine for the antioxidants but the truth is they could have gotten them from many other sources. Wine just seems like the most fun choice. (more on that later)

So those are the straightforward nutritional facts about alcohol which leaves me to add some conjecture of my own. I personally don't ever drink alcohol in any amount. I haven't for years. I was one of those people who didn't stay within the beneficial guidelines... which is putting it very very mildly. A large part of my family's life centered around drinking alcohol excessively when I was young and it continues to today. I would say it's a cultural thing but as I have put some space between me and the issue I've come to the opinion that this is nothing more than an excuse to continue an addictive pattern that takes an overwhelming amount of honesty and effort to correct. As I grew into a man, drinking became the focal point of my friendships and family life. There wasn't much chance that it wouldn't.  The fact that I say "drinking" in the sense that drinking is an activity indicates a problem. "Drinking" is something we do when we are thirsty (usually takes no more than 30 seconds to complete) just as we "eat" when we are hungry. If I were to consistently go out eating with my eating buddies and we ate non stop for entire evenings in several different eating establishments until the wee hours of the morning it would seem like I have a huge problem with food wouldn't it?.. an unhealthy relationship? Well that is how I used alcohol... like an alcoholic. An addict.

Alcohol metabolizes in the brain as well as the body so one of the effects is that we become drunk. Being drunk occasionally is not a great thing but it's also fairly harmless. On the other hand, being drunk often is a huge mental, physical, emotional and spiritual burden. It caused terrible damage to the welfare of each of these areas of my life. The result was ruinous to my relationships with family, friends and coworkers. Quitting alcohol was one of the biggest hurdles I've ever gotten over because after all the years of overuse and abuse I was addicted. I was addicted to the sensation of alcohol as well as the social crutch it had become. It was something that went from being fun and social to something that I hated about myself and couldn't stop doing. There is a long story here and for all the honesty I like to show in this blog I'm going to leave the dirty details alone. (I don't even know that it would be interesting to read so much as it would just feel uneasy) The bottom line is that in the end the "true I" emerged and went on a terror streak toward total wellness. For me personally, it's a matter of self respect. Respect for my physical health as well as a respect for my own ability to thrive without intoxicants of any kind in my body. Those things just kept me immature and incorrigible and incapacitated. I am a much better person than that and have way more to offer to life and myself. Alcohol kept the person I am anesthetized and unavailable. I feel like that was a shameful waste.

I realize this isn't the experience most have with alcohol.  Although for those that it is.. you will understand what I mean.  All I can do is give you the facts about the nutritional values and the returns that I experienced in my personal life. The difference in my quality of life without it has been remarkable. It has been remarkable from the standpoint I just wrote about and also the ability it has given me physically. I no longer fight the battle of working my ass off training only to snuff any gains the very same evening drinking. My weight was always up and down. My energy levels were horrible. My eating habits were awful due to poor late night food choices. My workouts were pathetic. My sleep patterns were erratic and poor. My digestion was consistently bad. My appetite was nonexistent. I had terrible inflammation throughout my body,,, blah blah blah... Do I need to go on?? If you are one of the people who can't keep it under wraps when you drink then I would strongly suggest doing the work to remove it from your life completely. (PM me and I'll tell you how) And if you truly are one of the glass or two a day people... Salud!!

16 Things You Should Know About Cancer

In 2004 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. (the Lance Armstrong one) I was lucky and it was treated early enough that it didn't spread. After a surgery and some radiation treatments I was cleared.  Knowing what I know now, I am sure that the whole thing could have been avoided. I was reckless as a younger man. I drank heavily, smoked cigarettes and my nutrition was abominable. I lived a high stress life with no rest. When I say stress I mean stress in the way that I never stopped. It was one big party...and then it wasn't. 

Too many people in my family have had cancer. One is too many as far as I'm concerned. At the moment my brother is recovering from his 2nd surgery in 6 months to remove cancerous tumors from his body. I won't go into detail about it because it isn't the time or the place here.  I mention it because I have high hopes for my brother's recovery. He is plant focused now and will be putting the right things in his body from here on out to make sure that cancerous growth doesn't have an environment where it can manifest itself any longer. I love my brother...well...like a brother. I'm happy he is getting better today.

The internet is FULL of information and misinformation. The 16 things I list here are from my own reading. I fully concur with each and every last one. It's nothing new...Eat plants, drink water, exercise, love yourself and let go of negative stress in your life.  And if you haven't yet... Read "The China Study" (link HERE)

1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable size.

2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a person’s lifetime.

3. When the person’s immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.

4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle factors.

5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, a plant based diet will strengthen the immune system.

6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastro-intestinal tract etc, and can cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.

7. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.

8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor destruction.

9. When the body has too much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various kinds of infections and complications.

10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other sites.

11. An effective way to battle cancer is to STARVE the cancer cells by not feeding it with foods it needs to multiply such as animal proteins and acidic foods.

What cancer cells feed on:

a. Sugar is a cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to the cancer cells. Note:Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would be Raw organic  honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt is chemically treated to make  it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg’s aminos (link HERE) or sea salt.

b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By eliminating dairy and substituting with unsweetened plant based milk, cancer cells will be starved.

c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat a whole food plant based diet.  Meat also contains antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful, especially to people with cancer.

d. A diet made of fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into an alkaline environment. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells.

To obtain live enzymes for building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C).

e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer-fighting properties. Water–best to drink purified water.  Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the intestines will become putrified and leads to more toxic buildup.

13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By refraining from meat it frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the body’s killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.

14. Vitamin supplements are not a panacea for good health. Whole plant foods always provide optimum bio-availability meaning the body will use them more readily and efficiently.

15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit. A positive spirit will help those affected be a survivor. Anger, unforgiving and bitterness put the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Strive to have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life.

16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising just 30 minutes daily and deep breathing help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. 

Eat Carbs!!

The energy we need for life is obtained through the foods we eat and the fluids we drink. They are broken down into 3 categories; carbohydrates, proteins and fats. It is absolutely necessary that we get enough from each category. Carbohydrates are the very thing that the body (including your central nervous system) uses for fuel. When we ingest carbs they're stored in our muscles and liver as sugars (glucose, fructose and galactose). Glucose (aka glycogen) is how carbs are mainly stored.  It is the same principle as fuel in the tank of your car. Carbs=Energy > More energy=More endurance. Any carbs that can't be stored in the muscles and liver or used right away get stored as fat which is also used for energy.

Want the perfect pre/post workout food? Eat bananas. Eat lots and lots of bananas. One medium sized banana has a generous 26 grams of carbs for just 105 calories. It has 10% of your recommended daily fiber, 15% recommended potassium, 17% daily requirement of vitamin C and 22% of vitamin B6. B6 is critical in helping carry oxygen through the body. I don't usually like to get into breaking down individual foods and micromanaging nutrients like that but some people like to see numbers and I really like bananas and want you to eat them. So there you have it. Bananas are the ultimate workout fuel.

Fats are also used as a secondary fuel source during long and slow (aerobic zone) workouts but in order for the fat to be facilitated it requires the aid of glycogen (carbs) to help break it down for use. Adequate carbohydrate intake also helps prevent protein from being used as energy. If the body is short on carbohydrate intake then it will turn to breaking down protein to make glucose for energy. That doesn't sound like a big deal but it is.

Protein's primary role is to work as the building blocks for muscles, bones, skin, hair, nails and all other tissues. By falling short on carbohydrate intake and relying on proteins for energy you are limiting  the body's ability to build and maintain tissues. Additionally you will be putting undue stress on your kidneys as they work harder to eliminate byproduct of protein breakdown. Protein is not a very good source of energy... so save that protein blast for after your workout if you feel you must add extraneous protein. (more on that later)

Now let's talk a bit more about fat in our food. All fats eaten are directly stored as fat. Plain and simple. The fat you eat is the fat you wear. The amount of naturally occurring fats in whole plant foods is all we need ever. There is a TON of misinformation out there about fat being good and carbs the enemy. It is bad information. Terribly mislguided and dangerous information. Eating bacon instead of fruit or putting butter in your coffee sounds like a really bad idea because IT IS! The caveman diet (I won't even say the "P" word) is a plan for people looking for good news about bad habits and is also nothing more than a fad. As if any of this matters...Cave men lived to be 25-30 yrs old, likely ate plant foods more than animal due to availability and lastly I'm pretty sure they didn't have bacon, coffee or butter. How a caveman became the yardstick by which some are measuring fitness (never mind wellness) is beneath my thinking.

Then we had the rage of the Atkins diet. (which is still popular but has different names now) It was a plan that eliminated carbs and focused solely on fat intake. The body, when deprived of the essential fuel of carbs (glycogen depletion), goes into a state of emergency called Ketosis. It is a survival mode that flips the switch to use fat as energy. Survival modes are meant for emergency conditions we may encounter as human animals. We are not meant to remain in a survival mode long term. Fat is poor quality energy but since it is the only option the body has then that is all it can use to survive. The result will be fat loss from your body along with clogged arteries, damaged kidneys, brain damage, nervous system damage and a destroyed metabolism to name just a few. It is the definition of a short term and unsustainable solution with "buy now pay later" consequences. Incidentally, Dr. Atkins (the mastermind behind all this) died of a massive heart attack. His family has much to gain from the fortune he built through the Atkins line of products. They have said he died from falling down a staircase. They leave out the part that he fell down said stairs after suffering massive heart failure. But I digress...

So with all that said... it leaves the question of how much of this or that should I be eating and drinking?? There are infinite answers to this eternal question which consume the internet. If you have read my blog you know by now that I will always point in the direction of eating a plant based diet. Plants, grains, legumes. seeds, etc provide the perfect blend of low glycemic carbohydrates. That is to say carbs that burn slow to provide sustained energy. If whole plant foods are eaten in a wide array then you will be getting all of the essential amino acids (building blocks of protein) your body needs to create just the right amount of proteins that it needs for the specific load you are putting on it. All other fats and proteins will be ingested incidentally as you eat each plant based meal. It's nothing new that I am writing here... Eat Plants. 

If you don't see yourself eating 100% plant based that's okay. Maybe one day you will naturally be led in that direction but regardless of that if you are eating at least 50-75% plant foods for all of your meals then you will see a considerable difference in energy levels, weight, endurance and overall wellness. A conscious effort to cut your meat consumption by 50% is the best way at first. Start making meat a side dish and leafy greens, vegetables, fruits and grains the main part of your plate. It was my experience that as I made my way toward plant based eating I wanted less and less of that meat entree. In the end I didn't even know why I continued to put it on my plate. Old habits die hard I guess. Eventually I just laughed at myself and said "I'm done." At that point I was down to a little bit of dairy and just fish as my meat. It seemed silly to hang on to those small things. Self discipline in ridding those things completely from my diet has been very rewarding both physically and mentally. I'd also say that word "spiritually" but it causes people to run away quickly. (but that too) 

7 Easy Ways To Eat Plant Based On The Road

Traveling can be a stumbling block when it comes to  whole food plant based (WFPB) eating. If you aren't prepared when you leave the house, whether it be for a short trip or a long road trip, the chances of staying on track aren't very good. When I'm hungry... that's it.. I need to eat. If I'm not prepared I will settle for poor choices. I may even be able to technically keep the choices in the plant based category but it will most likely be junk. I find when I am within the area I live I at least know where I can find some okay options but once I am out of my space it gets trickier. Here are 7 quick tips to help you stay on track...

1. The best thing I can do is have food with me. I have heard the remark when I suggest this that "It takes too much time to have to pack all of that every time I leave the house". Yes, it does take time. So does stopping somewhere to eat. Consider the time packing the same time you would have been spending grabbing an unhealthy meal elsewhere. I have 2 coolers. One is small enough to carry like a lunch box and the other is a standard tailgate style cooler. Which one I pack and bring is determined by how far and how long I'm going to be gone. In the cooler I can put fruits like apples or bananas, veggies like cucumber slices, celery, carrots etc.., almond butter sandwiches. It varies every time and you can be as creative with it as you want.

2. When we are traveling and staying in a hotel my best option is to find a grocery store for meals. (I always try to pick a hotel that has a refrigerator and microwave in the room. The info is usually on their website where they show the rooms. If not you can always call.) Whole Foods is the nicer (and priciest) option. Their salad bar is usually phenomenal and always filled with organic whole food choices. They also have really good plant based soups. If Whole Foods isn't available or you don't want get involved in a $20 salad and soup then any chain grocery (Trader Joes preferably) will usually do. Every store has a produce section, raw nuts, healthy breads, almond butter etc.. Canned organic beans are always available and the single serve brown rice or quinoa microwave packs are awesome. Pick up some avocado and you got easy bean and rice bowls with avocado.

3. If you don't have a Nutri Bullet (link HERE) it's a great investment to get one. My Nutri Bullet comes with me on every trip. It is small enough to easily pack and easy to clean. I bring my smoothie additives also...Green Vibrance(link HERE), spirulina powder, Maca powder etc. Then once I've gone to the store and bought some fresh greens, veggies and fruit, I have everything I need for smoothies throughout my trip.

4.  Another great investment is a good old fashioned Thermos. I'm pretty sure there are some fancier versions out there now that do the same job for twice the price and half the durability but I personally like a Thermos. I use mine for fresh pressed juices. It keeps it cold and if you fill it to the top so there is hardly any air in the container it will keep those live enzymes alive for up to 24 hours. It's not the same as straight out of the juicer but hey we're on the road so it's still a pretty good deal. I also use it to put green smoothies in. Same idea...fill it to the top! This can also be an idea for around town if you know you are going to be out all day, to bring to work, to take on a hike, to the beach..whatever. You get it. Here's a picture of the one I use. I think it fits about 40 ounces, so it's a nice amount..

5. So OBVIOUSLY when you travel you are going to want to eat out. For this all you need to know is http://www.happycow.net/   It's like "Veggie Yelp". Yelp is good but sometimes it's a bit sloppy and will send you places it considers to be plant based because they have a baked potato on their menu. Happy Cow will direct you to restaurants and cafes that are high quality legitimate plant based eating. Check em out!!

6.  Water! Water! Water! Drinking enough water is challenging enough but when you are traveling it can be almost impossible sometimes. Keep a gallon or two in the car for road trips. It'll save you from sugary truck stop/gas station drinks. It'll also save you a few bucks.  When you get to the hotel it's the same story. I recently stayed in a hotel that had vending machines on every floor (as usual) but no water in any of them. Besides, at a buck a small bottle and as much water as I drink, even if the machines did have water it wouldn't be a realistic option. The room had a bigger bottle (which still wouldn't have been enough) for I think $9....Take that $9 and buy 9 gallons of water at the store and bring it to your room. You'll be glad you did. I always run more than usual when I travel because it's a great way to see the cities I'm visiting so the more water I have the better. I carry my water bottle everywhere with me and just fill up whenever I can..

7. Lastly..Always! Always! Always bring some food with you whenever you leave the house.(Sound the same as #1? It is. It's important.) Even if you think you are only going to be gone an hour. Eating plant based is very satisfying but in my experience you need to eat VERY often. I like that aspect of it since I love to eat. But it was a challenge at first to plan accordingly and remember to bring enough food with me wherever I went. If you've read my blog, I'm sure you have read over and over that this a new way of eating and it takes thought and care. I write that repeatedly because it's the truth. I like that aspect of it though. There isn't much thought, care, self respect or self discipline behind junk food and fast food.  Once you've experienced the better quality of life that goes along with WFPB nutrition, all that trash really stops ever being an option. It takes some time to get crafty about all this but there is ALWAYS a healthy way. The WFPB options are usually just not visible from the freeway and don't have bright signs and convenient drive-thrus... Yet.

5 More Great Reasons To Drink Water

For some, allergies are a bigger challenge than for others and there's a huge selection of antihistamines out there that many rely on. If you suffer from allergies and an antihistamine is your best option then you should bear in mind that antihistamines are one of the most common causes of dehydration. A tell tale indication of insufficient moisture in the body is pain. If you take antihistamines, drink larger amounts of water than normal.

2. Our brain works nonstop and requires more water than any other part of the body. Under normal conditions it contains about 20% of the total blood that circulates through the body, and it is estimated that brain cells contain approximately 85% water. Antihistamines, diuretics, alcohol, blood pressure medications and some psychiatric drugs cause dehydration. As a response to the water shortage, the brain activates and stores the important neurotransmitter histamine, which immediately redirects water to the areas where it is needed for basic metabolic activity and survival. When histamines and the regulators for water intake come across pain sensing nerves in the body it causes strong and continual pain. These are the pain signals that warn you that you have become dehydrated and is the reason why when you have a headache you should drink more water.

3. When your joints go through their usual movements it is normal for a small amount of cartilage cells to be destroyed by friction which are replaced without any issue. It happens in each of us everyday. When the body is dehydrated cartilage loses the ability to move smoothly causing additional friction and ultimately an increased number of cartilage cells are destroyed than would not have been under hydrated conditions. Cartilage cells typically receive water and nutrients from the blood that flows through the end of the underlying bone. However, damaged cartilage must depend on increased blood flow to the joint capsule. This causes inflammation and pain. Dehydration not only causes the damage but will also interfere in the healing of cartilage. So here we have yet another reason to always stay well hydrated.

4. The spine supports the upper body and about 75% of that support comes from water within the spinal discs that sit between each vertebrae. When the body is dehydrated, these discs contain less water and the space between them shrink in size rendering them less capable of providing the support your upper body needs and increases the risk of nerve impingement. To compensate for the lack of spinal support the body must then place additional strain on the muscles surrounding the spine. This significantly increases the risk for spinal disc herniation.

5. Lastly...Dehydration is a primary cause of insomnia and fatigue. Water is our internal cooling and temperature balancing system and dehydration can lead to an increase in toxins in the bloodstream.  This is more noticeable at night causing poor sleep and/or insomnia. Drinking water throughout the day will ensure these toxins are flushed from your system.

I personally drink at least 1 gallon of water a day. I recommend no less than half a gallon to my clients. It sounds like a lot of water when I say it like that but over the course of a day it's realistic to be able to do it. I have a BPA free water bottle and it goes with me pretty much everywhere. I don't even notice I'm carrying it sometimes. The one I use is 32 OZ.  So just 4 of those over the whole day is a gallon. Below is a picture of the one I like and use. I would give some testimony about what happens to me if I don't drink enough water but I haven't done it in a long time. Pretty sure there was a headache involved though....

Reader Request: Sample Menu Of One Day WFPB Meals

I was asked by a friend and blog reader to write about a typical day of whole food plant based (WFPB) eating. Pretty cool to get a request so I am happy to do it. A WFPB regimen was tough for me to wrap my head around at first. I hadn't considered just how set in my ways I was until I had to consider how I would eat throughout the day on solely whole plant foods. I was determined to do it.  At first ,I must admit, I was very hungry. I had it in my head that this was a "diet" so hunger is normal and just tried to keep my will power high. This is NOT a diet though... It just was and continues to be what I eat. Not for a week or a month or even a year but for life. The time frames set on diets are built for failure. They are programs that are entered into with the notion that it is a set amount of time in which we will have to suffer but there will be an end when we can return to what we feel is normal. The result being the yo-yo effect of weight gain and loss which subsequently leads to frustration and eventually a feeling that we've been defeated. With that in mind, I had to put some thought in to how I was going to eat up to the standards of my appetite.

Eat Plants. Sounds simple enough. At first it isn't but in time it surprisingly becomes quite easy. (not to mention less expensive) It does require some time in the store and kitchen up front to set yourself up for a successful week ahead. The key is to have healthy whole foods and ingredients ready to go so you are able to eat without a ton of prep time and work for most meals.

At the start of this week I spent some time in the kitchen. I made a big container of brown rice, a big container of quinoa, a large pot of veggie chili, a kale and quinoa salad and two large pitchers of tea (one green and one black) to drink. The brown rice will be for meals like stir frys during the week and also for our sweet little dog who gets some brown rice mixed with sweet potato and kibble for his meals. (Got him on the plan too) The quinoa will be mainly for breakfast as a cold cereal with almond milk, bananas and frozen berries. The chili and quinoa salad is for lunch...snack... dinner or whenever I want to eat. I eat when I'm hungry. I don't have 3 set meals. If I'm hungry 7 times in a day then I eat 7 times. When I am running a particularly large amount is usually when the appetite goes up and as long as I am loading with healthy whole plant food as fuel there is  no need to regulate calories, carbs, protein etc... Just eat when you want and until your full. Let the body sort out the details.

Below I will go through a day of eating and afterward include some loosely constructed instructions about how to prepare them. (I am leery of using the word recipe since I usually never do things the same way twice) The majority of the food (with the exception of some fresh produce) comes from Trader Joes. I buy my produce at a market out here in the midwest called Shnucks because they have nice stuff in my opinion. Everything is organic.

Wake up/pre exercise and work:

- Half glass of cold water with a couple tbsp of Braggs apple cider vinegar. This is a great way to alkalize your system first thing in the day and is just an all around great natural remedy.

-Next I had a green smoothie. Today (and most every day) in my smoothie I added to the pitcher a handful of ice cubes, a handful of frozen mixed berries, 4-5 leaves of kale, a handful of raw unsalted cashews, about half a cup of organic steel cut oats, 2 tbsp hemp protein powder, 1 scoop green vibrance greens supplement powder, 1 tsp spirulina, 1 tsp maca root powder, half tsp turmeric powder, 1 tbsp cacao powder, 1 tsp chia seeds, a banana and cold water. Blend for 1 minute and drink up!

Post workout:

-I bring a a bag of raw unsalted cashews mixed with raisins to work with me. Also I brought 2 bananas and a quart of water. I eat this after my workout and between clients to keep fuel in the tank without having to reach for junk like processed protein bars or protein drinks.
-After training  (at work) I had a juice which I was glad I made before I left this morning and stored in a tightly sealed Thermos to keep those live enzymes fresh. I have a Breville centrifugal juicer which I use at least one time every single day. In it today I put 5-6 large leaves of collard greens, 1 large beet with greens attached, 1 apple, 1 lemon, 1 knuckle size hunk of fresh ginger, half a cucumber, 4 celery stalks and 5 carrots. It worked out to about 36 ounces of juice. That's pretty large but I like it and consider it a small meal.

-Next (about an hour later) I had a bowl of cold quinoa, almond milk, bananas and frozen blueberries.

Later in the day:

Most days I also work in the afternoon and evenings but Mondays I am off. Either way...If I was working, these next meals would have just come to work with me in containers. I don't like or have a desire to eat out anymore so it has become easy. It's not easy to find proper food in restaurants/cafes and even if I could, they don't ever give me enough food to satisfy me. So I don't eat out for lunch anymore. I would say I "usually" don't but I honestly can't remember the last time I did. For someone who ate out for every meal at one time this is a huge change. It's a change that I really like though. I like being in control of my food/nutrition and not just settling out of laziness or habit. Anyway...

-One big bowl of quinoa salad (how-to at bottom)
-2 bananas
-2 apples
- 1 whole avocado cut in half. I just eat them with a spoon like that.

Dinner:

- 2 large bowls of veggie chili (how to at bottom) with lots of sliced avocado on top and corn tortillas.

Dessert: Frozen bananas and blueberries with almond milk in the vitamix (or any blender). Try it. Just like ice cream except you can eat as much as you want.

So that's the day. Pretty basic stuff. I have tons of this food left that I will pick at throughout the week and also cook other things.  When I do cook other meals throughout the week I always cook enough for 6 or 7 people so I have plenty left. After some time time I end up with so much food that I have to hold off cooking for a few days just so I can clear what I have made over the course of the last few days. That being said... This is just the menu for one particular day.  If you have any questions please feel free to ask them in the comments and I would be happy to answer...

KALE & QUINOA SALAD
- Cook one rice cooker size batch of quinoa. Set aside to cool.
-Finely chop half a bag of TJs organic kale. Set aside.
-Shred 2 carrots and one small onion. Set aside.
-Drain and rinse one can TJs organic chick peas. Set aside.
-In a very large mixing bowl whisk the juice of one lemon, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp crushed garlic, and 1/4 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos. (use soy sauce optionally)
-Add everything listed above into bowl and toss.
-After tossing add 1 whole cup of raisins and toss some more
-Top with 1 can drained mandarin oranges or if you live where the citrus isn't atrocious..use fresh.
-Cover and chill until thoroughly cold.
-Eat it.

VEGGIE CHILI (Please bear in mind these are estimated measurements. Use your judgement)

-In a large stewing pot add 1 undrained can each of pinto beans, black beans, chick peas, kidney beans, white beans and corn. Then add 6 cans of water.
-1 full length of soyrizo (vegan soy based chorizo)
-1 large chopped onion
-2 chopped sweet potatoes
-2 chopped carrots
-2 large handfuls fresh spinach
-1 block tofu cut in cubes
-2 large scoops cooked brown rice
-1 large jar peeled cooked tomatoes
-1 container sliced white mushrooms
-1/4 cup paprika
-3 tbsp chili powder
-1 big tbsp crushed garlic
-1 tbsp onion powder
-2 tbsp dijon mustard
-1/4 cup chopped parsley
-2 tbsp liquid smoke (It's by the bbq sauce at your market. Key ingredient. Promise.)
-Sea salt and pepper to taste
-Stir well and bring to boil and lower to simmer. It's done when the carrots are soft.
-Eat.

Meeting Whole Food Plant Based Head On

Beginning a plant based nutrition plan is challenging no doubt. I've been at it a while now but if I think back at the first phases of switching I can remember what a massive challenge it seemed. It wasn't the idea of giving up a majority of the foods I had eaten my whole life so much as it was just the newness of the task at hand. I started like many newbies by eating the same things over and over. Salad, nuts, juices, rice and beans were main meals. My mind driven appetite still told me I needed more and called out for a burger or a couple pork chops. Luckily the cravings I got were for foods that were beyond a doubt totally unhealthy. So I could just write it off as habit..or dare I say it.. food addiction. I will actually say that my experience definitely was an even mix of good old fashioned craving along with an equal amount of addiction. What else could I call it when for years I continued to eat and drink things that I KNEW were bad for me and made me sick. I would do it because it made me feel good in the moment but knowing for certain there would be negative implications to my total health. That is to say not only my body would have negative returns but so would my mind and spirit. When your physical health is suffering it is always the case for the other two to suffer equally. I've never met a person who doesn't feel well that is the best version of their self.  The time had come for me to start demonstrating some respect. Respect what I put in my body and it will respect me in return.

With that said, what laid ahead of me was a challenge. I needed to rethink my approach to everything. There would be no "cheat days". A cheat day would surely turn into a "cheat 2 days" and then "cheat week" and so on... Half measures would surely bring me half results. There is no cheat day for any other form of addiction so why would the rules be different with food. Also I needed to cease to view eating as merely a means to an end. I needed to think of it as more than just filling up the hole in my gut. I had been dealing with eating as an obstacle to thoughtlessly overcome. I was programmed to not think of "what" I was eating just as long as it made hunger subside.  What ultimately developed was a mindset of food as my enemy. It was thought of as an unfortunate inconvenience that hindered my wellness. Sure I loved the tastes but the trade of a fleeting taste for an existence of poor health had become an unfair one in my mind.

Preparation is key. I start each day with a green smoothie. I make sure to have plenty of leafy greens and a nice selection of fresh vegetables and fruit on hand at all times. The bottom half of my fridge is always always always packed with produce. It's a sure fire way to ensure staying on track.  I will admit my appetite is a bit large. Running will do that to you. Here is a handy green smoothie chart to help create any smoothie to your individual tastes and needs.

I could write all day long about this recipe or that recipe but instead I will include links at the end of this entry to websites that have been pretty good for me. It really is almost a complete relearning on how to cook. For me it was a welcome change because I was sick of all the food I had been eating. I can remember right before the switch looking at my dinner plate with it's usual meat entree and thinking "There has got to be another way to do this. I'm hungry and I need to eat but this is just going to completely shut me down and make me feel like garbage."  I used to jokingly refer to some of the heavier meals as "season ending injuries" because after I ate the meal I was going to be sidelined for the rest of the day. That's a pretty dysfunctional relationship if you ask me.

I always have large amounts of brown rice and quinoa prepared and in containers. (Again, preparation is key) It seems to be a base or at least an ingredient to many of my meals. For instance, in the morning I have quinoa as a cold cereal with almond milk, sliced banana and berries. The quinoa is always ready and waiting for me much like the processed box of cereal used to be there in the pantry. The idea here is to have prepared whole food on hand much the same as I had prepared processed foods on hand before. Brown rice is ready for a quick stir fry or as an addition to a soup or chili I am making etc.. Eating whole food plant based (WFPB) is work but it's work for something very worthwhile. I don't think of it as work so much anymore. It's just me preparing and making sure I'm set up for success. It takes time. I have 2 jobs that are fortunately flexible so when I have time I get in a good zone and just spend some time in the kitchen making sure I have lots of healthy choices ready and waiting. It's my version of the "grab-n-go" foods you see lining supermarket shelves. Except these foods aren't that garbage. These foods are nutrient dense, high energy and sustainable. The companies that make processed foods aren't thinking of my very specific needs when they make those foods. They need to make a convenient and cheap product that has qualities which ensure customers will continue to repurchase. Qualities like salty and sweet flavor, high fat content that lights up our pleasure centers in the brain and labeling that creates an illusion that you are getting some nutrition out of the deal are the usual tactics. It also has to be able to sit in warehouses or store shelves for very long periods of time until someone can buy and eat it. All of this adds up to a preservative nightmare along with absolutely no nutrient value assembled in the cheapest way to make sure that my cost is as low as possible. It's the perfect recipe for a low energy and toxic product that offers nothing close to proper nutrition.  That's just the store bought processed foods. Restaurants and fast food are a book for another day.

Here are some general guidelines that can make things easier if you are starting out or if you are already on course and just need a little reminder...

1. Do not overwhelm yourself. Making the changes can be challenging. Try just one small thing that you can do different daily and then add another. In time they will easily fall in place. If someone is  looking for that first thing they can change I usually suggest starting every day with a green smoothie instead of their usual breakfast. It's the perfect way to flood your body with a perfect blast of nutrients first thing in the morning. Start with a green smoothie in the morning, feel the change and then choose the next new healthful change you can realistically make. The changes add up fast and are rewarding enough that you will look forward to the next. This is  not a race. It's a reinvention of yourself. Anything worth doing takes time. Rush it or be impatient and your results will be poor.

2. If you "cheat" or "slip" it's fine. It is common for many to just say "Well that was just too hard. I can't do it. Oh well I tried" and then just give up. It's expected that if you've been eating a certain way for many years that you will not be flawless. Examine how or what happened and consider how you can do it differently next time and move on. The end. No grudges against yourself. You fell. Get up.

3. Be prepared. Always have fruit, veggies and prepared whole foods available. Bring food with you even if you are only going to be gone a short while. A few bananas and some nuts will save you from a drive thru or whatever other poor choices are out there. Buy disposable containers of all sizes so you can bring anything you'd like anywhere.

4. Remember that this isn't a diet. Anything but that damn word. It is you recreating the way you are going to eat for life. It is you being accountable for what you choose to eat. It is a thoughtful process and something to be proud of. You are treating your health with respect and refusing the crap that is being offered in the mainstream. You are being mindful enough to do what it takes to be the best version of yourself. It's basically awesome.

5. Others will ask questions and even be annoyed with you. It's a tough spot in social settings no doubt. It can be awkward. A simple answer saying that you just feel better when you eat this way and it's a personal choice is enough. If the person persists and you don't feel like elaborating just refer them to my blog  :) or any other WFPB site. Pontificating on the subject usually just draws criticism and negativity. I promise the people close to you will see and sense the changes in you. That is more than any words can speak.

This touches base on a WFPB switch but there is so much more to it. By that I mean so much greatness. Which also means many more blog entries. Going WFPB is one of the top decisions I ever made and the results have been nothing short of remarkable. If you are already on this path then you know what I mean. If you are about to embark then I will say congratulations on taking action and get ready to feel better than ever. It's a process at first but like anything it becomes the normal way and the old ways will just seem unfathomable. You might even end up so enthused that you start your own blog. I work as a personal nutrition and fitness trainer as a job but I write this blog for fun and for free in hopes that I may reach others who may be interested in reshaping their lives through something so simple as food. The food really is the key! That much I can promise you. I hope for others to experience the transformation I did. To truly have total wellness and THRIVE!

Here are some links to sites that have served me well. These three sites will give you plenty to start with and I'm sure you will find sites of your own that work well for you. I would include recipes of my own but quite honestly I am a haphazard cook. I just do pinches of this and shakes of that. Don't get me wrong, my food is fantastic but there is just not really a way to put in recipe form. So try these sites and soon you will be doing your own thing off the top of your creative mind as well..

http://happyherbivore.com/recipes/

http://engine2diet.com/recipes/favorites/

http://plantbasedonabudget.com/