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/

Altering The Microbial Colonization Of Your Gut: The Key To Wellness

One of the biggest game changers for me when I first adapted to whole food plant based nutrition was the changes in the microbial colonization of my intestinal flora. By this I mean that the replacement of meat, dairy and processed foods with plant foods also replaced the bacterial colonies that reside in my gut. It isn't something that I had ever given any consideration to in the past. I suppose "out of sight/out of mind" applied to the situation. The thing I was able to pay attention to though was the fact that I felt amazing. My energy levels were through the roof, my mental process was extra sharp and everything just seemed to have a new and special clarity. On the physical end of things my endurance and training had increased dramatically.  All feeling of bloating and achiness had left me.  And my digestion had become flawless. It all seemed to good to be true but it was happening and there was no denying it.

There are 100 trillion cells in your body, but 90% of the genetic material is not yours. It is from the bacteria, fungi, viruses and other microorganisms, i.e. your microflora. (link here)
It really is true that we are exactly what we eat. When I was putting  processed foods in my body I was unknowingly lining my GI tract with nutrient deficient and chemically treated junk. When I was putting meat and dairy in my body I was creating flora from animal flesh or byproduct that is dead and if not organic was also swimming in hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals. Even it were organic I could be sure that it had some degree of feces and other unfavorable bacteria throughout.

The thing with microbial colonies is that when they reside in your gut they create the cravings for more of the same foods in an effort to perpetuate their existence. It is no coincidence, for instance, that when you are on a roll eating fast food that you will crave more and more fast food. Or when you have a diet heavy in meat, you will have a drive to eat meals that include meat. The same can be said for sugary foods, junk food, processed foods etc.. It will seem that nothing else has the ability to satiate your hunger/craving. Likewise, when you have made the change to a plant based program you will be driven toward plant foods and those meals will perfectly satisfy you. Meat, dairy, junk, fast and processed foods will no longer have the same appeal. I must admit that when I first changed to plant based I thought to myself that it was going to be a daily sacrifice that required major discipline....and at the very start it was. But it was only after about a week or two that I found I was quickly losing the cravings for those other foods I had eaten my entire life. After only a couple weeks an entire lifetime of habitual eating was disappearing?!?! It was nothing short of remarkable. My wife will be the first to confirm that before making this change I was adamant that every meal needed to include meat and/or dairy. Rarely did I eat a meal that didn't include meat, dairy AND processed foods. This is all while I was very committed to a daily weight training program coupled with cardiovascular training. I say that to demonstrate that it wasn't a sedentary time in my life but a time when I was unable to achieve any of the personal goals I had set for myself. I would keep adding more time and more sets to my routine but the results always came back poor. The incredulous thing I remember about all of that now is that I truly thought that I needed to add more protein (i.e. more meat/dairy) and cut carbs. I believed that I needed to cut out carbs which are the very thing our body uses as fuel and add more protein. Protein is intended for growth....I will say that again...protein is intended for growth. Unless you are still growing, taking in copious amounts of protein is going to inhibit your goals. You will grow muscle (if that's your goal) but you will also grow fat. But even more serious is that animal protein eaten in excess (which is generally the case)  can grow diseases like cancer, diabetes and contribute to overall mortality. (link here)

Protein is created within the body through the amino acids that are naturally found in a variety of plant foods. A full array of colorful plant foods will ensure your body is getting a full array of amino acids which will be used to create almost all of the protein YOUR body needs specifically for YOUR needs. Any protein not created by your body will be ingested as it naturally occurs in foods such as beans, legumes, nuts, grains and (of course) plant foods. I was amazed when I came to the realization that I didn't have to orchestrate every bite of food I took... I could just let go of the wheel and let this efficient machine do the driving. So long as I was doing my part by adding the proper fuel I could just trust "the machine" to do it's work seamlessly. The fact of the matter was that the very thing standing in my way of enjoying optimum physical health was my less than optimal thinking. It was a realization that I just needed to return to my roots. To eat the plants that I am intended to eat. I am from earth and so also my food should be.

Eating solely plant foods will introduce very beneficial live enzymes and greatly improve your GI microflora but it is important to avoid "conventionally grown" plant foods and always aim for organic. Unfortunately pesticides and GMOs exist and are just as serious to your well being as the aforementioned foods here. Farmers markets are a good source of Organic foods as well as stores like Trader Joes. Most quality supermarkets will have organics on hand to some degree as well. As far as food with labels... I always say avoid them. (eat only whole foods) But if you are eating a food that has labeling always always always READ THOSE LABELS.

Question Everything & Recreate How you Eat

Breaking paradigms has presented some of the biggest challenges I have faced. It continues to be a rewarding goal to recognize them and meet them head on. Paradigms are those thoughts, values and judgements we place on things without any doubt that they may be false or not in our best interest. These belief systems are what create our reality. Simple things like everything is made from atoms or the earth is round are safe bets and have been well proven centuries ago. We rely on those simple things to be a basis of our reality and need not question them. It's simple and thoughtless paradigms that we place in our individual lives that can limit our potential and limit the outcome of our goals and happiness. These are almost always things that we were taught as children and told repeatedly by people in our lives who we love or trust such as teachers, parents, friends and the media.

The problem is that these guidelines may never have held any truth. So with or without bad intentions our trusted sources and loved ones may have passed on beliefs that are imperfect. No one likes to admit that they are wrong... especially if it's something they have placed a heavy amount of commitment behind for many years. I noticed in my own self when I began to become aware of these things that not only did I not want to admit when I was wrong but I was willing to fight about what I identified as the truth. (that mindset coupled with greed is the basis of all war incidentally) It all just led me back to the fact that, if left unchecked, my ego will run the show and the best version of the real me doesn't stand a chance. I couldn't possibly list every paradigm we subscribe to...I'm pretty sure the internet doesn't have enough bandwidth. Here are just a few nutrition paradigms that were groundbreaking for me.

Growing up I was told that milk is my best bet for strong bones and health. There is no better source of calcium and vitamin D than dairy products and if I want to grow old with strong healthy bones it is important that I get my daily servings. So we drank a lot of milk and ate dairy foods growing up. It was my mom doing what she thought was best for us. Even when there wasn't the healthiest of choices in our house as a kid there was always a gallon of low fat milk. I can even remember a time that must have been pretty lean when we had this giant box of powdered milk. You would just scoop out some powder and add water...Presto! You've got some bone building milk. Later in life, milk/dairy foods and whey protein powder became performance supplements to my fitness goals. At one point I was going through a gallon of milk every couple days all by myself. I also had pretty bad gut issues, severe inflammation throughout my body, poor energy levels and a constant battle keeping off fat. I could lose it but it came back just as quick as it was gone. Basically I was imbalanced and toxic. I had been told to quit dairy by many people but there was no way I was going to listen. Those people did not know what they were talking about. They weren't aware of MY goals and how unique MY situation was. And besides cheese is awesome. No way in hell I can ever survive without it. So fast forward through many years of chasing my tail and I got to reading about the possibility that there may be a slim chance that possibly I may have been wrong all along. Let's just say I was wrong in ALL my beliefs...across the board. Wrong, wrong and WRONG.

I learned about the hormones being used to keep the dairy cows constantly lactating, the huge quantities of antibiotics being used to keep them from sickness and dying due to their sickening conditions and about the infections they suffer on their udders from constant milking which in turn releases pus into the "product". All of these things are in this "healthy drink" I believed I had been drinking and eating my whole life. These actually were things I already knew and unbelievably just kept myself in denial about..."my milk is different because....umm....well it just is!"

So all of that said, the one really unexpected thing I learned was that there have been studies proving that milk not only doesn't build strong bones but it in fact contributes to their deterioration. Milk protein is naturally acidic and the body's natural state is alkaline. Our body is constantly in a state of adjusting it's PH to maintain alkalinity. An alkaline state is optimum because it's the state which the body can heal, recover and fight sickness. Diseases like cancer can not survive in an alkaline state. So when we drink or eat acidic dairy protein the body does what it has to in order to correct the acidity. There's a nice supply of alkalizing calcium in our bones that the body can draw from to correct the acidity. Not a big deal to have to do this occasionally to correct a situation but over a long life of dairy consumption it can be ruinous to our bone health. It causes weak brittle bones. Opposite of anything I thought...dairy CAUSES osteoporosis. There are many studies to back this but I will just link one randomly HERE. So with this information I was left with the question of what then to do about all of that perfect milk protein I won't be getting anymore?

That leads to the next obstacle I had to recognize and snuff. This is the idea that animal protein is the "perfect" protein and we absolutely need it for good health... or in many cases athletic performance and strength. Dr. T. Colin Campbell is a professor of nutrition at Cornell University, author of "The China Study" and "Whole" and has led the most extensive nutrition studies ever conducted. He lists what he calls the 8 Principles Of Food and Health which were written as crucial guidelines to follow. (link HERE) Principle #3 says "There are virtually no nutrients in animal-based foods that are not better provided by plants- based foods." The science and data behind this is extensive and can all be found in his first book The China Study (link HERE)

One of the basic ideas behind this is amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. They are found in many foods but are found abundantly in plant based foods like leafy greens, vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, grains, legumes, etc...Our body, being the efficient machine that it is, can use amino acids from these foods and synthesize it's own protein... quality protein that suits it's needs and can readily use. All but about 10 to 20% of the protein that we need is created within us by eating a balanced plant based diet consisting of whole plant foods with a full rainbow of colors. The remaining protein out bodies do not create will be found in our food and absorbed regardless of whether or not we monitor the numbers. It really is as simple as saying all we need to do is put in the proper fuel and trust our bodies to take care of the rest. Animal protein from mother's milk, for example, is excellent when we are babies and developing but after we are grown we are just that...grown. Animal protein is used by athletes and bodybuilders to grow large amounts of muscle but it is a case of overload. The body does not need or want it. It consequently either discards it, stores it as fat or in the worst case scenario contributes to sickness and diseases like cancer.

We innately have a drive to be in control and orchestrate what happens with us internally but in the long run nature knows best and we only end up causing problems. It took me a lot of time and much reading to admit my mistake on this matter. For one thing I loved the taste of meat and for another it really was the only framework from which I had ever created my meals. Meat was always the centerpiece and then there were other things like starches or vegetables on the side. Egg and bacon in the morning, a sandwich with mainly meat as a filling for lunch and then dinner. Dinner could be just about anything but meat was ALWAYS the centerpiece.

That leads to another paradigm which was a challenge to grasp. The firm belief that certain foods are ONLY for certain meals. Forget the fact that they all included animal protein but they were also all constructed around a cultural training I received from childhood. Presently I start each and every day with a green smoothie consisting of leafy greens and various plant and super foods. (super food examples HERE) I also have a fresh pressed vegetable juice every morning. These two things I enjoy a great deal now but they would've sounded awful to me before. It's basically the equivalent of having 2 giant salads for breakfast. There isn't a healthier way I could start my day but salad for breakfast is not what we culturally have been trained to eat.

What we have been trained to eat are things like bacon, eggs. pancakes, cereal with cow's milk or even donuts. We've been directed to drink coffee or sugary processed fruit juice. It isn't that everyone is wrong or lacks intelligence; it's just what we know and have grown up believing. Breakfast is an easy example in the confines of this paradigm and I could continue through each meal but I trust that the point has been made. I have become open minded to new ideas and made healthy changes so each meal consists of WHAT I NEED no matter the appearance of it as weird or different. Having the foods I should be having throughout the day rather than taking the path of least resistance and eating "what" I have been told is for "when." It's not all that crazy actually....just food choices....that's all.

I have only scratched a very small surface here with these three examples but it opens the mind to so many ideas once you get to thinking. It's actually a little comical when we begin to consider the choices we make or made and the reasons behind them. The template for eating was set for me years ago and when I went outside the box it required careful thought and became more of a quality effort. It isn't the case any longer that I rely on whatever is available to feed me.  Whatever is available doesn't have my good health in it's plan. Deciding my food choices is now done with care. The preparation and result that's returned to me is better quality.

I think if we spend time carefully considering our thought process on these things it becomes clear that there is huge a need to QUESTION EVERYTHING. One by one we might all find ourselves a little surprised at the poor choices we have grown to just blindly accept.