Contrary to what we are often told – that everything is “healthy” in moderation. I’m going to cut to the chase and let you know that starting this journey that is not true.
IMPORTANT: This does not mean that by NOT consuming the following foods that you are “on a diet”. Simply we are lifting the veil on the lies we have been told of what is okay to put in our mouths. Just as the veil was eventually lifted on cigarettes and red M&M’s being linked to cancer. We are lifting the veil of what foods were never meant to be consumed by the body.
Now we can begin!
1. NO SUGAR. A quick run down on this – sugar is harvested mechanically or by hand, chopped into lengths and conveyed rapidly to the processing plantwhere it is either milled and the juice extracted with water or extracted by diffusion. The juice is clarified with lime and heated to destroy enzymes. This results in a thin syrup substance that is concentrated in a series of evaporators, after which further water is removed. The resulting supersaturated solution is seeded with sugar crystals, facilitating crystal formation, and drying. The crystals of raw sugar have a sticky brown coating and are then either bleached by sulfur dioxide, or treated in a carbonatation process to produce a whiter product.
Sugar that can be consumed is sugar found in it’s natural, whole state. Including agave nectar and stevia. To further understand the difference between these two options and the above sugar option lets think about how you get agave nectar into the bottle in your home. The steps are grow an agave plant, use knife to open leave and extract nectar, bottle. Same can be said for stevia. How do we get stevia? Grow a stevia plant, harvest the leaves, let them dry, boil them in hot water, filter.
Starting to see a pattern right? WHOLE, natural foods. That’s what is “healthy” to eat.
2. NO PROCESSED FOOD. This is the simplest way I can explain this. “If it’s not in the form God made it … don’t eat it.” Processed food is the cause of almost all major illnesses. This needs to be a lifetime commitment. No matter what the TV or your friend’s neighbor’s body builder says.
I want to explain that this does not mean you can’t combine whole foods and create delicious, wholesome recipes. In fact one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had was made from whole, natural ingredients. Ingredients like dates, avocado, maple syrup, stevia, cacao powder, and coconut milk. Ingredients that your body was built for.
3. NO ANIMAL PROTEIN.
***Before you stop reading there is an exception to the rule on this one.***
I’m going to explain why and then I’m going to give you a small amount of flexibility. Human’s do not need animal protein. We just don’t. This applies not just to red meat but to all meat – turkey, fish, chicken, seafood, shellfish, eggs. Why? Because it’s tough for your body to digest.
Eating animal protein diverts about 40 percent of your body’s energy from operating just to break down the meat you ate. This takes away completely from every other operating system in your body to keep you healthy and thriving. The body has enough work to do. Don’t give it more.
With that being said. If you are not fighting a chronic illness or mental health issues where your energy must be using to de inflame these areas of the gut and brain … you can have a very small amount of meat a week. One piece of chicken or fish a week. If you don’t believe me please read “The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell, Ph. D. This book will provide you hard science rather than mere opinion.
4. NO DAIRY. HOW did this ever come into our diets??!?!?! Bad is such an understatement for how terrible dairy truly is for our bodies. Again can we please stop calling this a food?? From here on out I may just need to call it curdled toxins – to drive the point home. 😊
To summarize dairy includes things like milk, ice cream, cheese, and butter. Milk and other dairy products are the top source of saturated fat in the American diet, and leading contributor to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease and is also linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancers.
I would also like to quickly debunk the lie of needing calcium from milk and point out that countries with lowest rates of dairy and calcium consumption (like those in Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis AND contrary to popular belief, eating dairy products has never been shown to reduce fracture risk. In fact, according to the Nurses’ Health Study dairy has proven to increase risk of fractures by 50 percent!
Okay now that I’ve gotten that off my chest let’s talk about the amazing substitutes for dairy that are both completely delicious and entirely nourishing. These include, blended nuts, alternative milks (almond milk, oat milk, coconut milk), nutritional yeast, extra virgin olive oil, pea protein isolate, tapioca starch.
5. NO GLUTEN. I’m talking about bread, cereal, and pasta. Over 30 percent of adults are allergic to gluten. Most of them don’t know it because the allergic reaction of gluten is frequently delayed hours or days. But the main problem with gluten is its high glycemic index. That means it turns to glucose rapidly. If you want to feed cancer cells, eat gluten. Otherwise, avoid it. Most health stores have an abundance of “gluten free” options and gluten filled items can be easily avoided.
No doubt you’re wondering now – what CAN I EAT? Well, the answer is plenty and I have listed a long catalog of ideas.