HeavenScent Organics-100 % Natural!
NEWSTART-Pt. 3 03/10/2010
 
In part 2 of the nutrition component of the NEWSTART program, we talked about what foods are NOT good to eat, now let’s talk about what we CAN EAT!

Designing Delightful Nutrition...

Here is a practical plan that provides a complete balance of essential nutrients for radiant good health.

1. Eat a wide variety of fruits, grains, vegetables, legumes, seeds, and nuts prepared in a simple tasty way. There are hundreds of varieties and colors, in every imaginable texture, shape, and flavor. Eating a varied selection of natural plant foods will furnish all the nutrients the body requires. For maximum health and energy, the human body needs a low fat, moderate protein, high carbohydrate diet with sufficient micronutrients and fiber. See the daily food guide pyramid for help in planning balanced menus

2. Avoid protein from animal sources. Animal products provide an excess of fat, cholesterol, and protein; they often carry harmful viruses and bacteria, as well as hormones, antibiotics, and other chemical concentrations.

3. Limit fat sugar, and salt. Select naturally sweet foods such as dried fruit rather than refined sugar, and choose olives, nuts, and avocados--all in moderation--rather than refined fats and oils.

4. Eat a good breakfast, a moderate lunch, and a light supper—or skip the evening meal. A large breakfast containing a proper balance of nutrients will give you steady energy all morning. According to the notable Alameda County study, eating breakfast has nearly as much of a positive impact on health and longevity as abstinence from tobacco.5 Timing is an important factor in dietary health. Food eaten in the morning is used during the day. Taken in the evening, it is stored as fat. Studies have shown that people have lost as much as ten pounds a month merely by timing their meals correctly.6 A heavy supper in the evening also increases the number of fat particles in your blood, setting you up for a heart attack while you sleep.

5. Allow at least five hours between meals, and eat meals at the same time each day. This gives your digestive system the opportunity to work efficiently and rest between cycles.

6. Don't eat between meals. This slows down digestion so that food in the stomach ferments and produces toxins. It normally takes four to five hours for food to leave the stomach after a meal. In one study a person was given snacks every hour-and-a-half after breakfast. Thirteen hours later a large portion of the breakfast was still undigested.7

Each time food is put into the stomach it stops the digestion process, mixes everything up, and forces the stomach to start over. Beverages with calories should not be consumed between meals for the same reason; those calories interrupt the digestion as well.

How do you implement this nutritional plan? When you shop, choose fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain bread and pasta, low sugar cereals, brown rice, raw nuts and seeds, dried fruit without sugar coating, etc. If you buy prepared foods, read the labels and avoid foods high in fat, sugar, salt, and spices. Even some "health" foods may be high in these things. When you cook, avoid frying—boil, steam, or bake instead. Cook grains and beans well, fruits and vegetables lightly. While there are many good cookbooks available to help you with a plant based diet, it is best to just keep meals simple and uncomplicated. You don't have to be a gourmet chef to prepare appetizing meals.

Bear in mind that our sense of taste is very overstimulated with the high-fat, high-sugar, high-salt, processed foods many of us are used to. It takes a little while to adjust to simply prepared meals, and it is important to persevere. It may take several months to retrain the taste-buds. However, forcing yourself to eat things you really don't like is counterproductive. Utilize those natural foods which you enjoy, but periodically go back and try some of the foods you've rejected—you may find that they become much more edible as your appreciation for different flavors increases.
 


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