What is Your Dream Diet?
If you had your choice of diets, what would your dream diet be? Most people would like to have their taste buds tickled without worrying about excess refined sugar or fats. Maximum flavor, minimum calories. Sometimes you can achieve that, usually with foreign foods, most often ones from the Mediterranean or Asian countries. However, sometimes you have to make do with a limited palate because of food sensitivities or doctor-imposed dietary restrictions. Whether it’s avoiding seeds because of diverticulitis, or lipids due to high cholesterol, or special cancer-fighting diets, it’s hard to achieve the dream you might have for your taste buds.
Build your dream diet around your desired state of health
But perhaps a re-framing of dream is in order. In thinking about your dream diet, first ask what is your dream state of health? Your dream physique? Is it possible to achieve that with your current physical and dietary limitations? Is the dream of having a good taste in your mouth for a meal worth the sacrifice of your dream figure or health state? And how do you know what is a good diet, really?
There is so much conflicting information out there, many times from people with fancy initials like MD behind their names. We are not registered dietitians or nutritionists, but we eat a pretty darn healthy diet. Here are some ideas we have found to be helpful:
Plant based is hard to beat for getting the most nutrients for the fewest calories. Heavy on the veggies, light on the fruits to avoid too much dietary sugar
Raw foods are good to get in your diet because cooking them changes the enzymes and some say that change is not healthy
If you can’t eat raw vegan all the time, try to have at least one meal a day that is raw and vegan, like a good healthy salad
We avoid soy because of what we’ve heard about its alteration of hormones. Don’t mess with our hormones, please!
Don’t be afraid to use leftovers like Chinese food, steamed veggies, etc. in salads or other mixed meals. Brown rice, beans, noodles, etc. can make a hearty addition to what you’re making now. Clean the fridge!
Even though we don’t have celiac disease, we steer away from wheat products. Anything processed that comes in a can or package tends to be processed, so we opt for whole foods.
Organic is worth it. Some say that even organic foods get traces of pesticides, herbicides and other poisons, but it’s as close to safe food as we can get. Better yet, if you grow your own produce from organic plants and seeds, you can be more assured of their purity.
Juice some veggies and fruits; enjoy the energy you have after downing so much concentrated phyto-nutrients (plant nutrients).
Notice how you feel after eating different foods. How do you feel physically, emotionally, spiritually? I always feel bad after eating meat, both physically and spiritually, but for some people, that gives them much-needed energy. We’re all different (bio-individuality) and no one’s body is better than others’ bodies.
Have fun with food and experiment with different flavors. Remember being a kid and experimenting with putting orange juice in milk, or tomatoes in your dad’s coffee? Sure, not everyone will appreciate it but sometimes you happen upon something truly remarkable… in a good way!
Ready to build your dream diet?
Sure, you may not see your dream diet or dream meal in the suggestions above. However, I think they are fairly safe bets to having a healthier lifestyle and ultimately, figure. Having more energy and feeling lighter, as well as happier, may wind up being the dream you’re seeking. If you want more help coming up with a food plan that works for you, please call Glen at 661-575-7135.
Comments