Saturday, July 27, 2013

I don't wanna name my diet!



Now that it's been five months of drastically changing the food I eat regularly, I think it's time to list all of the items I've been eating from day to day. It's almost easier to just say what I don't eat, but the inevitable question is always, "So what do you eat?" or "How do you get enough protein?". I don't have a name for the "diet" because I don't think it needs to be labeled as anything but a new way of life.

I will quickly recap what I don't eat:

1. Gluten- bread and pasta
2. Dairy- milk, cheese, and butter
3. Sugar and artificial sweeteners
4. Meat- beef, pork, chicken, turkey, etc.
5. Coffee
6. Processed foods such as canned soup, cereal, and frozen dinners, etc.


Here is a list of my favorite things to eat. There are many more options you can choose from so go crazy with as many whole foods as possible to spice up your diet. I feel like I have only started to get this figured out, but so far it's totally worth it and I recommend it to anyone!

Drinks

Water
Organic Tea- regular black, green and chai
Lemon juice in water with honey
Alcohol- I now refrain from beer due to gluten
Homemade organic almond milk
Ginger Libation- new fave alcoholic drink

Staple grains

Organic whole brown rice
Organic steel cut oatmeal

Fruits

Organic apples (I have one every day)
Bananas
Dates
Frozen organic mango, pineapple, strawberries for smoothies
Organic berries of any kind
LEMONS!!! The juice of at least one lemon every day
Avocado
Cantaloupe
Watermelon

Veggies

Organic spinach- always in the fridge
Asparagus- by far my favorite veg ever, nothing compares
Carrots
Peppers
Garlic
Onions
Squash
Collard Greens- great to throw in a smoothie
Tomatoes
Potatoes

Proteins

Wild caught salmon
Wild caught cod or haddock
American shrimp
Tuna
Tofu- see recipe in previous post
Beans
Eggs from happy chickens
Pistachios
Almonds
Sunflower seeds
Peanuts
Pecans

Miscellaneous

Organic gluten free tamari sauce for stir frys
Non GMO Canola oil
Extra Virgin Olive oil
Raw Local Honey- my fave is from Warm Colors Apiary in South Deerfield, MA
Organic Free Trade Chocolate- check out TAZA chocolate made in Somerville, MA
Plain seltzer water
Spices- all are probably ok- just avoid any that may have MSG added


There it is in a nutshell. It is a drastic change from the way most Americans eat, I know. If you decide to do this, you will probably get a lot of crazy stares and comments, but I guarantee you will feel so good you won't care what they say.

On Sundays I usually make a batch of rice, oatmeal, and tofu for the week. It takes some time, but then during the week it's easy to throw together a quick meal if those things are already made. I eat a lot of omelets with spinach, rice and other veg. I also have stir frys quite often. I usually switch from an Asian theme to Mexican theme spices. I have just discovered organic non-GMO tortilla chips at BJ's and it makes me happy!

Corn and soy are the biggest culprits when it comes to GMO's. They have been genetically modified and the effects on humans have not been tested yet, but they cause HUGE issues with mice. Please stay away from processed foods because almost everything contains soy and/or corn.

Have you seen the soda aisle at the grocery store? It's giant. It's also full of sugar, artificial sweeteners and other things you can't imagine. Please don't drink energy drinks, sports drinks and vitamin water. It's not worth it.

Another thing I hear a lot is that it's too expensive to eat this way. I completely disagree. I haven't actually done the math, but it's either the same or less than what I used to spend on food. I buy a lot of these things in bulk either at Whole Foods or believe it or not, BJ's. I barely ever go to a regular grocery store and I think that's why my costs are down. Unless you are buying sale items, which are usually processed, you pay a lot more at grocery stores.

As a side note, my allergies are gone, my energy level is through the roof, and my mood has been amazing these past few months. Knock on wood, I haven't had a head cold or been sick since last November!

Remember to try and buy LOCAL or AMERICAN!!!

I am happy to answer any questions anyone has, so feel free to contact me.

Happy eating!!!