Tag: Farmer’s Markets

Animal-Free Diet

There are many types of animal-free diets:

  • Vegetarians do not eat any meat, poultry, seafood, or animal flesh.
  • Lacto vegetarians eat dairy products, and no eggs, meat, poultry, or fish.
  • Ovo vegetarians eat eggs and no dairy products.
  • Ovo lacto vegetarians eat eggs, dairy products, honey, and no meat, poultry, or fish.
  • Vegans exclude all animal products including dairy, eggs, and honey.
  • Raw vegans eat only fresh and uncooked fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetables. Vegetables can be cooked to a maximum of 118º F.
  • Pescatarians are semi-vegetarian and eat fish and seafood, sometimes eggs and dairy, and no meat or poultry.
  • Flexitarians are vegetarians who occasionally eat fish, poultry, and meat.

Why Consider a Plant-Based Diet?

There are numerous benefits of eating a well-balanced, plant-based diet. Plant foods provide phytochemicals, plant sterols, antioxidants, fiber, and healthful fats. The most potentially damaging foods are processed foods and animal products. The American Dietetic Association confirms that vegetarians are generally healthier and have a lower risk of a number of chronic diseases including heart disease, some types of cancer, obesity, high blood pressure, and adult-onset diabetes. Non starchy vegetables and fruits are more vitamin-and-mineral dense than any other foods. When you eat them, they make you feel energized and fresh. They are also the densest source of fiber, rich in vitamin C and beta carotene. All that fiber also keeps your colon clean, creating a happy gut, and you don’t feel sluggish. There are generally more antioxidants and phytochemicals in a vegetarian diet, and it is low in saturated fat. This means less weight gain. A plant-based diet also does not support animal cruelty and takes a more positive approach to the environment. Beef production uses 100 times more water than growing vegetables. It takes about 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat. Animal protein also contributes to 50 percent more greenhouse gases than planes, trains, cars, and ships combined.

What You Might Be Missing on a Plant-Based Diet

If you are vegetarian, there are some nutrients that you might be missing if you are not paying attention. This is not something you want to mess with. To have a properly balanced vegetarian diet, you need a good combination of all of the food groups and vitamins and minerals. Take extra care to make sure you do not become deficient in the following:

  • Vitamin B12: If you don’t eat animal products, your body will lack vitamin B12, which is naturally found in animals and not in plants. This is easily fixed by supplementing with B12 capsules, drops or getting a regular dose of B12 injections every week or two.
  • Vitamin D: Almost everyone needs to supplement with vitamin D. Even if you are out in the sun, it takes anywhere from twenty-four to forty-eight hours for the vitamin D to metabolize in your body. This means no showering after your sun exposure! The amount of vitamin D you require should be determined by your health care provider.
  • Fatty acids: These can be obtained through algae, and nuts.
  • Omega 3: Almost everyone needs to supplement with omega 3 essential fatty acids. Cabbage and spinach are good vegetarian sources, and purslane is a leafy green that contains more omega 3 than any other leafy green
  • Iron: There’s plenty of iron in plants; the trick is to make it absorbable.
  • Calcium is well absorbed and abundant in a good variety of vegetables, so there’s no need to worry about calcium shortages. In fact, although the calcium content is lower in many of these vegetables than in milk, the absorption is significantly better. The best sources are bok choy, broccoli, and kale. Other good sources are almonds, dried figs, mustard greens, okra, tahini, tempeh, and turnip greens.
  • Protein: Not getting enough protein is another issue that comes up for vegetarians. How much protein you require is debatable; however, it is estimated by some that the daily protein requirement for adults is 0.8 grams (0.28 ounces per kilogram of body weight). Here’s a great chart to guide you.
  • Fiber is plant roughage from vegetables, fruits, beans, grains, nuts, and seeds. It is important because it cleans out your digestive system and supports optimal colon health and intestinal bacterial balance. There are numerous studies that show high-fiber diets prevent colon cancer. The opposite is true of low-fiber diets, and there’s absolutely no fiber in meat.
  • Fat: Animal products contain a lot of fat. Fish is a bit lower in fat, and most vegetables, grains, and beans, as you would imagine, contain almost no fat. Dairy products are at an all-time high with butter at 100%.

Are Vegetarians Healthier than Meat Eaters?

Most nutritionists agree that a balanced vegetarian diet is healthier than a non-vegetarian diet. If you’re not convinced, watch the documentary Food, Inc. As well, medical research and studies show that vegetarians have a 30% lower risk of heart-related diseases. However, the question of whether vegetarians are healthier than meat eaters depends on the vegetarian diet being well balanced. Dr. Connealy finds that one of the common problems she sees in her vegetarian patients is that they are not eating a well-balanced diet and have a higher percentage of body fat-to-lean tissue ratio. They replace meat with lots of refined grains like white flour, rice, pasta, and potatoes, and eat very little fresh fruit and vegetables. This, of course, causes all kinds of health issues. If you choose to be a vegetarian, you have to learn about a balanced diet, and you must eat lots of fresh vegetables and sprouted legumes. You can’t simply eliminate animal protein and eat whatever you want. You need to educate yourself and focus on a balanced diet.

Does It Have to Be All or Nothing?

Graham Hill, founder of www.TreeHugger.com feels that giving up meat is way too extreme for him. He saves his meat consumption to weekends, which is a really good start. Every little bit helps. I have many friends who are integrative doctors and are very well informed on nutrition, and none of them are vegetarians. They don’t eat a lot of animal products, yet they do eat some. Their portions consist of small, four-ounce servings, which they eat three or four times per week.

Dr. Andrew Weil cautions against purely plant-based diets, especially for children, and points out the nutrients you might be missing. One has to be very careful to ensure the right balance of the right foods. If you are feeding vegetarian teens, keep in mind that their growing bodies require more energy, and vitamins and minerals, at this age than at any other time in their lives. It’s important that they have protein included in all meals and snacks, and that their blood be monitored for proper supplementation. In fact, all vegetarians should have their blood tested regularly.

Incorporating more vegetarian meals into your diet can be a realistic goal. If done properly, you’ll definitely feel better for it. If you are going to eat meat, consume small portions. Most of all, please stop supporting inhumane factory farms and buy meat products from happy, grass-fed animals on ethical farms.

For more information on plant based diets, and how to stay balanced, pick up your copy of the Recipes for Life Boxed Set.

Access your complementary recipe here.

Health Coach Rita Thomas and Chef Erin Holm hope to inspire families, friends and communities to live happier, healthier and more delicious lives.
Sign up for their weekly health and recipe blog to start your journey to good health and exploding taste buds.

Shopping List I

Ok, so still no recipes quite yet! That’s because you need to set up a healthy pantry first! Here is a Shopping List that will fill your fridge and your cupboards with all the ingredients and nutritious foods you will need to make our recipes.

Baked Goods: Ezekiel bread, Manna bread, Coconut meat paleo wraps

Baking Ingredients: Baking powder (aluminum-free), Baking soda (aluminum-free), Cream of tartar, Flour, Almond, Amaranth, Buckwheat, Chestnut, Coconut, Hemp, Millet, Oats, Quinoa

Beverages: Coconut water (raw, fresh), A variety of teas (Chaga Mushroom, Dandy Blend Dandelion Tea, Green tea, Horsetail, Matcha tea, Nettle, Reishi, Ron Teeguarden teas)

Boxed Goods: Vegetable broth (organic), Meat broth (organic, low sodium chicken, turkey, or beef)

Canned Goods: Unsweetened applesauce, Artichokes in water, Beans (Kidney, Garbanzo, Black), Coconut cream, Hearts of palm, Pumpkin, Wild sockeye salmon with no salt added, Sardines

Cereal and Breakfast: Sprouted buckwheat groats, Ezekiel granola with cinnamon and raisins, Holy Crap, Jules’ Fuel, Quinoa flakes, Steel-cut oats (gluten-free)

Crackers: Mary’s Gone Crackers, Vegetable crackers (raw)

Dried Fruit: Apricots, Cherries, Cranberries, Dates, Figs, Goji Berries, Incan Berries, Mulberries, Prunes, Raisins

Dry Goods: Açai powder, Bee pollen, Blue green algae, Camu camu, Cacao nibs raw, Cacao powder raw, Chlorella/spirulina powder, Coconut raw shredded unsweetened, Maca, Marine phytoplankton, Mushroom powders, Noni, Phycocyanin blue pigment from Longevity Warehouse, Physillum flakes, Protein powders, Royal jelly, SeaSnax seaweed, Seaweed (nori, dulse, wakame, kelp), Seaweed soup by Truth Calkins from Longevity Warehouse, Sundried tomatoes, Vanilla powder

Frozen Beverages: Raw coconut water

Frozen Fruits: Açai Sambazon, Berries mixed, Blueberries, Coconut meat, Cranberries, Goji berries, Mixed berries, Raspberries, Strawberries

Frozen Vegetables: Corn, Peas, Spinach

Frozen Treats: Luna and Larry’s Coconut Bliss ice cream – great non-dairy frozen dessert!

Grains, Beans, Noodles and Rice: Amaranth, Beans all varieties, Buckwheat groats, Noodles, Bean noodles, Quinoa noodles, Rice noodles, Soba noodles, Quinoa sprouted and non-sprouted, Mung beans sprouted, Rice (black rice, sprouted brown rice, wild rice

Jarred Goods: Aloe Vera Gel, Anchovies, Unsweetened Applesauce, Artichokes, Organic Capers, Fish Sauce, Horseradish, Lemon Juice, Lime Juice, Olives, Tomatoes

Nuts: Choose organic,  non-roasted,  and  non-salted (sprouted if possible): Almonds, Brazil nuts, Cashews, Hazelnuts, Macadamia nuts, Pecans, Pine nuts, Pistachios, Sacha inchi, Walnuts

Stay tuned!  The rest of  your shopping list is coming next week!

Health Coach Rita Thomas and Chef Erin Holm hope to inspire families, friends and communities to live happier, healthier and more delicious lives.

Sign up for their weekly health and recipe blog to start your journey to good health.

The 10 Basics of Healthy Eating

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS!  Let’s start at the beginning and think about some everyday choices that are simple to do and can make a big difference. Incorporating the following actions into your nutritional plan will lead to some profoundly positive changes in your physical health, energy and mental well-being.

  1. Eat as close to nature as possible: This means eating whole foods, such as organic vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds in their most natural state. Try to avoid pre-cut and prepackaged vegetables. Every time you cut up a fruit or a veggie, nutrition escapes, so the less slicing of fruits and vegetables you do, and the sooner you eat them, the better.
  2. Opt for organic foods: It’s a known fact that organic foods have a higher content of phyto-nutrients and antioxidants. It always cracks us up when we read the odd article on the front page of the newspaper, declaring that it makes no difference if you eat organic or non-organic foods. We can tell you without a doubt that eating foods that are sprayed with chemicals does make a difference. Even though it might not show up immediately, eventually it will play havoc with your overall health. “My Potato Project; The Importance of Organic” is a great video on YouTube that will change the way you think about organic food.
  3. Eat locally and in season. The fresher the better. It’s better to buy food from your own backyard than food imported from a foreign country. This is not only for environmental and economic reasons. Eating local food puts your body in tune with your immediate environment and compensates for the nutritional demands the weather puts on your body.
  4. Reduce animal protein: There’s plenty of evidence to show that reducing meat on a daily basis is a good choice (see end of blog for list of resources). If you can’t live without meat at each meal, start with baby steps, and incorporate a few vegetarian meals a week into your diet. When you do eat meat, keep serving sizes to one third the size of your hand and make sure they are organic and from happy, well-fed animals.
  5. Eat tons of raw, colorful vegetables. Almost all diets include lots and lots of vegetables, and the rawer the better. Although there are a few vegetables that are better eaten cooked, most vegetables lose nutritional value through cooking. As well, eating a rainbow of vegetables and fruits is a simple and fun way to ensure you get the variety of nutrients you need for optimum health.
  6. Include fermented foods, sprouted foods, and fresh green juice in your diet.  All of these foods boost nutrition and are excellent for your digestive health.
  7. Supercharge your diet: Add some nutritionally packed super-foods, like aloe vera, coconut, goji berries, blue-green algae and acai into your diet. However, don’t get carried away with this.  These need to be eaten in small amounts.
  8. Keep lots of healthy snacks on hand: Vegetables that are cleaned and ready to grab are one of the best. Whenever you leave home, carry a bag of food and a glass bottle filled with healthy filtered water. If you’re going to a movie, make your own popcorn and grab an apple, or bring your own goji berry and nut mixture, complete with raw chocolates, or whatever is handy. If you don’t bring your own food, you might be tempted to make bad food choices, and that food is usually loaded with sugars, horrible fats and additives.
  9. Find the right percentages: Try the 80/20 and the 90/10 rules. The 80/20 rule is eating until you are only about 80 percent full so you don’t overtax your digestive system and allow it to work far more efficiently. The 90/10 rule is eating healthy 90 percent of the time and cutting yourself a little slack 10 percent of the time. If you have to cheat, go for it and suffer no guilt.
  10. Calm inflammation by slashing the sugar and refined carbohydrates and balancing the fats by increasing omega 3s.

The key is to just focus on adding healthy foods to your diet, rather than taking things away. Eventually, your taste buds will change, and you’ll be less inclined to eat foods that aren’t good for you.

Resources:

The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell

No Happy Cows: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Food Revolution by John Robbins

Dr. John McDougall

The Amen Solution by Dr. Daniel G. Amen

Sugar Impact Diet by JJ Virgen

 Access your complementary recipe here.

Health Coach Rita Thomas and Chef Erin Holm hope to inspire families, friends and communities to live happier, healthier and more delicious lives.
Sign up for their weekly health and recipe blog to start your journey to good health and exploding taste buds.