My Diet

I'd like to share what I consider to be the optimal way to eat, with the understanding that this is a learning process and I don't have it all figured out. The basic summary of the type of diet that is the most healthy for us is frequently described as a "Mediterranean diet," which consists primarily of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, legumes, whole grains, nuts and fish. According to Bottom Line's Health Breakthroughs from 2008, this type of diet prevents a vast array of medical problems, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes and there are even studies to support the prevention of Alzheimer's.



The thing I was most impacted by after the juice fast was how important vegetables are to our diet. This is, of course, something I've generally known my whole life, but I had no idea HOW important. Vegetables are EVERYTHING! They provide almost all of the nutrients we need to truly thrive as humans. I realized that the concept of vegetarianism isn't just about replacing your proteins with something other than meat, it's a completely different way to prioritize food! Now, I don't claim to be a vegetarian (or more accurately, a pescatarian, meaning I eat only fish), but ever since the juice fast, my way of thinking and eating has aligned more and more with that philosophy. My goal is four servings of vegetables, at least one of which is raw, plus one vegetable and one fruit juice every day. I don't always get there, but I'm usually pretty close. The benefits of vegetables are astounding, and probably deserving of a post of their own.
 

I'm roughly following a diet and exercise routine called Body for Life, a system created by Bill Phillips. The diet portion of his program consists of eating six small meals a day, roughly every 2-3 hours. It calls for one serving of protein (defined as a portion the size of a deck of cards), one serving of carbohydrates, and a serving of vegetables with at least two of the meals. This was the first place I heard of the concept of eating many meals a day, but I have since gathered the same information from many different sources. The idea is that you keep your metabolism running all day long, which keeps your body from ever thinking it's starving and storing up fat.



The way that I eat is a variation on that basic foundation. For one, I try to make vegetables the main focus of any meal. As for protein, I've calculated that I need about 50g of protein per day, so I try to eat about 8g per meal. You would be amazed at how easy this is to get! A four ounce tuna steak has 40g OF PROTEIN! If I wanted to include that as part of a meal, I only need a fourth of one steak, which is only a few bites. Other ways to get 8g of protein include: 30-40 almonds, 35 peanuts, 2 TBS. of soy nuts (which are actually dried soy beans, super low in fat and calories), 2 TBS. of peanut butter, 1/2 cup black beans (1/3 of a can), 1/2 can garbanzo beans, 1/2 cup cooked lentils, 1/2 cup whole wheat pasta, 1 cup of soy or low-fat milk, 1/5 of a package of tofu, or 1-2 eggs or egg beaters (6g each). (Now, not all of these are "complete proteins," meaning that they contain all eight essential amino acids, but that's a post for another day. One major difference between my usual sources of protein (non-meat) and Bill Phillips' program is that a lot of my proteins are ALSO my carbs for the meal. For instance, 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta contains 8g of protein and 37g of carbs. According to the FDA, I need about 35g of carbs per meal, so I could eat a serving of pasta as an entire meal. Garbanzo beans (or chickpeas) are another good one - 3/4 of a cup (half of a can) has 9g of protein and 27g of carbs.
 
Basically, my goal is to combine all the things I discover as truth to create the perfect system for me. Right now, that system is Body for Life + vegetarianism, and it has been immensely beneficial for me, both in how I feel and, slowly but surely, how I look!