Eating Healthy & Exercising to Live a Long Life Free of Disease!

I wrote my first blog feb 7th and it is now march 12th. Within a few weeks of writing as I have said before I have not eaten any dairy, chicken, meat or even fish! I have been eating a ton of fruits (avocados, apples, berries, bananas, pears), vegetables (kale, spinach, swish chard, collard greens, cilantro and lots of herbs, bok choy, cabbage, tomatoes....), beans, broccoli sprouts, mushrooms, white and sweet potatoes, high protein lentils, seeds, raw nuts (almonds, walnuts, cashews) some soy products like TSP (texturized soy protein), and tofu (as a treat i'll have Soy Boy Italian or Caribbean Tofu - 10 grams of protein, a bit of sodium - but really yummy). I make a lot of green smoothies with kale, spinach, apple, avocado, vanilla hemp protein powder, and I'll add maca powder (a root vegetable rich in vitamins, minerals and amino acids).

Peruvians use maca to help their general health and it's known to increase energy and stamina and help treat menopause and low libido by regulating the body's glandular function and helping with hormonal balance). I will also make shakes with fresh or frozen fruit or bananas and almond butter, hemp protein powder with Coconut Milk Kefir (which is rich in medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) which support the body's immune system and has live and active cultures just like in cow's milk yogurt).

As I said before, I have been making really amazing salads with all these fresh raw ingredients and putting them over quinoa, brown rice, hulled barley or other grains - getting the cooked with the raw. I have been using just a little oil on these salads and really using citrus, sea salt and pepper to give it flavor. Will talk more about whole grains!

I have not given up fish - just haven't eaten it for a while. I am going to Dogwood Restaurant tonight in Hampden and may have fish! Excited to try this restaurant. They promote sustainability and try to use seasonal, local and naturally grown ingredients whenever possible and they hire people who may be transitioning from addiction, incarceration or homelessness - giving them an opportunity to turn their lives around - which I thought was a pretty cool way to help transform lives!

After taking that raw foods workshop with Kendall Reichhart (who I wrote about in my previous blog) I have really loved the raw foods way of eating, and I'm simply adding these raw dishes along with cooked ones. I did by "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Eating Raw" and just bought all the ingredients to make cashew cheese and almond cheese (kinda missing eating cheese - I love all kinds of cheeses, so right now this is my biggest challenge - we'll see what the future brings). If I do eat cheese it will most likely be cheese made from goat's milk. Goat's milk has a higher proportion of the medium chain fatty acids and has more protein and is similar to human breast milk (which we talked about before) and goat's milk is a good source of calcium, tryptophan, protein, phosphorus, B2 and potassium and it's more easily digested.

My ingredients for the almond cheese is a little over my head but I'm forging forward. It's almonds soaked in water at least 2 hours, 1 cup rejuvelac (basically grains soaked in water, rinsed and drained and soaked again until they sprout (takes days) - the final liquid is added to the sprouted grain for 2 days and that water is your rejuvelac - CRAZY - I may just use regular water), light miso ( I bought organic barley miso (soybean paste) it's fermented and super healthy, chock full of tryptophan, manganese, vitamin k, protien, fiber, omega 3 fatty acids, zinc, copper....) and great taste - think Miso Soup. Next ingredient is Umeboshi plum paste (I bought at the Natural along with the Barley Miso) really tangy and salty - kind of good and super healthy as well - can be used in place of salt or butter on stuff. My final ingredients for this almond cheese is FRESH Basil, thyme, oregano and chives. I'm going to blend it all together and let it sit in a warm place for 3 to 4 hours and then eat it on crackers with lots of wine!!!! I think it's going to be good...will let you know!

TAKE AWAY:

Know that everything you put in your body counts. All Oils are fattening, even olive oil, there are health benefits in oil but use these oils in very small doses - you can save a TON of calories that way. Eat more nutrient rich foods! Exercise every day, and lift weights, do push-ups or other weight bearing exercises at least 3 times per week. Strength training helps retain the calcium in your bones, builds bone density and improve muscle strength as well as helps improve your balance and in turn will help you live longer!

My goal is to use foods and exercise to keep my body healthy, free of disease and free of medications that doctors love to prescribe so freely. I am relying on healthy foods and exercise to help me live a long, healthy, vibrant life as well as enjoy the fresh ingredients I'm eating and feeding to my family.