The Diet - Part 2

The time got away from me.  I didn't mean to go a week between these posts.  But it happened.

So I left off talking about Eat Fat, Lose Fat and Nourishing Traditions.  There is a lot of info in them and I'm not going to explain it all here and now.  But I do want to tell you what I'm trying to eat.

So here's the run down.   First off, no high-fructose-corn-syrup (HFCS), MSG, or partially hydrogenated oils.  This is pretty typical for people eating REAL food, since none of that is real food.

The other thing I've cut out of my diet is SOY.  Soy everything.  I'm even trying to cut out soy lecithin, even though most sources say it doesn't cause any health problems.  The reason I've cut out the soy is two-fold.  One, most sources of soy are GMO and not organic.  The other, bigger reason, is because of the horrible health problems it can cause.  Soy can cause hormone issues and is also a goitrogen and can cause thyroid problems.  Both of these things I suffer from.

So, if I'm not eating that - what AM I eating?  The main thing I have added in, is coconut oil.  I am trying to have a couple tablespoons of coconut oil before or with every meal.  This is doing a few things.  It helps level the thyroid levels.  It also helps fill me up and keep me satisfied.  Really, if you want to know all the health benefits of coconut oil, read Eat Fat, Lose Fat.

Other than that, I'm trying to eat as many proteins, good fats, fruits and veggies as I can.  I am eating grains and starches, but I'm trying to keep them to a minimum.   And when I can, I'm soaking them or buying sprouted flour bread.

I'm not being really strict with myself.  Really the biggest change is just making as much stuff from scratch as I can.  I can eliminate so much of the unhealthy stuff from my diet if I eliminate the processed foods.  Even the 'organic' and 'natural' processed stuff isn't healthy in large quantities. 

In the last few weeks doing this, I've dropped about 6 lbs.  And I haven't even been doing it faithfully every day!  I feel a LOT better.  My energy levels are up.  My hormones seem to be leveling out.  I really am sold on this!  I can feel my system reacting when I eat too much grains or processed foods.

I'm going to try to use this blog to share what I'm cooking and what I'm eating.  I'd also like to share how I'm feeling and the progress I'm making on gaining back, for the first time, my health.

The Diet - Part 1

When I first started this blog, I didn't really have a vision.  I knew that I wanted to focus on real food, but I hadn't completely researched what real food was to me.  One of the biggest things I've found the past couple months, is that those who are trying to eat healthier don't necessarily agree on what that real food is.

There are as many real food diets as there are nasty fake food diets.  You can eat primal, raw, vegetarian, vegan.   I knew I had to get off the HFCS, MSG, hydrogenated oils, but what I was supposed to eat I wasn't so sure. 

I innocently put out a question on Facebook asking for my friends' resources for information on food.  I was pointed to Weston A. Price and Nourishing Traditions.  I just so happen to be able to start reading Nourishing Traditions (NT).   So much of the research and information made sense.  What I was reading was supported by many of my friends as well.  Apparently, I got on the healthy eating train late.

From NT, I found Eat Fat, Lose Fat (EFLF). As soon as I started reading it, I knew it was what I needed.  Between NT & EFLF,  all my health problems were described and it told me exactly how I had been eating.  It also offered the solutions that made the most sense.

Tomorrow, I will tell you what those solutions are and what 'diet' I have been using to regain my health and lose weight.