Humans are not designed to be carnivores; we’re designed for the consumption of stable plant food. We do not have the jaws and teeth of a lion to tear apart flesh, nor do we have the short, simple bowels of meat eaters, designed for fast absorption. We have long and complicated digestive tracts.
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losing weight. Some people who ate meat three times per week gained a lot more weight than the people who avoided meat and ate more vegetables. When it comes to meat, you must remember that animals that eat meat can quickly pass it through their digestive systems. However, when we eat meat, it sits in us rotting, decomposing, and fermenting in the colon.
Why do you see meats hanging in a butcher shop?
Because the meat has to get to the final desired texture and taste suitable to eat, and it is yeast that causes the aging of the meat. Any meat that is properly prepared for human consumption has to be partially fermented, and because of this, the meat is permeated with acids and acid-generating microforms. Red meat has been linked to so many types of cancer: colon, prostate, and breast cancers, just to name a few.
Pork is even worse. A pig has no lymphatic system to move all the acid out of its body. The metabolic acids are stored in their tissues. That yummy bacon you ate? You might as well just ingest straight acid. Pork very often has high levels of contamination by bacteria, yeast, fungi, and associated waste products and acid. The pigs are often fed grain that is stored for long periods of time in silos and become contaminated with fungi. And most slaughterhouses are not able to fight off further contamination. Some people think that if you cook meat, then it is safe, but most of the mycotoxins in the meat can survive being heated.
Chicken and turkeys are even worse. Large intakes of poultry have been directly linked to colon cancer. The Consumers Union -- the advocacy group behind Consumer Reports -- reports that there is a 42 percent chance of contamination by Campylobacter jejuni, and a 12 percent chance of contamination by salmonella enteritidis. USDA research confirms this as well. The former is bacteria found in animal feces, the latter in the intestines of farm animals.
Both of these bacteria are zoonotic, that is, the illnesses they cause can be transferred from animal to human.
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Eggs, on the other hand, contain over 37,500,000
pathological microforms. Just from having one egg alone, you will notice increased bacteria and yeast in the blood within 15 minutes, and it will take the white blood cells up to 72 hours to take care of the contaminants. Even eating one egg per day has been proven to be associated with an increase in colon cancer.
According to former USDA microbiologist, Gerald Kue-ster, “With the advent of modern slaughter technologies, there are about 50 points during processing where cross-contamination can occur.” At the end of the line, the birds are no cleaner than if they had been dipped in a toilet.” Studies from the Agriculture Department show that 99
percent of broiler carcasses have detectable levels of E.coli and 30 percent of chickens found on the typical American plate are tainted with salmonella.
Disheartening facts
Most chickens are filled with growth hormones and receive only artificial light, so they often outgrow their bones, leading to fractured legs. Egg laying hens are packed so tight into the cages that their feet actually grow around the wire mesh floors. The small cages cause chickens to fight and peck at each other, and peck the factory farm workers, so they sear their beaks off using a hot knife.
When chickens are slaughtered, they are forced into a tiny box that should only hold one chicken, but three or more are crammed in so they are unable to stand or spread their wings.
Pigs and cows are put in such small pens, they can’t even turn around. They live in their own urine, feces, vomit, and filth, and have sores and wounds.
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tance in the people who choose to eat them. A study at the University of California Berkeley linked eating beef to urinary tract infections in women.
What creates the taste in beef and chicken? The urine, otherwise known as uric acid, is what gives the taste to the meat. Uric acid can cause arthritic pain in the body and is highly toxic.
What makes the meat chewable? The meat is tender-ized by the putrefactive germs, which come from the colon, and softens the tissues to allow for consumption once the animal has been kil ed. If, by now, you cannot see why meat is not healthy for us, then I don’t know what else to say other than, maybe, good luck.
Look at it this way. It’s a lot less expensive to clean up
your diet a little and start eating healthier than it is to pay for all the medications when you get sick, and all the other fees for other ailments that result.
Antioxidants
The wide range of colors of fruits and vegetables – the reds, greens, oranges, yellows, and purples come from a variety of chemicals called antioxidants. The important thing about antioxidants is that they help to fight off free radicals.
We actual y produce very low levels of free radicals throughout our lifetime, but as we are exposed to the sun, certain pollutants, and of course, poor nutrients that we put into our bodies, this creates an environment for unwanted free radical damage. Free radicals are one of the nastiest things you can have in your system, and very often, they cause the tissue to become rigid and limited in function. Think of it like old age. As you grow older, your body becomes creaky and stiff. This is what aging really is. The uncontrolled free radical damage can play a major Think, Act, Love, Lose Weight
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role in the hardening of the arteries, cancer, cataracts, arthritis, and many other ailments that develop with age.
However, here is the most important part: We do not naturally have anything to protect us from these free radicals. If we were a plant, it would be a different story. We would have photosynthesis, and produce our own antioxidants. Lucky for us, those antioxidants in plants will work the same way in our bodies. We borrow the antioxidants from plants so we can live a long, healthy life, and fight off all those free radicals that are working so hard to give us a life of misery.
Let me talk about some of the foods you must start incorporating into your healthy eating plan and why they are so important. Some you will find in your local grocery stores, others will be in health food stores and, for sure, others will be in your larger grocery chains. All in all, there will be choices for everyone.
Nuts
Many of us have a misconception about nuts and calorie intake. The great thing about nuts is that only 5
to 15 percent of the calories from nuts are not absorbed by the intestinal system. This high absorption rate is a result of how we chew the nuts and how the skins of the nuts influence digestion. Calories are very slowly released throughout the intestinal system, which in return leads to the state of feeling satiated. Not all nuts are created equal. I am speaking specifically about walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, and Brazil nuts.
The importance of leafy greens
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and get rid of stress. Chlorophyl even does something more important; it oxygenates your blood and cleanses it. I add chlorophyll to my water every day. There is an abundance of live enzymes in raw chlorophyll-containing plants. These help enhance the rejuvenation of our cells. If you want to have a biologically younger-looking body, incorporate leafy green vegetables with exercise.
You really can’t go wrong with any kind of leafy green vegetables. Let me give you some of my favorites: mustard greens, swiss chard, spinach, romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, dinosaur kale, dandelion greens, collards, butter lettuce, beet greens, and arugula.
Vegetables high in fiber
Green beans, green peas, zucchini, sugar snap peas, onions, daikon, cucumbers, celery ,carrots, bok choy, beets, asparagus, green and red peppers, eggplant, asparagus, turnips, and artichokes are all excellent sources of fiber.
Sea vegetables, the most nutritious foods in the world
Listen closely to this fact. Sea vegetables have about 10 times the calcium as cow’s milk, and a lot more iron than red meat. They are very alkaline in the system, loaded with chlorophyll, and very digestible. They are also a rich source of natural y-occurring electrolytes, which give us more endurance throughout our day and help us stay hydrated longer.
My favorite sea vegetables:
Kelp and dulse are the most popular known sea vegetables in our culture. Other sea vegetables are kombu, agar, arame and wakame.
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Legumes
You must start making legumes part of your daily eating habits. They are high in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Lentils and split peas are the two legumes I use the most due to their convenience. Gradually increase your consumption each day so your digestive system can adapt. You can now even find vegetarian pea protein concentrates and isolates. If you have soy allergies, this is a good choice. Legumes are great for sprouting, which leaves more of the nutritional value intact. Not a necessity, but a healthier choice.
My favorite legumes:
Lentils- brown, green, and red
Peas- green (split), yellow (split), black-eyed Beans- black, adzuki, garbanzo (chickpeas), fava, kidney, navy, and pinto
Flaxseeds
Of all the plants, flaxseeds have the highest level of omega-3 essential fatty acids. The body cannot produce omega-3 and omega-6, so these are considered essential.
Flaxseed contains a lot of omega-3 and omega-6. Ground whole flaxseed is important in the fat burning process, and just one tablespoon will help the body burn fat as fuel. Omega-3 will also help reduce inflammation caused by movement.
A person who is training, and feeds their muscles with only carbohydrates will store only enough glycogen to last about a 90-minute workout. A person who is training, and includes omega-3 and omega-6 in their diet will draw upon fat reserves, which means this person has a dual force and it will take longer before all glycogen is depleted. This person will be able to perform a lot longer and create a leaner body.
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When our body sweats, we lose potassium. Flaxseeds are very high in potassium, and can keep our body stocked with the right amount. Potassium also regulates fluid balance, and will help our body stay hydrated.
You always hear it said: “To lose weight, eat more fiber.” Well, flaxseeds contain soluble fiber. This helps slow the release of carbohydrates into the bloodstream and, as a result, helps control insulin and give you more energy. This is why you have to eat fiber; soluble fiber gives the body a sense of feeling full, directing your hungry signal to turn off.
If you want to lose weight, increase your intake of fiber.
Flaxseed, like hemp, also has anti-inflammatory properties. When purchasing flaxseed, choose whole flaxseed rather than flaxseed meal. The flaxseed meal is nothing but the oils that have been extracted from the whole flaxseed.
You will see flaxseed meal used as a filler in baked goods or low-end meal replacements. Whole flax seed has all the nutrients still intact. A good way to get the best nutrients out of your whole seeds is to grind them up in your coffee grinder. This will expose all their oils and nutritional value so they can be used very effectively by the body. Grind them and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to three months. Flaxseeds are small with very hard shells, and can easily pass through the system undigested when consumed whole. That’s why I recommend grinding them for complete nutrition.
Hemp
This is where I learned one of my first big lessons on health. At one time in my life, I used to body build, so I took in tons of proteins, which at the time, I thought was healthy for me. I looked great on the outside, but was harming myself on the inside. I have lost two friends with whom I used to body build. Now I look back and realize that they both developed cancer in their 30s and died due to the Think, Act, Love, Lose Weight
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type and amount of protein in their diets, which played a large part in them getting sick. It is too bad I was not more educated in the area of health back then.
I started consuming my protein as hemp protein. Most of the mainstream proteins on the shelves in the health food store are acidic in your body. Hemp has really started to hit the mainstream now and people are starting to understand the extreme health benefits. Hemp is a whole food in its natural state so you don’t have to create isolates or extracts from it.
In the health food stores, you will see a lot of protein isolates. Hemp protein contains all 10 essential amino acids and has a higher pH level than any other protein. We must obtain essential amino acids through diet because the body does not produce them. The strong amino acid mix will speed up recovery and boost the body’s immune system.
Moreover, when we perform physical activity, we break down tissues, and because hemp has anti-inflammatory properties, it will speed up your recovery. Edestin is an amino acid that you will only find in hemp, and is a big part of your DNA. This is what makes the hemp plant closest to our own amino acid profile.
Because hemp is totally raw, the digestive enzymes remain the same, allowing the body to take it in with ease, cutting down on digestive strain. Basically, you will be able digest this protein so much easier than other proteins. I even started to save money with hemp protein, because when you buy a good quality protein you don’t have to take nearly as much.
This protein is important because it will release the hormones that help the body utilize its fat reserves, which will help you lose more weight and give you more endurance.
The most important thing is that hemp is kept in its raw state. It does not lose its high-end balanced fats, vitamins, Chapter 7: Eating To Increase Your Life & Reduce Your Waist http://www.free-ebooks.net/t/98
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minerals, antioxidants, fiber, or the alkaline chlorophyll.
When you are buying hemp food – including hemp seed, hemp oil, and my favorite, hemp protein powder – you need to make sure it’s fresh. Look for hemp that has been grown with no herbicides or pesticides. It should have a pleasant smell and be very green in color and taste, like the farmer just harvested it.
Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds are extremely important if you don’t eat a lot of meat. I snack on pumpkin seeds all the time.
They are very rich in iron. Keep pumpkin seeds around the house to sprinkle on your meals.
Anemia -- a shortage of red blood cells in the body -- is usually caused by low iron or strenuous exercise. When you exercise, you start to lose iron because the blood cells get crushed due to muscle contractions, and the more you exercise the more iron you need. Iron can also be lost through sweets. Bottom line, you should exercise for the rest of your life, so that means you will need more iron.
Keep pumpkin seeds around at all times.
Sesame seeds
You want to get more calcium, but not through milk.
Instead, start taking in more sesame seeds, which are high in calcium and extremely absorbable. It’s true that if you want strong bones and teeth, you need more calcium.
It seems crazy to me how much money has been put into milk commercials since I was young to program us into believing that milk is the best way to get calcium.
If you live in a warm climate, you need extra calcium due to loss from sweating. A good thing to do is to grind the sesame seeds up in your coffee maker, store the seeds Think, Act, Love, Lose Weight
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in your fridge for up to three months, and sprinkle them on any meals you like. Don’t you think this is a great way to keep your kids healthy? And you can finally start using your coffee grinder for something healthy.
Sunflower seeds
You should be eating sunflower seeds on a regular basis. They contain 22 percent protein, and several vitamins that you need for good health. They are also high in trace minerals, vitamin E, and are antioxidant rich.
Pseudo-grains
Pseudo-grains are some of my favorites and I eat them often. They are very alkaline in the system and could be in a category by themselves. These are actually seeds, yet most people think they’re grains. One of the reasons why they are called grains is because they can substitute nicely as a grain. They contain no gluten, making them very easily digestible. On a nutritional level, these seeds stand way above any other foods.
Here are some of the choices I like the best and their nutritional value:
Buckwheat
As I state in your eating plan, buckwheat is great to have as a cereal in your most important meal of the day, breakfast. It is rich in the essential amino acid, tryptophan, an important component in the making of serotonin.
You will notice a change in your mood -- no more mood swings -- and you will have more mental clarity. It is very high in protein, and recently there have been studies done on its powerful ability to bind cholesterol. There are also Chapter 7: Eating To Increase Your Life & Reduce Your Waist http://www.free-ebooks.net/t/98
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studies being done for the treatment of high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, it is a great source of vitamins B and E, and manganese.
That’s a great start for your morning breakfast.
Amaranth
When people tell me you can only get your calcium from cow’s milk, I often laugh. Amaranth has two times the calcium milk does; it has five times the iron of wheat flour, and three times the fiber. It is also high in potassium, phosphorous, and vitamins A, K and E. This is literally a super food. It is a calcium-delivering powerhouse that is rich in lysine, a unique essential amino acid not found in many plant sources. What lysine does is assist your body in absorbing calcium in the digestive tract. If you’re looking for a highly digestible food, this one is 90 percent digestible.
Quinoa
I eat quinoa on a regular basis, quite often a quinoa salad from my local grocery store for lunch. Out of all of the pseudo-grains, quinoa is the highest in protein, with 20 percent. It has lots of iron and potassium. It also has a lot of lysine in it.
Wild rice
Wild rice is another food I love to eat often. It also is packed with lysine, high in B vitamins, and it grows in my own backyard on the Canadian prairies. It is very seldom treated with pesticides, making it that much healthier. It is an aquatic grass that originated in North America, and grows best in the wild.
Extra virgin olive oil
Extra virgin means the oil is from the first pressing of the olive. This is a very healthy choice, good in taste and color, and can be used in sauces, dips and dressings, but it only offers a small amount of omega-3.
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Hemp oil
Hemp oil is one the healthiest oils on the market. You have already heard me rave about how good hemp is. Each and every one of you should have products in your pantry that say hemp. Hemp oil is made by pressing the hemp seed. It’s a dark green color, and has a very soft, smooth texture. I love to use this on my salads as dressing. It is unique because of its ideal ratio of omega-6 and omega-3
fatty acids.
Pumpkin seed oil
Pumpkin seed oil has a large amount of essential fatty
acids, and many studies show it has helped improve pros-
tate health. This is a must for men, as the leading cancer for men is prostate cancer.
Almonds
Almonds are one of the best nuts in my books by far.
Take a handful 20 minutes before you eat, and they wil help you eat a lot less. They are high in vitamin B13, fiber, and antioxidants, and have one of the highest nutrient values of all the nut family. You can also soak your nuts to make them more nutritious but you don’t have to. They can be soaked and kept in the fridge for up to one week. They will help you feel fuller longer so you don’t eat as much.
Grains
Here is a list of my favorite grains and the ones that are the healthiest:
Whole Grain Brown rice
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as well. It goes to show that brown rice is finally starting to catch on in the mainstream. It is about time.
What makes brown rice different from white is the processing of the rice. The processing of brown rice is very simple, keeping a lot of the rice in its natural state. The outermost layer, the hull, is retained, so the rice retains most of its nutrient value. It is incredibly high in manganese, and has large amounts of selenium and magnesium. It is also a good source of vitamin B.
If you get tired of brown rice, substitute Thai black rice or purple sticky rice at a 1:1 ratio. If you want to add more flavor to the rice, when cooking, add 1 teaspoon of rooibos leaves for each uncooked cup of rice.
Millet
Millet is gluten-free, and becomes slightly alkaline in the body. Millet can be either creamy or fluffy, depending on how you cook it, and is the most easily digestible of all the grains. Millet is great because it can go with many meals.
It’s high in vitamin B, magnesium, and the essential amino acid tryptophan, and is nutritionally dense. Millet flour can be used in a wide range of recipes as well.
Spelt
I like spelt, and have some type of spelt salad every day.
What I like about spelt is that is has not been tampered with over time. That is why we call spelt an ancient grain, with its long, healthy history. Spelt has 30 percent more protein and less gluten than your average whole wheat. Spelt works well with other grain and seed flours for baking.
Teff
Teff is an intriguing grain, ancient, minute in size, and packed with nutrition. Teff is believed to have originated in Ethiopia between 4,000 and 1,000 BC. Teff seeds were discovered in a pyramid thought to date back to 3,359
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BC. The grain has been widely cultivated and spans many countries, including Ethiopia, India and its colonies, and Australia. Teff is known as a cereal crop in Ethiopia, where it is ground into flour, fermented for three days, and then made into injera, a sourdough-type flatbread. It is also widely used as porridge and as an ingredient of home-brewed alcoholic drinks. Teff is not widely known or used in the U.S., although it is cultivated in South Dakota and Idaho, and is available in many health food stores.
Teff grains are so small that the majority of the grain consists of the bran and germ. This makes it very nutrient dense because the germ and bran are the most nutritious parts of the grain. The grain also has a very high calcium content, and contains high levels of phosphorous, iron, copper, aluminum, barium, and thiamin. It is has one of the best amino acid compositions, with lysine levels higher than wheat or barley. It has a lot of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber. Teff also has no gluten in it. Teff becomes creamy when cooked; if you want a crunchy texture, reduce the cooking time.
Chlorella
This is by far one of the most powerful super foods on the planet and an absolute must for you. Chlorel a contains more chlorophyll than any other plant.
And you must understand by now that chlorophyll will literally help you live a longer, healthier life. Chlorella is the fastest growing plant in the world. It is a nutritious, fresh water green algae, and is one of the very few plants that produce vitamin B12.
This plant is very strongly alkalizing and well received in the vegan world. People always ask, where do you get protein if you don’t eat meat? Well, chlorella contains 65
percent protein and possesses 19 amino acids, including ten essentials, not to mention all the fatty acids, the vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. Chlorella will even enhance the efficiency of the immune system at the cellular level.
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You must get into the habit of taking chlorel a daily.
It is that important. The reason I take chlorella daily is it speeds up cel regeneration and muscle recovery, enhances healing, and slows aging. It will also help you when you are sick and stressed by supporting your immune system, and it helps with cell repair.
Chlorel a growth factor (CGF) is a compound that plays a major role in chlorel a. It is responsible for causing chlorel a to quadruple every day, and we can greatly benefit from its growth factor. CGF is what helps the body’s immune system fight off stress, disease, and sickness. Chlorella will help fight off the cellular damage caused by nasty free radicals produced by vehicle emissions.
To choose the best chlorella, look for brands with high protein and chlorophyll content. Read the labels. Look for 65 to 70 percent protein, and 6 to 7 percent chlorophyll.
Many people ask me, can you take too much of this? The answer is, no. I recommend taking about 1 teaspoon daily.
I take up to 1 tablespoon when I am training a lot. I notice a difference in my recovery time and overall feeling of well-being. Chlorella does contain iron, so if you are on a low iron diet, do not exceed 4 teaspoons a day.
Matcha green tea
This is an absolute must. For all you coffee drinkers, this is a nice switch. We tend to drink coffee to get a pick-me-up. Matcha will give you the same effect, and is better for your health. You can get matcha green tea at Starbucks now. Matcha has a higher nutrient value than most other green teas. It’s extremely high in antioxidants when these leaves are ground into a fine chlorophyll-rich powder. It does contain caffeine, but it is a different form of caffeine that will release energy over several hours. You will become more and more alert. I find that when I drink matcha, I just feel better. I have tried coffee a few times and Think, Act, Love, Lose Weight
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always get the jitters. With matcha, you will get no jitters, and feel healthy. Caffeine drinks like coffee place stress on the adrenal glands.