QUESTION: I want to eat in a healthier way, but am not sure where to begin. Can you offer a few suggestions on how to make the switch?
MARK: We come across this question very often and have found that there are three simple steps you can take to get you on your way.
1. Begin Where You Are
The first step is to look at and accept where you are at with your eating. What is your current food intake? If you wish, keep a food log for a few days to a week. Keep track of everything you eat, including the snacks. This is a powerful practice as you can begin to locate the less than excellent food choices and begin to replace them with more healthful ones. Don’t play the judgment game with yourself. A recent study showed that the simple act of recording what we eat can help us lose weight. Remember the important thing is to take the first step. If your time or inclination does not allow you to keep a food log, that’s ok. Just take a mental note of where you are at right now. Accept that you are at where you are at and that this is the beginning of your journey towards more healthful living.
2. Hold an Intention of a Healthier Life
Hold an intention of creating a healthier, more vibrant you and commit yourself to do what you can to actualize this intention. If you are able to do this, you are 90% of the way there. This is what sets you aside from the 20 others who have given up on trying to improve themselves in this way. Create a vision of yourself of where you would like to be a year from now. What weight would you like to attain? What dress size or cholesterol level? If you feel inspired to write down these intentions, this can be another powerful inspirational tool for you to refer to along the way.
3. Gently Transition From Where You Are To Where You Would Like To Be
There are many theories surrounding what foods are healthy and what foods are not. Special diets abound, each one proclaiming to be the end all/be all to lose weight, feel great and stay young forever. We would like to suggest that every individual is biophysically unique and what is true for some of us, is not true for others. Your own body and own sense of well being is your best judge. Rigidly trying to adhere to an externally imposed diet is a formula for disappointment and relapse into old ways of eating. In most instances, we recommend taking baby steps, making changes slowly and gradually. (Of course, in some instances, health conditions necessitate dramatic and instantaneous changes to one’s diet and lifestyle.)
We feel people shouldn’t have a deprived feeling when making these changes. There are countless ways of replacing unhealthy food choices with exciting and delicious alternatives.
Mark Reinfeld, Author, Vegan Fusion World Cuisine: Healing Recipes and Timeless Wisdom from our Hearts to Yours
Please visit www.veganfusion.com or www.blossominglotus.com for more information.
Thu, Dec 4, 2008
Eat Raw