If I Did It, You Can Too!

Lately, I am asked why I changed my eating habits. The truth is, I was raised in a home where we ate whatever mom cooked and grew up thinking we could continue eating the same things with no repercussions. The fact of the matter is that the food we ate 20+ years ago, is not the same food we see in the supermarket now. I won't bore you with USDA and FDA regulations. I'll say this: We are not eating food, we are eating food-like products. 

We live in a society where most people buy what they see advertised on television and if it claims to be fat-free or low fat, it must be healthy. I took matters into my own hands and empowered myself by doing my own research. I'm a visual learner, so I watched documentaries about food and health, then started incorporating similar strategies into my own lifestyle. I don't label myself as anything but a flexitarian. I am flexible based on the circumstances and on my mood. Balance is key. I can't promise to never eat another slice of beef or a candy bar. No, because I'm human and at the end of the day, depriving myself completely of something could mean I end up falling off the wagon and skin both knees. Let me slam on the breaks for just a sec to put a disclaimer out there. This is NOT A DIET. I repeat, this is NOT A DIET. I don't believe in diets. I think diets are made to be broken and plenty of doctors and dieticians have designed diets to make millions of dollars off of people who are desperate to lose weight. My goal is health not six pack abs. 

When it comes to avoiding certain foods and adding others, alkalinity is something to consider. I had never heard of this but as I started reading and watching documentaries about how foods affect our health, I saw a common thread: acidic foods are bad for the cells in our bodies. Foods that are alkaline are great for our cells. 

Here are some foods I avoid and some healthy alternatives I have added to my daily eating regimen:

Refined sugar 

The book, "Skinny B*tch" changed my life. There's a chapter called "Sugar is the Devil" and that it is, my friend. See, the thing about refined sugar that many do not know is that it is truly addictive. It is added to a lot of foods, like cereal and candy, to get us to crave it. That way we end up going back for more when we are hungry instead of eating the healthy stuff. Makes sense, right? So, what if you want to sweeten a smoothie, what should you use instead? My go to  is (drum roll please) HONEY. Yes, honey. When I shop I look for PURE HONEY which is the closest to the natural form you can find. I use honey in tea as well and love it. Some people use cane juice, Stevia or xylitol. I prefer honey. Find what works best for you. Please, by all means necessary, stay away from sugar substitutes. These low-calorie alternatives to sugar continue to con people into thinking they are healthier, but the end result could be worse than consuming good old fashioned sugar. Aspartame and other varieties are no good. Even gum contains aspartame, so be cautious and read the ingredient label. One brand I highly recommend is SPRY. They make gum and mints. Breath control!

White rice 

This is a hard one for me because it's one of my daughter's favorites. She won't eat yellow or brown rice, so I find myself making white rice often. The key is to find brands that are less damaging than the traditional white rices offered at our local grocery stores. This is a good article I found online: What's wrong with white rice? Instead of the typical brands of white rice, I look for organic brands or key words like JASMINE RICE or BASMATI RICE for my daughter. For me, I try to stick to brown rice or QUINOA. Does that mean I never eat white rice? Again, no. It just means I try to avoid it as much as possible. I tend to eat it when I make black beans.

White flour

Flour is found in just about all the yummy stuff especially in baked goods. I was raised eating guava and cheese pastries (pasteles), cakes, etc. so it's very hard for me to see something like that and not be tempted. I'm now to the point where when I see food I see ingredients. If I see a pastry I think of refined sugar and white flour. I love to bake, though, so I have started to find "healthier" (ahem) alternatives so I can still treat myself! (wink wink). I try to shop at natural foods stores making it less likely I'll buy processed junk. I look for organic cake mixes and icing packs. If you like to bake goods from scratch, look for almond flour or coconut flour. Those are good alternatives. If you juice, you can take the leftover pulp (fiber) and add it to the mixture. We'll get to juicing later. If you like to buy goods that are ready-made, look for brands like Sun Flour Baking Co., The Alternative Baking Co., Back to Nature, Country Choice, Uncle Eddie's, Tropical Source and Terra Nostra. I look for key terms like "gluten-free," "organic," "cacao" instead of chocolate or cocoa. Cacao is the purest form of chocolate there is, so that's always better than the others.

For those of us who love bread and can't give it up, what kind of bread should we buy? I try to buy Ezekiel bread whenever possible. I also know people who swear by Paleo bread.

Salt

We don't need to add salt to our food. We are indoctrinated to do so. We sit at a restaurant and there are salt and pepper shakers available so we use them. I try not to add salt to my food. If you must have salt then how about trying sea salt?

Coffee

This one is a hard one for most of us who wake up tired and feel we need a pick-me-up. Well, I'm here to tell you that I used to believe I couldn't function without coffee, but after years of drinking Cuban espresso (or cortadito as we call it), my stomach jumped up and slapped me in the face. I started to have sharp pains in my belly in college when all-nighters were part of my weekly routine. I didn't need a doctor to tell me it was the coffee I was drinking, so I stopped. After I graduated, I started working full-time and once again, turned to my morning "café con leche." I had to retrain my brain to accept that we do not need to drink coffee to function. How do I stay awake? Well, for starters, when you change your diet and stop consuming junk, your body thanks you by becoming more PRESENT and alert. I wake up more ready to tackle my day than ever before. Yes, there are mornings I drag and when I do I use MACA POWDER. Maca is a root that grows in Peru. It aids in hormonal balance as well as is a great source of Vitamin B-12. It also has calcium and magnesium. 

Another alternative is organic green tea. Read more: Seven things to know about green tea. I add honey to mine to sweeten it. 

Meat

Saying I avoid meat is sometimes the equivalent of offending someone's momma. I don't get it but if other people want to be offended about my personal choice, that's up to them. Does this mean I'm a tree-hugger who thinks animals are more important than human beings? Definitely not. I used to believe people who did not eat meat chose not to because they felt bad for defenseless animals who were being slaughtered. Meanwhile, I loved my pernil (roast pork) and didn't really care that there was a full swine on a hot box at Noche Buena (Christmas Eve). That's how my family rolled and we slaughtered a pig each year in the name of Baby Jesus. Fast forward to where I am in my life and (if you do your research) you will see for yourself that animals that are slaughtered for their meat go through rounds of antibiotics, hormones and unsanitary living conditions. That is the same meat you cook at high temperatures and then put into your body. And we wonder why we wake up mad at the world? Most of our society is consuming decomposing carcass without batting an eyelash. The meat of today is not the same meat you ate as a child. Do your research on factory farmed meat. If you still choose to eat meat, then good for you. At least you know what you are eating. 

How do I get my protein? People think if a person does not eat a dead animal, they get no protein. That's not true. Plants have protein also. Try nuts, seeds (pumpkin seeds are high in protein), avocados, spirulina (algae) and quinoa, to name a few. If you love buffalo wings, try a brand called Health is Wealth for a meatless alternative. There is also tofu and tempeh (great source of protein). If you try and realize you must eat meat, then good for you. How about quality sources of animal protein like organic, free-range, or wild sources? Anything that is farmed tends not to be good for you because of the antibiotics, hormones and unsanitary conditions already mentioned.

Dairy

This one really offends people because they want to know where I get my calcium from. It makes me laugh and further enforces my belief that many people follow trends blindly. The medical societies created a commercial where celebrities have a milk mustache and proclaim that milk is needed in order to live. Okay! 

So why is it that we are the only species that continues to drink milk well into adulthood? Have you seen a grown cow drink from its mother? On the subject of cows, did you know that most dairy cows are milked even while pregnant? That's a no-no, yet dairy farmers are forced to do so for profit. The amount of hormones in today's cow's milk is alarming, yet people continue to blindly drink it in the name of calcium. Here are healthy alternatives that have calcium: almonds, Brazil nuts, seeds, soybeans, kale, collard greens, broccoli, kelp and molasses, mustard greens, cabbage, seaweed, watercress, chickpeas, red beans, tofu and sesame seeds. 

Because my daughter is allergic to dairy products, she now drinks almond milk. She's picky but has yet to detect a difference in the taste between almond and cow's milk. I use almond milk for smoothies and there are different varieties like coconut and vanilla. Yum!

Fluoride

This one tends to be just as controversial as the meat and dairy ones. All I can say is, it works for me and I like to challenge the status quo. I've read about what fluoride does to the pineal gland and I choose to stay away. Am I rotting my teeth as a result? Well, let's see. I avoid animal-products so I guess if fruits and vegetables are rotting my teeth, then perhaps. 

One way to avoid fluoride is to buy distilled water. Sometimes I alternate between spring water and distilled water. If you're going to buy distilled you may as well look for ionized water that has a neutral to high pH. 

Here's more on fluoride: ADA study confirms dangers of fluoridated water, especially for babies

There are water distillers on the market. This is the one I use.

So those are my AVOIDS, what about my GO-TO Foods? I buy organic as much as my budget will allow. I refer to the dirty dozen list when I shop.

Also, in order to consume as many fruits and vegetables as possible, I try to juice. On a good week, I would juice one meal per day. There are many brands of juicers out there. You can use your blender if you have a good quality one that will liquify produce. If you want to eliminate the pulp (fiber), an extractor type of juicer is best. This is the one I have.

Some people prefer to include the fiber, which is fine, but the body has to do more work to digest it, so it just depends on your preference. My juicer has a compost bin where all of the pulp/fiber/peel goes and that can be reused either for composting or to add to baked goods, soups, etc. Sometimes I'll transfer the juice into my blender and add spirulina (great source of protein) and coconut water or aloe juice. There are many juice recipes online especially green ones for energy and detoxing. My go-to veggies are: celery, cucumbers, carrots, spinach, kale and broccoli. My go-to fruits are: green apples, kiwis and grapes. I'm not very adventurous. When I find what works for me, I stick to it. 

One thing to keep in mind about juicing, because your body will get super hydrated and will try to rid itself of toxins quickly, you will urinate frequently, so be prepared. I don't recommend juicing late at night or right before a run. ;) 

Although my juicer does the job, it has malfunctioned on me a few times. I would recommend getting the Breville. It's the same juicer as the one in the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.

If you can afford a Vitamix, this restaurant grade blender can probably liquify a 2 by 4.

Here's an example of a dinner/dessert combo on a busy weeknight.

Left: carrots, celery, cucumber, green apples Right: Honeydew

If you are looking for a way to detoxify your body a JUICE FEAST is a great way. Be sure to stock up on organic fruits and veggies and turn off your television. You don't want to see food commercials while you are in the middle of this process. Trust me. Having an accountability partner to do this with you is great! Don't trust yourself to go at it alone and not cheat. It's hard!

Video: How I juice.

I also want to share two things I use in my kitchen which may help you as well. 

Oil

I added organic extra virgin coconut oil to my regimen. There are great benefits to coconut oil. I still use extra virgin olive oil, but only in raw form. I don't recommend it as a cooking oil. Google it to find out what happens to it as it heats. There are many brands of coconut oil. This is also great for deep conditioning hair as a pre-poo. 

This is the one I use:

Food Steamer

A friend gave me a food steamer and I use it to steam just about every vegetable. My go-to vegetable is sweet potato. It's cheap and easy to prepare. I slice it and pair it w/fish or sometimes I mash it. You can even take these to work and bake them in a toaster oven for a healthy lunch. 

A Word on Water
Our bodies are 70% water, yet the majority of society is dehydrated.  Isn't that just pitiful? Instead of drinking water, we turn to things like soda (pop), juices and performance drinks. The majority of these have a high sugar content, most have high fructose corn syrup and some even contain small doses of brominated vegetable oil (BVO), which is an ingredient in flame retardant. If we were to read ingredient labels, I assure you, we'd drink more water. So how much water should we drink? There are a variety of formulas, but I stick to half of my body weight and try to drink that in ounces every day. So far, it is working for me. My energy level and alertness have increased, so I can't complain. Also, if your urine is yellow, it means you need to drink more water (or you're on a medication that has tainted your pee). Also, foods like celery, cucumbers, parsley and other leafy vegetables will hydrate our bodies, requiring us to drink less water. Just remember, if you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated. DRINK!

Economy, Culture and Solutions

Our Economy is based on something called linear production/consumption.
The basis of this model is to convert natural resources into products to sell then to consume and then to throw away to further produce, consume, and trash more continuously. It was invented 100 years ago by the owners of industry (such as JP Morgan, JD Rockefeller, and Henry Ford) to maximize their profits. They pushed to create a very handy propaganda tool, what today we call the media, to influence the public to buy their stuff. It was a major challenge for them being that during this time the average person was happy to just grow their own food and spend most of their personal time among loved ones and nature.

But they eventually succeeded in shifting the culture towards desiring to acquire material things as a way to feel better about themselves. To just be oneself become an awful thing requiring a fix that can only be purchased perpetually. The naive public bought it and ever since then every new generation has been exposed to this as the "normal life". The commercialization of our minds starts from an early age when we watch children programs with colorful TV ads that stimulate us to crave certain toys and junk foods. It then proceeds through school when popularity is based on the name brand of the clothes or electronic gadgets. Eventually through adulthood where owning a certain car and a certain home gives you a sense of social achievement.

This model worked pretty well initially but it definitely doesn't now.
The population size then was much smaller, there were abundant resources, lots of clean air, plenty of open land to build on and for dumping trash. Today we are over crowded, over polluted, and low on land/resources. Plus, after decades of doing it this way, it has not only failed to satisfy us deeply, but also it's left us in major debt (while making the rich richer), and we have grown increasingly sicker both mentally and physically.

Our struggling economic state is an inevitable consequence of what is a very unnatural practice developed a long time ago by greedy men. The solution is to create one that is not based on buying stuff but on creating quality experiences. One that is community focused and not the benefit of some distant corporate headquarters.

It is about time for a new model.
One that is not handed down to us by politicians nor the extremely wealthy bankers and owners of industry. One that is intelligent, in harmony with our true nature, and created for the health of all individuals.


Here are 10 thoughtful tips on how to improve your life to protect your money,  your health, your relationships and helping your local economy:

1) Stop spending on things that make you look better to others and on those things that make you feel healthier. Forget the fashion labels and love your natural look as God made you (and not the magazines). Many people believe that the things they like have nothing to do with what others think when it is the complete opposite.
2) Save and pay off your debt. Would you be happier with 1/4th the stuff you have now with $20,000 - $60,000 saved in the bank or put into investments?

3) Grow your own organic food. No brainier here.

4) Start your own small business (locally or online). Find out how you can market something that you are passionate about to others who have the same interest.

5) Avoid getting into a mortgage. If you are in one then find a way out or increase your monthly payment to minimize your interest hits. Did you know that for a $300,000 home with 5.5% interest on a 30 yr loan you will end up paying $613,000 if you just pay the minimum monthly. Imagine putting that additional $316,000 in your bank account!!!

6) Avoid financing a new car for the same reasons above. Its value drops immediately after you drive it off the lot (25%-40% in the first 2 years). You also take a big hit with the interest. For a $20,000 car loan with 7% interest on a 60 month payment plan you will end up paying around $4,000-$5,000 extra if you only pay the minimum monthly amount. This doesn't include the dealer fees, taxes, and subsequent insurance you are dealt with. Buy a used model that is fuel efficient and mechanically sound, save your well earned cash.

7) Before you trash it, sell it, barter it or share it... with not just family and friends but with your community. Sell/trade it on ebay.com, craigslist.org and freecycle.org. You can also go to these to get bargains on the things you want.

8) Don't buy bottled water, purchase a distiller. Saves you lots of money over the year and you save the environment from throwing away tons of plastic bottles.

9) Do-it-yourself (DIY). Instead of buying products filled with lots of poisonous chemicals. Make your own salad dressing, detergents, air fresheners, shampoos and lotions.

10)  Buy locally for many many reasons. For example, if you love meat then invest in a local animal butcher to get it fresh and keep your money in the community. The flesh you get from restaurants and most supermarkets comes from far away therefore burning lots of fuel in transporting it to your area. It is usually weeks old by the time you buy it so it is pumped with harmful preservatives. And of course the poor animals, when they were alive, were fed hormones, GMO crops, and antibiotics to keep them from dying too soon.