Various people have tried out Dr. Joel Fuhrman's books on nutrition and followed his advice, as I have. Rather provide some secret and magical ingredient that will change lives forever - or at least rob you of your loose change - I suggest absorbing his thoughts on craving food. This is derived from his books.
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| Yes, I went for the cone at a family Dairy Queen photo-op. |
Not so long ago, I was almost devoid of nutritional knowledge, except for the misleading promotions of the dairy and meat industries. Fuhrman notes that we build up a craving for foods and substances when we consume them. This explains why junk food and candy take up enormous shelf and refrigeration space in the grocery and dollar stores.
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| I got into the dessert business early, age 4. |
FSS - The American Diet -
Fats, Salt, Sugars
So first we have to examine our food gimlet-eyed. A large portion of what we eat has become over-balanced with
- Fats,
- Salt, and
- Sugars/fake sugars.
If we eat fast food burgers frequently, we will crave them, even though they are overwhelmingly fatty, salty beyond belief, and sweetened. They are often enhanced with french fries (FSS), sodas (FSS) and...unbelievably...desserts (FSS). My father was an expert baker, and he knew how bad fast foods were - and the monetary price!
Let's forget calories - perhaps forever - and drinkable (laughable) liquid meals - and the latest fad, which has a trademark name.
We can fill up on pizza, burgers, hot dogs - and dessert and sodas. OR we can replace them almost entirely with vegetables and fruits. Apart from corn, popcorn, and potatoes - vegetables, greens, and fresh fruits are low in calories and very high in nutrition.
My physician encouraged me simply by running a blood panel and measuring my blood pressure. I looked at some phony food fad claims and - by accident, if it were an accident - found Joel Fuhrman's Eat To Live brand new! in my library. My blood sugar had been perfect years ago, but no longer, and my blood pressure was up. The FSS diet works.
The first step is reducing as many items of FSS as possible - milk, butter, cheese, pizza, burgers, desserts, and anything fried or sugar coated. Most people do some of that periodically and gain again. I lost weight long ago by stopping all butter, a gateway drug for eating bread. I gained it back, with dividends.
The next step is replacing FSS with nutrition. Contrary to what we imagine, greens are extremely inexpensive and packed with nutrition, but almost completely calorie free - and satisfying - spinach, turnip greens, kale, collards, etc. Their fiber is essential in moving the digestive process slowly, because our God-created bodies are designed to break down food and put together miraculous combinations for our good.
Just as the anti-hero in 1984 murmured "I love Big Brother" or today "I love Big Synod," so our bodies will say - "I love greens, beans, fresh fruit, sprouts, and seeds."
Side note - routine use of alcohol and tobacco will slowly and patiently cause all kinds of harm to the body because both are highly toxic. Both are good at creating the craving that seems to be satisfying but is deadly. Look at the synodicals with their guts (fatty livers) hanging out like 10 pound bags carrying 20 pounds of potatoes.
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| Apple orchard - we made apple pies and apple turnovers. |
Back to healthy.
Meat has complete protein, but chickpea beans do too, with lots of fiber and many essentials of nutrition added. Chickpeas lack the salt and fat of meats. Humus be chickpeas for the upper class.
Greens, seeds, fruit, and nuts can be mixed together in saucepan meal.
My saucepan meal is:
- A can of chickpeas.
- Tomato paste.
- Chopped, frozen spinach or other greens.
- Blueberries, sometimes fresh pineapple.
- Onions, green and red peppers.
- A handful of walnuts.
- Maybe sesame or flax seed.
- Baby carrots - satisfying and good!
- Cauliflower or broccoli or asparagrass.
- Frozen mushrooms when available.
The leftover saucepan goes in the fridge and is often used on spinach leaves as dressing. I keep trying combinations because it is fun and educational to bring home something new or different - like arugula or lima beans - and studying the nutritional value. God decided to put the greatest value in the best, cheapest, and most easily harvested foods. Meanwhile, teenagers bend over grease fryers and create heavily salted french fries for a minimum wage.
The Best Dessert - Fresh Fruit
I can eat a large but low calorie meal and crave something else. I keep a large supply of apples, oranges, and other items to take my mind and impulses off the dessert. (Confidential to RA - the deep freezer is no longer dominated by Schwan ice cream varieties.)
Two large apples or oranges will stop the body's dessert demand, if eaten slowly. Our bodies will stop sending the hungry! signal in about 15 minutes. That is how we gain weight, eating desserts fast while seemingly hungry for them.
