So you want to start eating healthier. You may have even decided to try to get the meat out of your diet. But where do you go from here? There are a lot of foods that you can choose that aren’t laden with fat, but not all are healthy. As an example, just think of all the low-fat or no-fat chips and snacks available. I think most would agree that these are not the healthiest food choices we could make, although they may not contain any meat or dairy. Your best bet is to stick with fruits and vegetables, preferably raw if possible. Obviously, you can’t eat some vegetables raw, but you’d also be surprised at the variety of raw veggies that make a great topping for a salad. What you want to concentrate on are “nutrient dense” vegetables and fruits. In Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book, “Eat to Live”, he lists the nutrient density of the most common fruits, vegetables, meats and condiments. Needless to say, the green vegetables, including the lettuces, kale, spinach, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, and zucchini are at the top of the list with a score of 99-100. Not surprisingly, sugars and oils are at the bottom of the list, with a score of 0 or 1. But perhaps you’ve taken to eating pasta, potatoes, rice, oats, and barley (hopefully, all whole grain). These are certainly better for you than fried foods, dairy and meat, but they only score a mediocre 22 out of 100. Meat, fish, eggs and dairy score even lower, between 3 and 15. So when making your food choices, you want to eat as many as possible from the most nutrient dense foods that you can. By doing this, you can also build some Margin into your diet, leaving some “wiggle room” for a few of your favorite foods that don’t score so well. And if most of the foods near the top of the list aren’t on your “hit” parade, start with those that are. It still amazes my family how our taste buds have changed given the opportunity to “re-train” them to enjoy good-tasting healthier foods. Bon appetite!
Nancy Walker is a published author, freelance writer, motivational speaker, life-style coach and health educator. Nancy holds a Masters of Science degree and has been a total vegetarian for over 7 years, happily married for 28 years and a homeschooling mother to two beautiful young children, age 6 and 8. Nancy is also an accomplished vegetarian cook and teaches others through classes, seminars, personal instruction and videos how to prepare healthy, easy and tasty meals. As a former owner of a large retail and wholesale produce business, she is very familiar with all aspects of produce including cultivation, selection, marketing and preparation. Nancy also loves to bicycle, speed walk, weight lift and run. She is contemplating entering her first sprint triathlon and has begun training with that in mind.
Nancy’s personal dedication to health and wellness springs from her long family history of heart disease and diabetes. She saw first-hand how these chronic diseases stole her parent’s vitality, happiness, quality of life, finances and future. After her mother passed away from diabetes and all its complications, Nancy has been committed to her own personal health and that of her family’s. She is also driven to helping others learn how to radically improve their own health through simple personal choices and steps. Nancy’s message is one of freedom, not bondage; vibrant living, not listless existence; margin, not stretched beyond one’s limits; spiritual strength, not aimless wandering; full relationships, not sterile environments; joy, not sorrow. Her articles, recipes, menus and newsletter can be found at her website Veg4Health.com | Healthy Eating | Vibrant Living!
