I’m passionate about food. I’m especially passionate about eating healthy, organic food. That passion hopefully overcomes the passion for sugar and junk food I seem to have. I’ve gotten to the point that if I really like a food, I figure it must have sugar in it — and I’m usually right. 🙂
Get me talking about this subject and you may be sorry you got me started! It’s a complex topic, and fun for me. Not only is it complex, it’s confusing because the waters have been so muddied by the numerous expert and lay opinions about what the right way to eat is.
The reason for my passion is that I want to overcome my hypothyroidism. Lifestyle seems, IMHO, to be a big component of this body malfunction. After doing much toward improving my lifestyle so my life is more balanced and peaceful, elements I think contributed to becoming hypothyroid, I realized the next big change to make was in my diet.
I have tried many, many blends of healthy eating approaches. I’ve cut foods from my diet and incorporated foods into my diet that I didn’t use to eat. I’ve played with moderation, juicing, smoothies, and fasting. It seems to keep coming back to eating organic, whole foods of a plant-based diet approach — when I’m not fasting. So far I haven’t overcome my hypothyroidism, but I know I’m healthier for my passion and action.
A plant-based diet doesn’t mean being a vegetarian or vegan. I have no problem with those diet choices, though I’ll always hope the vegetarian and vegan chooses to eat whole and organic foods and skip the processed foods pretending to be healthy (e.g. vegetarian burger, sugar-laden protein drinks, etc). A plant-based diet means that the majority of your food intake is of vegetable matter. Vegetable matter includes fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, and grains. I’m not quite sure where mushrooms fit into the edible vegetable kingdom, but I’m placing them in this category of foods.
A healthy meal is a plate of 80% plants (that includes carbohydrates of your choice) and 20% protein (which can come from a plant or animal source). Easy!
The standard American diet is probably the inverse of that, though: 80% animal protein and 20% plants, with lots of processed foods included there. French fries are not a vegetable, nor is ketchup. It’s no wonder we are a growing society that’s getting sicker by the day!
The wrong foods that we eat too much of are leading to growing obesity, diabetes, auto-immune diseases, heart disease, tooth disease, dementia, and a horde of other health issues in modern society. People aren’t as energetic when they don’t fuel their bodies with proper nutrition. Compound that with a sedentary lifestyle and you have a dying society.
Ok, so food isn’t my only passion. Remember I warned you about getting me started….
Coaching people to have energetic levels that carry them through the day so they can be vibrant, productive, and alert lives — and age gracefully — leads me to continue learning and applying this passion to my work. I’m trying to untangle the chaos of information out there, simplify it for you, and encourage through example and discussion for you to eat more healthfully.
Maybe you’ll be passionate about food the same way I am, and together we can help our friends and family be healthier.