My diet guidelines..

I am not saying that the way I eat is perfect but  I do believe that how I eat is healthy.   There is always, however, room for improvement.   Here are the guidelines I try to follow in my diet.   My biggest mantra is that I think about everything that I eat, every time I eat.    If I eat a cookie,  I think about the fat and sugar that I am ingesting.     99% of the time I walk away from the pile of baked products and candy at work.  My biggest weakness is my fondness for regular pasta and white rice. 

I read every label of everything that I buy to eat that is packaged.   I look at salt,  sugar,  fats and preservatives.    You learn very quickly that many thing that are prepared are full of the first three.    This unholy triumvirate is designed by food manufacturers to entice you to become addicted to their product.      I put down and do not buy much more than I ever do buy.  Check peanut butter,  how much sugar is in that would surprise you.  That is pretty typical..

I get as much of my nutrition as possible from completely unprocessed foods.   A major source of my food intake is raw or lightly prepared vegetables,   beans and lentils,    fruits, and nuts.    A big salad every night filled with lots of vegetables and nuts and  that does not include iceberg lettuce. 
I replaced lettuce with Spinach for every salad.  Spinach provides much more nutrition than any lettuce.   Fruit with every breakfast is a good idea that I follow. 


I keep my animal fat and protein intake to a minimum.   I do not eat any meat, fish or eggs and five days out of seven I am fully vegan.     Protein intake is important but there are more healthy ways to get it than meat and dairy. 

I avoid soda.    This means diet or regular.    It is either chemicals or chemicals with too much sugar.   This cannot be good for you.   (I worked for a soda company once so watching 2000 pounds sacks of Potassium Sorbate and Citric Acid being turned into a drink product can turn anyone off of sodas).

I switched to black coffee without sugar.  The first month away from sugar in my coffee was not easy.  Now I cannot ever have coffee any other way.    Yummy and dark and bitter..  Ah coffee.  


I try to eat as much whole wheat breads and brown rice as possible but to be honest,  I love regular pasta and Basmati rice so I could be much better here.     There is a lot of information about white flour and its impact on insulin levels in your body.  Same with white rice.  I do exercise every day, so I do use those carbohydrates that I eat.  I do look at the ingredients of the whole wheat breads that I buy and while sugar is in a vast majority of them,  if it is way down on the ingredient list,  I will buy it.     

I say no to mass produced baked dessert products.   No donuts from any of the chains,  no supermarket cakes, no packaged baked cakes or cookies like Entenmann's or Freihofer's.  These are full of hydrogenated oils, preservatives, and are overly sweet.    If someone bakes a cake , pie or cookies,  I only eat a small piece or just one.   Even a small piece satiates the natural desire for sweet foods.     Moderation (not deprivation), is my key here

I keep chips (crisps  for the English), and fries to a minimum.    I love both of these.   There are never  Potato Chips in my house and if I have fries,  I usually make them myself using olive oil.     The big thing is not to have these available and never to buy a big bag if I give in to the temptation.. 

I stay away from the vending machine.    No 3PM candy bar..

Namaste..