Stephanie's "Eating Lifestyle Change" Challenge

I would just call this post, "Stephanie's Diet Challenge, but it is far more then a short-term "diet", and it doesn't have you do anything too drastic, like drinking apple & prune juice for a week. :) It just requires you to eat whole, un-processed foods. (That is why I call it a "challenge" because it isn't easy to do this, especially in our society!). I am going to try to follow this for 30 days!

I have compiled ideas from many books to personalize my plan. (On my last post I talked about a few of them). For instance:

Engine 2 Diet & Forks Over Knives: these books suggest a vegetarian, whole foods lifestyle with no milk, meat, or processed foods. I like meat once and awhile so I couldn't strictly follow this, but has information in them.

The Blood Sugar Solution: allows you to eat clean meat, no sugar, no gluten, no dairy, etc. Dr. Hyman talks about:

1. Peak Nutrition, regulating hormones, reducing inflammation, optimizing digestion, maximizing detoxification, having better energy, and calming the mind. 
2. I love this book because it is more well-rounded and helps you to become a healthier person in every aspect of your life. 
3. I have focused my challenge more on this book
4. He also wrote other books that I have talked about like The Ultrasimple Diet & The UltraMind Solution. He incorporates the same topics throughout. 
5. I love how he personalizes the program to fit you based on yes/no quizzes to see what areas you struggle in and what nutrients you need more of.

The Paleo Diet: Talks about eating like the caveman, and eating only meat & vegetable/fruits.  This is hard for me because I like to eat meat in moderation not for every meal. They also suggest not eating beans, or anything from a shell (peanuts, rice, oats, wheat, etc.) That is just a little drastic for me. But he definitely makes some good points in the book. 

ANYWAY:

The reason I chose to do this was because I have had a lot of digestion problems. I feel like anything I eat upsets my stomach with gas, bloating, etc. I quit dairy over the last year (yes it took this long, because I love ice cream and yogurt) and I feel a lot better, but something is still bothering me! So I chose to do:

NO GLUTEN

NO ADDED SUGARS

NO BEANS (they upset a lot of people as we all know)

NO FLOUR

NO PROCESSED FOODS (cereals, granola bars, etc)

NO SUGAR ALCOHOLS or ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS (except Stevia)

NO DAIRY

NO SOY

-Dr. Hyman suggests taking out gluten, beans, & sugar alcohols if you are having digestive problems because they ferment in your stomach and some people don't break them down well enough. 

-He also talks about gluten & soy contributing to a lot of our thyroid issues! and actually slows our metabolism and thyroid regulation! He doesn't say not to eat soy, just in moderation and unfermented. 

-They also stress a lot of healthy fats! Avocados, flax, chia seeds, nuts, fish, etc!!

SO YOU ARE PROBABLY THINKING.....WHAT DO YOU EAT???

Its simple....lean meats, veggies of all colors, fruits, potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, gluten-free oats, smoothies, nut butters, nuts, flax seeds, etc. I started yesterday, and to be honest, it wasn't that hard and I felt great!!

For every meal incorporate healthy fat, protein & complex carbs.

DAY 1:

Breakfast: Started with 4 egg whites (I used 1/2 cup egg beaters) with spinach, topped with salsa. A banana with almond butter. I'm so used to cereal and oatmeal for breakfast, it was HARD to try something new!
Snack: GF oatmeal with blueberries

Post-Workout: Smoothie consisting of 1 1/2 cup water, ice, plant fusion protein- vanilla, frozen strawberries & berries, 1 leaf kale. + a brown rice cake topped with PB

I found this at Sunflowers Market. It has no dairy, soy, gluten, etc. It is made of plant protein & tastes really good!

LUNCH:  Jason's Deli salad bar: with veggies & 2 whole hard-boiled eggs topped with vinegar & olive oil.

SNACK: Celery & almond butter

 Dinner: Jamaican Jerk Chicken, squash/zucchini, & sweet potato with cinnamon

Before Bed: 1 scoop chocolate protein, 1 cup flax milk, ice, guar gum (to make it thick), & chia seeds. 

-Full of fiber, Omega-3's (flax), & protein before I hit the sack. They suggest not eating anything 3 hours before bed, but I just can't possibly do that. My stomach would growl and keep me awake all night. I used to eat a bowl of cereal before bed, but all that sugar can't be good either!

PREPARATION FOR THE WEEK: 

 Made some boiled eggs for salads, snacks, etc...

 Made some cinnamon almonds, recipe is here. I just don't like plain almonds.

 Made my own balsamic vinaigrette with olive oil & italian seasoning. I don't like the ones @ the stores because they usually use soybean oil, sugars, and artificial stuff.

 Stocked my fridge full of produce!!

Some interesting facts from reading yesterday:

• The 5 causes of all diseases are: poor diet, chronic stress, microbes (bacteria), toxins, and allergens!!
• HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is NOT created equal to sugar, no matter what the corn industry tells you. Dr Hyman states that it is doesn't even have to be digested, it just spikes your blood sugar instantly, causing insulin to spike and store it as fat into your cells. It also goes to the liver to make MORE fat cells and causes you to be MORE hungry, crave MORE sugar, and gain MORE weight. Crazy huh! Don't get me wrong, all sugar is not good for you, but HFCS is even worse.  It also causes "leaky gut syndrome" causing body-wide inflammation. You probably are thinking, well isn't fruit made of "fructose". Yes, it is. But fruit has a ton of nutrients/fiber to help protect against this. 
• PLUS: HFCS is chemically altered and has added toxins. It is always in processed, crappy foods anyway. Especially sodas!

QUOTE OF THE DAY: 

"The critical ingredient is getting off you butt and doing something. It's as simple as that. A lot of people have ideas, but there are few who decide to do something about them now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. But today." -Robert Browning

I WILL TRY TO BLOG DAILY TO TELL YOU HOW IT IS GOING. I CHALLENGE ALL OF YOU TO TRY THIS, AFTER 30 DAYS INCORPORATE SOME FOODS BACK INTO YOUR DIET AND SEE HOW IT MAKES YOU FEEL! IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, JUST COMMENT BELOW!