Let's take a journey together down a side path that not many Americans travel. I lived in Asia for many years and find their cultures fascinating and so much more advanced (or should I say steeped in history) when it comes to food than ours.
MOST Americans eat for pleasure. There is no other way to put it. We don't eat for nutrients, we don't eat for health, we don't eat for healing. If we have a craving - we fulfill it. Managing how we eat, and what we eat is quite important for that second pillar of health - diet.
I guess part of the reason I love Asian food so much is that they don't use a lot of fillers, sugars, or straight salt in their foods. No substitutions. Lots of herbs, fish, and fresh vegetables. They eat very little in the way of "bread" and instead eat quite a bit of rice - rice is their base in almost every meal. Their deserts are based around fruits and enhancing their flavors.
Asians shop daily for the freshest foods - both meat, freshly slaughtered; and fruits and vegetables, pulled in fresh from the fields. They have small refrigerators, because they have no need to store things for long periods of time. Everything is eaten fresh.
We have known for a LONG time that Asians live longer than Americans. They have far less heart disease, obesity, strokes, cancer, ADD / ADHD, and high cholesterol. Part of it can be contributed to the fact that most Asians live a much less hectic lifestyle than Americans, but that is only a small contribution. Their diet plays a much larger part.
Vegetables should be the core to all our meals. If you are like my nieces that only eat "certain color" vegetables - and none of them are green, you are weakening your system. It is important to remember that we have one body - and however we feed it will be returned to us when we get into our 60s - 70s - 80s - and hopefully beyond. If you feed your body processed foods, processed sugar, processed pre-prepared foods - you are not giving your body anything to help it heal itself - grow new cells - help your existing cells live longer... we all would love to look 10 years younger - but if you feed your body trash - it has no way of rejuvenating itself to create a longer life for your body. Not only do these vegetables help your physical body - they help your mental well being too. They make you happier, calmer, energized, relaxed... all the things you need to live a long healthy, happy life!
Try your vegetables in different preparations. Try them raw - all of them. Even the ones you aren't used to eating raw - you may like them better this way. There are certain vegetables I won't eat cooked, but I will raw. Try both baby vegetables and fully grown to see if you like the sweetness of the young vegetables better than their robust flavor when fully grown. Try them stir-fried or sauteed - again all of them. I love stir frying my vegetables. I prepare in the morning - julienning my carrots, chopping my vegetables, and setting them aside in three separate bowls - foods that take 2 - 3 minutes (cauliflower / broccoli / carrots / asparagus), foods that take 1 - 2 minutes to cook (mushrooms, pea pods, red cabbage), and then foods that just need to get a kiss of heat (bok choy, Chinese cabbage, spinach, bean sprouts). Add some fresh cilantro, basil, garlic, onion, or any other herbs that you might like to try. Experiment! You will know that you have cooked them long enough as soon as they change color.
Try vegetables that you didn't like as a child. Our taste buds change constantly. And as you remove the processed foods, artificial colors and flavors, you may find that certain foods you didn't like five years ago, you now crave! Asparagus and Avocados are two of them for me. I can't get enough of them now - but I use them very differently than I did many years ago too.
Herbs are just as important for your diet. The more herbs you use the less salt and flavorings you will need. I am quite heavy handed when it comes to herbs in my foods. I also like lots of heat - cayenne is a standard in almost all my meals.
Dr Hyman also has some good reasons to try the Asian diet style. In this article he provides detailed benefits of certain Asian vegetables, herbs, roots. http://drhyman.com/eat-your-medicine-food-as-pharmacology-7716/?utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=drhyman%20newsletter%20issue%20#37&utm_content=Get+the+story
Blessings... E
MOST Americans eat for pleasure. There is no other way to put it. We don't eat for nutrients, we don't eat for health, we don't eat for healing. If we have a craving - we fulfill it. Managing how we eat, and what we eat is quite important for that second pillar of health - diet.
I guess part of the reason I love Asian food so much is that they don't use a lot of fillers, sugars, or straight salt in their foods. No substitutions. Lots of herbs, fish, and fresh vegetables. They eat very little in the way of "bread" and instead eat quite a bit of rice - rice is their base in almost every meal. Their deserts are based around fruits and enhancing their flavors.
Asians shop daily for the freshest foods - both meat, freshly slaughtered; and fruits and vegetables, pulled in fresh from the fields. They have small refrigerators, because they have no need to store things for long periods of time. Everything is eaten fresh.
We have known for a LONG time that Asians live longer than Americans. They have far less heart disease, obesity, strokes, cancer, ADD / ADHD, and high cholesterol. Part of it can be contributed to the fact that most Asians live a much less hectic lifestyle than Americans, but that is only a small contribution. Their diet plays a much larger part.
Vegetables should be the core to all our meals. If you are like my nieces that only eat "certain color" vegetables - and none of them are green, you are weakening your system. It is important to remember that we have one body - and however we feed it will be returned to us when we get into our 60s - 70s - 80s - and hopefully beyond. If you feed your body processed foods, processed sugar, processed pre-prepared foods - you are not giving your body anything to help it heal itself - grow new cells - help your existing cells live longer... we all would love to look 10 years younger - but if you feed your body trash - it has no way of rejuvenating itself to create a longer life for your body. Not only do these vegetables help your physical body - they help your mental well being too. They make you happier, calmer, energized, relaxed... all the things you need to live a long healthy, happy life!
Try your vegetables in different preparations. Try them raw - all of them. Even the ones you aren't used to eating raw - you may like them better this way. There are certain vegetables I won't eat cooked, but I will raw. Try both baby vegetables and fully grown to see if you like the sweetness of the young vegetables better than their robust flavor when fully grown. Try them stir-fried or sauteed - again all of them. I love stir frying my vegetables. I prepare in the morning - julienning my carrots, chopping my vegetables, and setting them aside in three separate bowls - foods that take 2 - 3 minutes (cauliflower / broccoli / carrots / asparagus), foods that take 1 - 2 minutes to cook (mushrooms, pea pods, red cabbage), and then foods that just need to get a kiss of heat (bok choy, Chinese cabbage, spinach, bean sprouts). Add some fresh cilantro, basil, garlic, onion, or any other herbs that you might like to try. Experiment! You will know that you have cooked them long enough as soon as they change color.
Try vegetables that you didn't like as a child. Our taste buds change constantly. And as you remove the processed foods, artificial colors and flavors, you may find that certain foods you didn't like five years ago, you now crave! Asparagus and Avocados are two of them for me. I can't get enough of them now - but I use them very differently than I did many years ago too.
Herbs are just as important for your diet. The more herbs you use the less salt and flavorings you will need. I am quite heavy handed when it comes to herbs in my foods. I also like lots of heat - cayenne is a standard in almost all my meals.
Dr Hyman also has some good reasons to try the Asian diet style. In this article he provides detailed benefits of certain Asian vegetables, herbs, roots. http://drhyman.com/eat-your-medicine-food-as-pharmacology-7716/?utm_source=Publicaster&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=drhyman%20newsletter%20issue%20#37&utm_content=Get+the+story
Blessings... E
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