Lately I've been fine tuning my diet.
I've been always pro eating healthy, and glad to say that for the most part of my life I've had a fairly healthy diet, compared with that of most people and is because I actually cook my own food. I always had a slim built, and because of that I was not particularly strict on diet, but as a rule of thumb avoided junk food.
Several years ago I used to eat very salty, and using a lot of vinegar in salads. One day I went to my father's house, and because his diet is really salt restricted and he uses lemon instead of vinegar, I made up my mind to eat the food he cooked, nothing added. I stayed at his place for a little while, and decided that I was going to eliminate salt at least for the time I was there; said and done, it was easier than I thought.
However when I came back home and made my salad the way I used to with a lot of salt, vinegar and oil... it was a waste, I couldn't eat it, was way too salty and I wasn't used to it anymore. So I cut back on salt drastically, use very little vinegar if any, now I prefer lemons and decreased animal fat intake as well. I had decided that I was going to eat really healthy from that point on.
That was good, but not enough for me, because I was still addicted to chocolate. I've always had a sweet tooth, but in recent years before deciding to ditch the sugar I had overloaded on it. The easiest way for me is not to buy any sweets, when I go to the grocery store, because once I do, they will be gone by the end of the day.
At this time I am consuming almost no salt at all, use only a little amount of sugar (a teaspoon a day max.) and no animal fats, as a matter of fact I almost entirely eliminated meat from my diet. I used to eat meat every day, now I eat meat maybe once a month, if that, and I soon intend to give it up altogether. The moment the last piece of meat is gone from my little freezer I'm done eating meat, and not only for health reasons.
Don't wait for things to go wrong, before you change something, what you put in your body affects you directly. When I think about it, I used to prepare quite a few sweet deserts on weekends, and eat a lot of food every day, but I made a conscious resolution to change and it feels good.
All these changes have not been sudden, I had implemented them gradually, but I discovered that I can easily stick to a diet, even if is not comfortable in the beginning.
I have to say that I feel better somehow, I do not get viruses as easily as I used to, actually not at all in recent years and overall I am just healthier.
If you want to start improving your health first step is to reduce salt to a minimum, as well as eliminate sweets and animal fats from your diet, that in itself will make a big difference. By the way, when I say "sweets" I do not mean just sugar, but ALL sweets. Artificial sweeteners are actually far worse for your health than sugar is. Whatever you buy check the labels, I avoid all chemical filled products, all pop drinks, and so should you... if your health is of any concern.
27 July 2017
Marius C.
@marcaprio great blog post! And I agree with your sugar intake and that should be decreased and substitute sweetners should most definately be eliminated. However.... we need fat ( good fats ) for our brains to function well. I truly believe everything in moderation. My husband and I eat mainly meat and veggies.....fruits and good oils. A good fat is butter from grass fed cows, a good source of bromaline, which is great for inflammation. Also bromaline is found in Pineapple. Coconut oil is a fabulous healthy fat. Please don't deprive yourself of the good foods we have available to us.
Happy Health to you💞
Hello rainwalle!
I would say yes, healthy fats are good, but the quantities that the human body needs are very small, and you can get those from nuts, the coconut oil that you had already mentioned, and few other sources. Myself, in the article, I was referring to animal fat , that's something not needed at all. The key, indeed is moderation, and that's a universally valid point, not only in nutrition. As far as fruits and veggies goes, you got my total support there, I think these are the best choices. there are many yummy foods out there, you just have to make a healthy choice, and the sooner the better.
I'm glad you liked my article, and keep healthy, that's most important!!