Thursday, March 15, 2012

What are we doing? . . .

Yesterday I stepped on the scale just to be curious. I was expecting a bit of loss, maybe a pound or two. I was down 9 pounds!! Today I lost another 4 pounds. Whew! This stuff is for real.

I have not even been following the plan hard core. I have been trying my best to be frugal and use things that are already in our home that aren't too terribly bad for us. But I have been pushing the vegetables and fruit like crazy.

After posting my excitement on facebook, people have of course been asking "What are you doing?". So here ya go . . .

The Fuhrman plan's entire premise is making your body work the way it is intended. It is all about giving your body the proper nutrient rich foods that aid in digestion. It gives your body the tools to work properly. There is a bunch of science that talks about Isothiocyanates, Anti Oxidant Response Elements, Angiogenesis and Aromatase inihibitors, and Myrosinase. I learned all sorts of things, like chewing cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage etc. while they are raw releases ITC (isothiocyanate) which are important for our immune system. I also learned that Angiogenesis inhibitors bind to bad cells and identify them to the body as being bad and needing attacked. Angiogenesis inhibitors include mushrooms, garlic, soy, cinnamon, berries and greens. Mushrooms are Aromatase inhibitors that actually target cancer cells. All this information comes together to give an outline for what we should be eating daily for maximum health.

The Eat to Live plan looks like this in a nutshell.

1 pound of raw vegetables
1 pound of cooked vegetables
1 cup of beans
1-2 oz of nuts and seeds
3 fresh fruits


Components should include GOMBBS or Greens, Onions, Mushrooms, Beans, Berries and Seeds. Easy Peasy! Plant strong! Link

I am finding that the Eat to Live recipes from the book are quite involved. I think that I will be putting a lot of my own things together as we transition completely. The salad dressings in the book are awesome and I have also collected a bunch of recipes from the Engine No. 2 diet and from the Fat Free Vegan blog that follow the Eat to Live program. I am just starting to put together a menu and I will share what our week looks like as we move forward.

We have invested in a good blender (not the Vitamix as it is $500!) and a nice juicer. I am working on a plan to increase our garden this summer and grow a myriad of things that we will use. I plan on learning how to can vegetables. I also plan on making weekly trips to our farmers market with my mom. (she and my stepdad are also on this journey!)

An example of what we are eating now. . .

last night's dinner -

Whole wheat tortillas filled with refried beans, avocado, lettuce, tomatoes, green peppers, onions and mexican rice.

The mexican rice was simply a cup of brown rice in a sauce pan and I dumped in a can of great northern beans drained and rinsed and a can of tomatoes and chiles and simmered for 5 minutes.

I am not saying I didn't miss the sour cream and cheese, but I lived! It was super filling and quite yummy.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is so interesting..I have been lamenting the fact that I eat on the go almost all the time (bad) and correspondingy don't feel as 'good' or energetic as I should. Considering trying this, but have a few questions if you woudl 'indulge' me:
Must I get the book? ( It seems to be out of print--or at least not avail at amazon)
Is this cutting out of dairy a lifetime approach--can you never have cereal/milk again or is this an 'intro' phase?

Did I read that you MUST eat certain foods like flaxseed every day and cannot snack even on the allowed items?

Are commercial salad dressings or vinegar/oil, etc. not acceptable (I love salads, but would never find the time to make salad dressing..all the veggie prep will be hard enough!)

MOST importantly--is coffee allowed? I'm pretty fond of coffee!
Thanks for sharing this info--and for letting me ask so many questions!!

Deb

Sheri said...

The book is available. It is just call Eat to Live. It is here : http://www.amazon.com/Eat-Live-Amazing-Nutrient-Rich-Sustained/dp/031612091X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331920814&sr=8-1

I snack, but you don't really want to. I have eaten a handful of almonds today and 2 cuties. The premise is that your body needs to "rest" from digestion. But, he does stipulate that you eat when you are hungry.

Commercial salad dressing s are not advisable because they are so processed. The dressings take about 3 minutes to make. His balsamic vinaigrette recipe is awesome!

Dairy is pretty much gone in this plan. Odd thing is, I don't miss it at all. (ok maybe cheese a bit)
There really isn't an intro phase similar to South BEach because it is a lifetime change approach.

He doesn't really talk about coffee in my reading yet. In the seminar he did mention tea was fine so I suppose if you do all else, coffee will not kill you! :)

Ask away! I am learning too.