XII GETTING STARTED ON A NATURAL LIFESTYLE

This blog is the first in awhile and is in response to a number of questions I have received recently.

Again, this is a blog of HOPE. All health objectives can be achieved through proper diet and movement. The body is designed to eat nature's food. When this is done, the body can defend against disease and cleanse itself.  The process takes forty days to six months to show results.  People ask, "How do I get started?" What should I eat? How do I make time for cooking, exercise and lifestyle changes?" My background is one of not cooking. I hated cooking. The recommendations and recipes are SUPER SIMPLE.

The most important thing is to just GET STARTED. My recommendation is start with your diet and start in the morning. The morning makes the most sense for a few reasons. First, it's the part of the day we have the most control over. The "rest of the day" cannot negatively impact our calendar to affect our meal. Instead, with discipline we can wake up a few minutes earlier to fix a proper breakfast. My recommendation is to start each day with a "herbal smoothie" (the recipe is at the end of the blog and takes 15 minutes to make and clean up).  At the risk of being over dramatic, although it is true, making this smoothie for breakfast changed my life and is the main reason I am healthy today. The smoothie has 12-20 natural ingredients made up of herbs, fruits and vegetables. By the time I leave the breakfast table I have had my nine fruits and vegetables for the day.  The second reason I recommend breakfast, is that it starts the day off right. If done correctly, your food log for the day is "pure" until at least lunch.  You can't have a perfect day without a perfect breakfast. It gives you confidence and inspiration to manage the rest of your day. When you first start, it is one meal at a time, one day at a time. Last, when done correctly, breakfast gives you nutrition and energy for the rest of the day.

Healthy snacks are an important part of managing your lifestyle. It is important to have "go to" healthy treats around the house for fillers between meals.  My three "go to" snacks are assorted nuts, sweet potato chips and hummus. (Recipes are included at the end of the blog.) The nuts are important for protein and omega oils. Many people think protein will be absent without meat. On the contrary, nuts offer a way for protein to be absorbed easier.  Nuts have a bad reputation because of the high fat and caloric counts. However, because of its natural makeup, our bodies can process these foods and dispose of whats not needed. When part of an all natural diet, you need not concern yourself with either the fats or calories. It is only problematic when combined with processed foods. In addition, the oil will lube your body and joints and make movement more graceful. Another favorite is sweet potato chips. (Recipe at end of blog). Sweet potato chips are a "perfect food". Sweet potatoes are very anti inflammatory which helps to detox the body.  Lastly, hummus is a quick, easy, healthy snack to make. It makes a great dip for the sweet potato chips. Hummus offers fiber and garlic to help clean the digestive system. Olive oil, and tahini offer omega oils to lube the body. All of these are important recipes as you go to a more natural approach. In an "all natural" diet, it is fun to discover new natural offerings to replace synthetic vitamins and harmful foods.

My third tip is to cook "weekly meals". Make something on the weekend that can be heated up or thrown together easily throughout the week. That way, when you are battling the calendar, you can still eat healthy. Soups are a great option. My favorites are organic chicken and lentil soup. Lentils are really easy and do not take much time to fix. Magic happens every time I have chicken soup.

Finally, only drink filtered water and hot herbal tea. What you drink influences your health just as much, if not more, than what you eat. Do not drink anything out of a bottle or a can. For many of us, this will be a huge challenge. If you fall in that category - I did - cut one thing at a time. The first to go for me was diet soda. Then bottled juices, beer, liquor and wine. It takes a long time - maybe years. However, each day keep moving toward the objective of consuming less toxic liquids.

OK! That's it. Start at breakfast, eat healthy snacks, make soups that can be heated up throughout the week and start cutting back on unhealthy liquids. ON YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!

Breakfast Smoothie Recipe
Mandatory Ingredients
Fresh Sweet Basil
Parsley - curley or italian
Celery
Cucumbers
Carrots
Fresh Squeezed OJ
Tahini
Avocado
Frozen Organic mixed berries - blue, black, straw and raspberries
Ginger root

Optional Additions
Broccoli
Green Beans
Kale

Directions:
1) Chop vegetables to fit in blender. - vary amounts to taste. Start with few veggies and herbs and add more over time.
2) Place in colander and rinse thoroughly.
3) Put veggies in blender.
4) Add frozen mixed berries
5) Add tahini avocado on top of berries.
6) Pour OJ
7) Turn blender on high
8) Pour in glass and serve

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Sweet Potato Chips

Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions
1) Chop sweet potatoes on mandolin slicer at 1/8"-1/6"
2) Spread EVOO on cookie sheet
3) Spread sweet potato slices on oiled pan
4) Heat in oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
5) Check every five minutes for proper texture - crunchy but not burnt
   - usually takes between 45 - 75 min

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Nut Recipe
Ingredients
Mixed nuts - walnuts, brazil, almonds, pecans, cashew (any combination - not peanuts)
Toasted sesame oil

Directions
1) Put nuts in bowl and mix
2) Add toasted sesame oil mix
3) Soak for 10 minutes
4) Pour nuts on cookie sheet or stone ware pan
5) Place in over on low heat (280-300) for 45 minutes
6) Pull out oven and stir on cookie sheet
7) Place back in oven for 20-40 minutes

Hummus Recipe
Ingredients
Garlic clove section
Lemon
Organic, low sodium, Garbanzo beans in can
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
Cayenne Pepper

1) Open garbanzo beans can
2) Pour juice from can in measuring cup
3) Rinse beans thoroughly and place in blender
4) Chop one section of garlic clove and place in blender
5) Juice one lemon and place in blender
6) Pour 1/4 of garbanzo juice in measuring cup into blender
7) 1-2 tbsp of EVOO
8) Blend on low speed - add garbanzo juice if needed to make proper smooth texture
9) Pour hummus into bowl and make indentation in the middle
10) Fill indentation with EVOO
11) Sprinkle cayenne pepper on top