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August 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Want to make a vegan’s eyes roll back in their head?

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Just ask them where they get their protein.

As American consumers, we have been duped by Madison Avenue, the Beef and Dairy industries, and yes, our government (which caters to strong special interest groups) into believing that beef, dairy, and pork, “the other white meat” are essential to our health and strong bodies.

Legumes

But let’s take a look at protein from a health and body perspective. First, what it is and why we need it.

Protein is an important component of our bodies and is necessary for:

  • organ function
  • muscle growth
  • enzyme production
  • hormone production

 

We also need amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. They combine in various ways to produce a number of structural building units known as proteins, which then combine to:

  • create cell components
  • structural fibers
  •  tissues & tissue systems
  •  organs & organ systems

√  And just so you know, the body cannot make 9 of the 20 amino acids, so they must come from food. They are called essential amino acids.

How much protein do we need for strong and healthy bodies?

The World Health Organization states that people need to consume 5% of their calories from protein. Other experts say 10%. The USDA’s recommended daily allowance is about 0.36 gram of protein for every pound of body weight. So if you weigh 130 pounds, you would need 47 grams of protein. But remember, the USDA also has special interest groups in mind such as the Beef and Dairy Councils.

However, according to Dr. Joel Fuhrman in Eat Right America, the American extreme emphasis on protein is “dietary suicide.” He suggests 20 to 35 grams of protein a day. 

Now you are rolling your eyes back in your head and asking, what’s the big deal about too much protein?

The way Americans get their protein is from animals and in order to get that protein, we consume a very toxic substance: animal fat.

T. Colin Campbell, PhD in his groundbreaking best-seller, The China Study, examines the relationship between animal products and illness, finds that a diet of animal products contributes to:

  • cancer
  • diabetes
  • heart disease
  • obesity
  • autoimmune disease
  • osteoporosis.

In his well-documented work, he shows a marked increase in the rates of these diseases in people who consume the higher protein found in animal products.

So here’s the skinny: not only do we eat too much protein, we eat it from the wrong sources, sources that not only cause us illnesses but obesity.

I f you want to lose weight and improve your health, consider a plant based diet. You can get plenty of protein from plants. Take a look at some of the higher and healthier protein sources:

  • 1 cup of lentils provides 18 grams of protein
  • 1 cup of cranberry beans provides 17 grams of protein
  • 1 cup of chickpeas provides 15 grams of protein
  • 1 cup of cooked brown rice provides 9 grams of protein
  • ¼ cup of almonds provides 7.4 grams of protein
  • 1 cup of broccoli provides 5 grams of protein

By eating beans, nuts, grains, and veggies, we can create a healthy and nutritious diet that is low in calories.

A plant based diet not only helps us to lose weight and that dreaded belly fat, but it improves our immune system, health, endurance and lifestyle. Check out the number of vegan athletes and body builders and you will never again need to ask: where do you get your protein?

At this point, you may be scrunching your nose and telling me that you don’t want to eat like a rabbit.

You won’t need to. By detoxing your body and palette with a plant based diet, your taste buds come alive and you begin to enjoy the vast, bountiful supply of foods available. Check out plant based cookbooks and you will find an amazing amount of variety and everything will taste good and improve your health and vitality.

Give it a try: one day a week, or one week a month – ease into it, or just go cold turkey……sorry….cold green bean.

To your health!

Filed Under: Ann White Articles, Guest Authors, Mindful Eating, Obesity, Veganism, Vegetarian Tagged With: , , , , ,
August 12, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Change Your Life: Nutrition As A Catalyst

Are you one of those who are looking to get more out of your life?

Vegetarian DelightDo you have a strong internal yearning that there has got to be more to life than what you are currently perceiving to be reality?

I witness more and more people open up to the possibility of a different way of being in the world. They want to feel better in their bodies and about their lives, and are actively searching for a reality beyond the traditional 9-5 hour job… More vitality, more happiness, more creativity, and more abundance on all levels.

I was one of those people asking for more. I didn’t like my reality. My body was dying at age 26, dis-ease was spreading, I was severely depressed and feeling increasingly desperate to leave this world. Then I decided to change my perception of reality…and nutrition became the key, the catalyst, to transform everything in my life.

Simply put, nutrition is how I moved from exhaustion, depression and life-less, into a thriving and vital Being, now living and appreciating life from a place of true abundance.

How can this be you may ask.

Well, the kind of foods I am referring to are so nutritious that they positively change your brain chemistry,

your consciousness, and assist your body in releasing negative cellular memory and speed up the healing and regeneration of the body.

I am talking about food eaten in its natural state: Raw!

By raw nutrition I refer to plant based (vegan) foods only, not meat, fish or dairy. The raw vegan foods I used to heal my body and take my life to the next level are organic (sometimes wild) vegetables, fruits, leafy greens, nuts, seeds, sea weeds, superfoods and super herbs.

When you eat raw, plant based foods (raw vegan foods), you are eating “living foods”. The foods are literally alive with life force energy*, because all the nutrients are intact. Giving yourself the gift of living nutrition is like upgraded living, because you get all the benefits of the food and no loss. The food is not taxing your organs or digestive system, but rebuilding and strengthening.

Eating predominantly raw, vegan foods do not entail eating only cold foods.

It simply means that the foods are not cooked in the traditional way. When food is heated above a certain temperature, it is dead and devoid of life-giving enzymes. This is because temperatures above 115 degrees F. destroy the enzymes and change the nutrients. Combined with food additives, like colorings and preservatives, and low quality produce, over time this also radically, but subtly, change the person who is eating the food (from his/ her potential).

Low quality, ‘dead’ food changes the brain, the ability to think clearly, and creates tension in the internal organs, which may be projected outwardly as fear. As a result, most people believe the outside world controls them, which generates even more fear. In my experience, the build-up of toxic density is the main problem.

On a physical level, the cooking process destroys the vitamins and essential fatty acids in the food. It changes the minerals and coagulates the proteins. To me, it would be odd if this didn’t somehow affect the person eating the food also. Tension, stress in the internal organs, disconnection from the earth and emotional pain are some of the by-products of eating life-less foods.

Consider this: Whatever you eat shows up in your energy field as vibrations and cause you to attract identical vibrations.

What would you like to attract into your life? How about eating high vibration foods, foods that regenerate, restore and elevate you into bliss? Raw plant based foods grown organically and with love help you to clear out the lower energy levels and upgrade your life to a state of being that is authentically you. Eating this way also activates your intuition, which is incredibly more powerful than you think. It has simply been put to sleep because you forgot how powerful you really are.

There are many ways you can change your life.

It is my experience that when you eat high quality raw, living foods, you awaken to your true potential, reconnect to our Mother, the Earth, and really see your magnificence.

A big PS!

In my world of raw living, there are no limitations or rules as to how much raw is right  – only YOU know what is right for you! I encourage you to listen to the true voice of your body, because it will tell you.

*I refer to Life Force Energy as the field of intention from which we originate.

Copyright © Simran Sofia Love

 

Filed Under: Eating Organic, Guest Authors, Mindful Eating, Raw Food Diet, Simran Sophia Love Articles, Super Herbs, Superfoods, Veganism Tagged With: , , ,