Weight Loss for People Who Feel Too Much (26 page)

Many processed foods lose flavor in the processing, so a lot of extra salt is added and then we shake processed salt on to them to give them even more flavor. Instead, give up the processed foods and salts, and avoid kosher sea salt which is becoming more processed, and more polluted, than ever before. Salt from the Dead Sea has been touted as having health benefits, but studies show it has a lot of toxins. Table salt, even kosher sea salt, is heated, causing the natural crystals to break up and become irregular, and precious minerals destroyed in the process. Buy a salt grinder and use Himalayan sea salt on your food instead. Take a bag of it with you when you're traveling or you are going to eat a restaurant.

Many spices not only bring flavor to your food but are also incredibly healthy for you. Turmeric (found in cumin and curry) is an anti-inflammatory and is also good for digestion and for boosting the immune system; it's an appetite suppressant as well. Turmeric may also help prevents Alzheimer's disease as well as cancer, so eat your curry! Cloves are good for alleviating arthritis, fungal infections, bad bacteria, and infections. Cinnamon helps treat arthritis pain and also helps lower bad cholesterol, keep blood sugar levels stable, and boost cognitive function and memory. Garlic lowers cholesterol levels and is good for your heart. Cardamom contributes to healthy circulation and digestion. Marjoram promotes good digestion, as does fennel, which also helps reduce gas, works as an appetite suppressant, and helps reduce the amount of bone loss suffered after menopause. Ginger can relieve headaches and menstrual cramps, along with arthritis pain and nausea. Jamaican allspice is good for your digestion and helps you maintain healthy blood sugar levels. Oregano is an antifungal that can kill yeast overgrowth and fungal infections. Cayenne pepper helps your body clear itself of toxins and contributes to good circulation. Sage helps reduce inflammation, so it can help ease arthritis pain.

If you love soy sauce, you might want to replace it with Bragg's amino acids, which has a very similar taste and texture but is free from added salts and GMOs.

HEALTHIER SUGARS

After working through the four steps of this weight-loss program, you have come to realize that you'd been using—and abusing!—sugar as a way to ground yourself and avoid painful or overwhelming feelings. Now that you have some healthier alternatives, think about taking most or—drum roll, please—
all
the sugars out of your diet. People who feel too much need to avoid high-glycemic-index foods, and sweeteners are at the top of that list. A spike in blood sugar is like an invitation to detour away from yourself quicker than you can say “candy-coated rocket ship”!

Personally, I avoid white sugar as much as possible. If I use a sweetener, it's rare, but it will be either a teeny bit of dark organic agave or real dark amber Canadian maple syrup. Stevia is an option, too. Sugars are present in fruits and vegetables, but if you eat them in their raw form, or cooked but with plenty of the fiber preserved, they won't wreak havoc on your system. It's the fruit juices you need to be more concerned about. If you have strong mood swings or symptoms of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia), be extra cautious about consuming sugar. There is a brilliant video one of my certified coaches posted on our special Facebook Weight Release Energetix coaching page, called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth.” It's long, but I highly suggest everyone watch it. All my coaches must watch this video, and they also must encourage their clients to watch it.

GRAINS

Not everyone can handle the gluten that's present in most grains, but if you can tolerate gluten, whole grains can be a healthy part of your diet. Read the food labels carefully: “Made from whole grain” doesn't mean that the food necessarily
contains
whole grains. All grains start out as whole grains; it's what is done in the processing that leaves them without fiber! (How misleading are some of these food labels? It's really annoying!) Go for brown rice instead of white rice, which is missing the hull. Buy whole-grain breads and pastas, not ones made from refined flours and dyed with a bit of molasses to make them look healthy! If you're avoiding gluten, you've got options, such as brown rice pasta.

WATER

It's important to stay hydrated. Most experts agree that thirst is a good indicator of whether you need more water, so you probably don't have to measure exactly how much you're drinking. The water in fruits and vegetables counts as your water intake, but you'll also need to drink water to be sure you don't become dehydrated. When you aren't eating a meal or snacking, drink ionized water to keep your body as alkaline as possible. When you're having water and eating at the same time, put a slice of lemon in the water. It not only gives the water a little flavor but it increases the water's alkalinity, which reduces the acidity in the body. I use an ionizer at home and drink alkaline water as much as possible. You will have to decide for yourself whether you think alkaline water is important, but whatever you choose, make sure you stay hydrated, particularly on hot days and when you're getting movement.

WHERE TO FIND GOOD FOOD

FARMERS' MARKETS

Do an Internet search to locate farmers' markets in your area. Not all farmers' markets are open year-round, but when they are open, they offer super-fresh produce. Of course, you'll probably also find booths selling candy or cookies or other treats, so be aware that noisy foods may call to you while you're checking out the leafy greens.

One thing I've found is that the produce sellers are often eager to let you have a taste and to educate you on how to store and cook a vegetable or herb that's unfamiliar to you. You start to become familiar with which vegetables and fruits are season. In-season produce tastes the best and is more nutritious. It also tends to last longer in your refrigerator because it hasn't had to travel a long way. Local produce can go from field to your table in the same day. If you haven't had just-picked vegetables or fruits, you really have to try them.

Time your visit to farmers' markets carefully. The most popular fruits and vegetables, or the ones that are at the end of their season, can sell out quickly. The best deals are at the end of the day. If you're making soup, you might pick up a big bag of marked-down produce the farmer doesn't want to drag back home.

FARMERS' COOPERATIVES

In some areas, you can contract with local farmers to receive a weekly shipment of whatever fruits and vegetables are in season. You may be invited to help harvest the produce as a way to keep your costs low, or you can to go to a specific location to pick up that week's boxes of vegetables and fruits. If you choose this route, be forewarned that you may end up with large amounts of a vegetable you don't like or have no idea how to prepare. You have to be ready to learn how cook seasonally—and think about trading some of that huge bag of zucchinis with a friend.

URBAN FARMS

Vegetables and fruits can be grown in empty lots, in buildings under artificial light, or atop skyscrapers in cities. These are urban farms. There's hope that urban agriculture will radically change the food landscape, making it easier for city dwellers to obtain local, organic produce. One of the advantages of growing foods indoors is that it's a way to extend the growing season. Another is that animal waste, such as the water that fish live in and excrete in, can be used to fertilize plants, while the plant waste can be used to feed the fish, resulting in both healthier plants and animals. It's also easier to avoid using pesticides and antibiotics, and to grow foods organically, when they aren't sharing air space with pesticide-laden crops in the field across the road.

Similarly, urban farmers are discovering that, with the right types of greenhouses, or vertical farms within buildings, they can grow produce in the bitter cold of winter because the crops are sheltered from the weather. These methods are likely to open up many more options for people living in those “food deserts,” where grocery stores are rare and produce isn't fresh or of high quality. By supporting organic farming and urban agriculture, you're being both friendly to the earth and a good citizen. Check to see if there are urban farms near you. If they don't sell directly to consumers, they may sell to your local food co-operative or health food store.

HEALTH FOOD STORES AND CO-OPS

Some grocery stores specialize in offering healthful foods instead of highly processed foods. Their prices may seem high compared to the same foods at the standard grocery store, but there are reasons for this. First, many of the items are organic and it costs more to grow and distribute organic foods. Second, smaller companies may not be able to offer the large discounts that standard stores get. Third, processed foods are often less expensive because they are loaded with cheap fillers, such as high fructose corn syrup, and have chemical preservatives that keep them from spoiling on the shelf. That's convenient for the grocer and keeps his losses low, but it's not good for your body, which has to process all that junk. One aisle to head toward is the bulk aisle, where you can find rice, whole grains, peanut butter, and other staples in larger quantities. Selling these items in bulk can keep the price very reasonable. Be sure to pay attention to when you bought these items, and store them carefully so they don't spoil in your cupboard.

Some health food grocery stores are co-ops owned by the people who shop there. At some of these co-ops, you simply buy a membership; others require that you spend a few hours a month working there. Look in to your local options.

GROCERY STORES

Learn where the healthiest foods are found in your local grocery store. Usually, they're somewhere on the edge of the store, in the produce aisle. Pay attention to sales flyers because the produce on sale is probably what's in season. Over time, you will get to know when it is the best time to buy your favorite fruits and vegetables.

Healthy fruits and vegetables can often be found in the frozen food aisle, too. Frozen food is picked and quick-frozen at the height of its freshness, so the taste and nutrition are optimal. However, if you're particular about textures, you may prefer to buy fresh produce, since freezing can render your corn soft and your strawberries mushy. You can always use the frozen versions in soup, stir-fries, or smoothies, where the texture is going to be altered anyway.

Some grocery stores have an aisle devoted to packaged health foods, from cereals to pastas, soups, and more. However, you might find that no particular food source has everything you want. Maybe you find the best produce at the farmers' market in the summertime and the health food co-op in the winter, and you fill in with foods from the grocery store. In time, you'll get to know which places have the best selection and prices.

That said, make a point of not going to the grocery store when you are hungry, angry, lonely, or tired—think “HALT!” In these emotional states, you're likely to find yourself buying comfort foods you don't want to bring home. Even a health food store or a farmera' market can have a tempting aisle or stall. Have you ever found yourself standing in front of the wholesale bins of grains, dried fruit, and cereals, salivating at the conveniently placed bin of your favorite binge foods and fantasizing about getting them home and hiding them in some secret spot so you wouldn't be caught bingeing on them? Be mindful when you shop and always remember that food shouldn't be entertainment. Linger as long as you like in front of the Brussels sprouts and those cute purple carrots, though. You're unlikely to start plotting a way to consume them in massive quantities, as you would the one-bite “healthy” brownies, carob-covered peanuts, or the cookies made from all-natural ingredients.

YOUR GARDEN

Growing some of your own food can be fun and easy, even if you don't have a backyard. You can rent a plot from a farmer, neighbor, or your community (one of my clients rents a plot at the local elementary school). You can also create beds on your urban rooftop or plant in patio containers. One of my students lives in an apartment and plants all kinds of veggies and herbs on her balcony, saving herself hundreds of dollars.

Growing at least some of your own food is gentle to the earth. You can save food scraps for composting, which cuts down on the amount of garbage the sanitation workers have to cart away from your home. Also, produce shipped from far away uses up a lot of fossil foods in transport, so gardening reduces your carbon footprint. In fact, in America during World War II, the government encouraged people to plant “Victory Gardens” in their backyards, so that the precious resource of gasoline, needed to move troops and equipment, wasn't used to truck produce all over the United States. We have fewer family farms now, but we still have backyards and porches and empty lots.