plant-based nutrition

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Getting your feet, rather, palate whet with plant-based eating

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3 (highly recommended) books to get you started on the healthy, plant-based lifestyle path of feeling alive, well and living fully

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The benefits of plant-based eating

Besides being adequately researched, studied and scientifically proven to prevent (and even reverse) cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity and other life threatening diseases, plant-based eating can and will provide rather immediate results in terms of weight loss and management; digestion and assimilation (and excretion); boosts in energy levels; enhanced quality of sleep; alleviation of back pains and body aches; mood swings and anger management; feelings of satiety and satisfaction with eating; peace and clarity of mind; the texture and condition of head hair; and the clearness of skin, to name just a few.

And, if the proven benefits don't convince you to make the switch fully to a plant-based diet and/or lifestyle, you can always start by trying for just a few days to see for yourself just how good you feel (and how truly delicious plant-based recipes taste).  Literally and truthfully.  For some additional motivation, see the three recommended books below that go into further detail about the benefits associated with a plant based lifestyle with regards to your own health as well as the health of our fellow animals and the health of our beloved Mother Earth. 

Three plant-based lifestyle books to buy and read (with factual proof and real-life example success stories)

1. The China Study

At the top of the book list is still an all-time personal favorite of mine and few other million people, The China Study.  This book, perhaps one of the first most comprehensive studies to be conducted about human dietary nutrition and health, literally provides startling implications regarding human diet and weight loss as well as other long-term health characteristics.

See more → 

The China Study →

The China Study →

2. How Not to Die

If the title of this book alone doesn't make the hairs on the back of your neck rise while providing that ecstasy like feeling of goosebumps, then maybe a blurb quoted from the book's description will, "From the physician behind the wildly popular website NutritionFacts.org, How Not to Die reveals the groundbreaking scientific evidence behind the only diet that can prevent and reverse many of the causes of disease-related death." 

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How Not To Die →

How Not To Die →

3. Forks Over Knives

Whenever I recommend books to read regarding plant-based living (and all of the health benefits achieved there from), I usually start with this Forks Over Knives book because it is honestly the fastest and most informative (and easy to) read for those that are not yet familiar with the idea of plant based living.  Plus, this version of Forks Over Knives comes with packed with (delicious) recipes to make it even easier to get started.

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Forks Over Knives →

Forks Over Knives →

Need some more help getting started?

If you feel like you may need some more help and/or convincing with making the (logical) switch to a plant-based lifestyle so that you can begin to live your life to the fullest and as healthy as humanly possible, contact me and we can schedule a best time for you to talk.  Previously coming from the meat-eating lifestyle, I know all about the objections, obstacles and otherwise obstructions that can make the switch harder than it truly needs to be.  Once you do make the switch you will fully feel the benefits both from the inside of your body (in terms of how you feel; your energy levels; your level of focus; your hunger cravings; your back pains; your body aches; your ongoing illnesses; your quality of sleep; your mood swings; et al) and from the outside of your body (in terms of how fit you will become as you naturally lose excess weight; your skin tone and clearness; the skeletal structure of your face and cheeks; the texture and feel of your hair; et al).

My weight loss story →

My weight loss story →

"This is for everyone who knows what it’s like to struggle with weight loss, heartburn, back pains, skin care, sleep and even mood swings."

-Scott Schroeder, How I Lost 20lbs in 7 Days

 
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Keep hydrated (and stay cool) with water-rich foods

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Keep hydrated (and stay cool) with water-rich foods

A look at some of the most water-rich foods that you can eat to keep hydrated and stay cool with this summer

Embracing the heat with a cool, hydrated body

Regardless of whether you're using Celsius or Fahrenheit measurements, one thing is for sure, the heat index temperatures are rising steadily for the months of the summer season and the weather forecast is not showing any sign of things getting cooler any time soon.  Nonetheless, there's not a need to ring the alarm or create a fire drill for because we can all take natural efforts to better keep (calm and) hydrated and stay cool this summer.  In addition to drinking an ample amount of water to fully nourish and hydrate your body on a daily basis, you can also eat specific foods that will help to keep your body cool during times of high heat temperatures.  At the top of the list of the most recommended cooling foods to eat in summer to keep your body cool are what we commonly refer to as water rich foods (and/or foods that are rich and otherwise high in water content). Adding some water-rich foods to your daily diet, especially during the hotter seasons, will work wonders for your body (and mind) by keeping you naturally cool and adequately hydrated, too.  See some of the most popular cooling foods listed below that you can begin to supplement in to your diet every day for their maximum hydrating and cooling powers.

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Letting food be our medicine and letting medicine be our food

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Letting food be our medicine and letting medicine be our food

The story of how a Doctor diagnosed with MS chose nutrition and natural, plant-based healing over costly, Western medicine

Code blue: redefining the practice of medicine

What started out late 1995 as an MRI confirming diagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) has since blossomed in to an awakening of the powers of plant-based nutrition on health, wellness and healing for Dr. Saray Stancic.  After about eight long years of battling with the suffering and pain accompanied by the burden of taking ineffective pharmaceutical drugs (and likely an unimaginable amount of frustration), Dr. Saray came across an article in a medical journal that shed some light on the possibility of managing MS with diet and/or nutrition.  At first doubtful in this new approach of "treatment" and even discouraged by her neurologist and physician peers, Dr. Saray decided to give this newfound approach a try and has since reaped the benefits of natural healing with whole food, plant-based lifestyle/diet.

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This smoothie list is bananas, B•A•N•A•N•A•S !! 🍌 🍌🍌

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This smoothie list is bananas, B•A•N•A•N•A•S !! 🍌 🍌🍌

Featuring 10 banana based smoothie recipes hand-picked from the Green Blenders' compilation of 73 banana-friendly smoothies

Bananas are nutrition powerhouses

In addition to providing for the perfect texture of any smoothie and supporting those of us on set diets to either lose weight or gain weight, bananas are an excellent source of numerous amounts of healing nutrients like minerals (such as potassium, copper, selenium, magnesium, molybdenum and boron), vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants and other phytonutrients.  Bananas are also full of fiber, water and pulp, too, aiding us in suppressing and satisfying our appetites.  And, as Anthony William of Medical Medium alludes to in his book Life-Changing Foods, bananas are one of Nature's gifts for our digestive system, even known to reverse bodily conditions like IBS, Crohn's Disease and Colitis.  Whether eaten raw from the peel, blended up in a smoothie, chopped with your kale or what-have-you, enjoy your bananas and the healing powers they pass along with their pleasurably unique taste and conveniently soothing digestive benefits.

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Pears, like apples, are also great for losing weight

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Pears, like apples, are also great for losing weight

Full of flavor and packed with phytochemicals, trace minerals and amino acids, pears are one of the world's healthiest foods that you can eat for weight loss

Pears suppress our appetite and prevent overeating

A close kin to the apple, pears are another must-have food to include in your diet.  Pears are known to be high in dietary fiber, offering us that feeling of being full and satisfied with hunger levels to the point that we don't overeat during meals or in between meals either (similar to eating bananas for losing weight).  The sweet flavor that a pear brings satisfies our hunger (and/or suppresses our appetite) and their electrolyte makeup serves to stabilize our blood sugar, giving us natural boosts in energy without the crash afterward.

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Yellow watermelon fruit bowl

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Yellow watermelon fruit bowl

Fruit bowl made out of watermelon shell and filled with organic yellow watermelon pieces

The Basics

  • Prep time 5 minutes 
  • Servings 3-4

Ingredients

1 whole yellow watermelon (organic if available)

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Mashed pOpaya!

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Mashed pOpaya!

Organic papaya cut, sliced, scooped then mashed and sprinkled with a few papaya seeds on top

The Basics

  • Prep time 2 minutes 
  • Mash Time 2 minutes 
  • Servings 2-3

Ingredients

1 whole papaya (organic if available)

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Curbing your appetite (and losing weight) with cranberries 

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Curbing your appetite (and losing weight) with cranberries 

Reach for the cranberry to help you lose weight while you naturally suppress your appetite

First things first: If it ain't working, fix it!

Whether the summer months are on the distant horizon or not, we're talking weight loss and health goals big time these days.  With an estimated 1-in-3 Americans now considered medically obese, the world is clearly in need of some proper education about healthy eating habits and lifestyle practices in general. The diet pills, fad diets and bogus workout plans are evidently still not working (nor will they ever work as is).  This is a call to consciousness, if you are tired of being overweight and are ready to make a true change in your lifestyle, you and only you can take the first step!

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The ABC's for losing weight

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The ABC's for losing weight

Never mind the diet pills, look to your local fruit stand for 3 common foods that can help you to naturally lose weight

Whether you're looking to lose weight for summer; get fit to look as perfect as can be in to your bride's dress (and even groom's suit) for the upcoming wedding; or you just want to enhance your overall health by shedding some excess weight from your body, you can lose weight naturally by including some essential foods like apples, bananas and cherries in your diet.  And, you won't have to break your bank or look too hard as apples, bananas and cherries are rather inexpensive to buy and all three can usually be found year round at your nearby grocery store, local farmer's market or street-side fruit stand.

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An apple a day keeps the (bariatrics) doctor away

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An apple a day keeps the (bariatrics) doctor away

Examining the anti-obesity and digestive health benefits of apples for weight loss

Whether you're familiar with the old English proverb or not, an apple a day can and does actually help to keep us out of various types of doctor's offices, perhaps most notably, the bariatrics doctor's office.  Research and clinical studies show supporting evidence of apples (red apples specifically) as being effective in preventing, treating and reversing obesity with the help of water-soluble, vacuolar pigments known as anthocyanins (*as well as hints of another phyotchemical, malvidin, a type of anthocyanidin).

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