In kindergarten I learned:

You Are What You Eat.

(I love it when David Wolfe says that at the end of the FoodMatters video trailer. Did you see that?)

The way I've learned it during my grown up years:

What we eat when we are young can determine to a great extent what health we enjoy as we age. Habits are very powerful. Change is possible. Knowledge is essential.

The building blocks you give your body are the only things available to your body systems and cells to do the work of building and repair. If you eat junk and fat, your body will eventually become junk and fat. Disease will be more likely to occur. If you give your body the living, whole foods of the earth, then your body will become more alive and whole. Healing will take place and rebuilding and repair will be more complete and precise. (I have read a number of times that our bodies replace themselves almost totally over a seven year period... what a great opportunity for renewal! I have to learn more detail about this process. How do the scientists tell that this is actually taking place?)

Every person must take responsibility for what he or she chooses to eat and must be willing to accept the consequences of what happens when a particular eating style is followed. Personally, I prefer positive consequences!

The consequences of eating a diet heavy in animal products creates an environment where the body has to do additional work to remove toxins, etc. This environment welcomes disease.

Eating a vegetable based diet allows our bodies to freely build and repair. Effort is not expended removing toxic substances once our systems have been cleared of them and we are enjoying a variety of raw and cooked vegetables. If a person has eaten an unhealthy diet over an extended period of time, changing the diet can lead to healing and health. And while change can be difficult, it is very possible! Knowledge is the key.

Changes I have made:

1. Very little dairy since February 2008. Actually it has consisted of about 6 ounces of milk, 3 servings of ice cream, probably 5 ounces of cheese, and a couple of bites of yogurt in a 6 month period. I would say that's a pretty drastic change for someone who used to drink a couple of glasses of milk a day, eat cheese melted into her dinner several times a week and never put limits on the amount of ice cream she was allowed to consume. Now, I consider myself almost completely dairy free.

2. Very little meat. I have 3 or 4 small servings of meat per week. Sometimes it is one bite. It is rarely more than 3 ounces. Again, this is a drastic difference from eating meat at nearly every meal. My goal is to eat meat even less. I think once a week at most would be great! Even less is possible. (If you are curious: Dr. Fuhrman has reported that he eats a small portion of fish about twice a month.)

3. Decreased simple sugars. Boy, I have struggled with this one. I seem to have more than one sweet tooth! Since I gave up milk, I don't eat cereal. That was a big offender in my diet. (Have you done any label reading to see how many things contain corn syrup? It's unreal!) Instead of sugary foods like baked goods and soda, I actually eat more fruit. (I was a die-hard Coca~Cola drinker and now it tastes terrible!) Again, this is a big change for me. I have never been a fruit lover. I can remember when I was little, I would eat the apples and my brother would eat the bananas and there was never a fight. I don't remember eating many other fruits as a child. Now, we drink smoothies made with berries and bananas. I love cataloupe slush and popsicles. Watermelon is in season! And we aren't adding sugar. We have added dates once in awhile, but I am enjoying the natural sweet taste of real foods.

4. Increasing not only fruits, but veggies. Sometimes I want to get out a piece of green poster board and make a sign that says "VEGGIE POWER" and carry it around so that world will get the message, but maybe a t-shirt would do. I really wish people would stop and examine what they are doing to their health! Seriously, I am working on eating a greater VARIETY of veggies. Today we had a smoothie that was heavy on the spinach. This past week we had artichokes and they were great. (My daughter stole the leftover cold one and ate it all herself with hummus. Don't tell her I told you!) Raw and cooked veggies should be the greatest part of our food intake. They are high in fiber, high in nutrients and there must be a million ways to prepare them! (Not to mention that they are just beautiful and tasty!)

5. Adding raw, unsalted nuts and seeds. And beans. Can I just say that cashews and garbonzo beans are my favorites? More about these later.

I want to show you Dr. Fuhrman's food pyramid. He argues that the government food pyramid is still out of balance and shows us an even better way. Food Pyramid
(You can buy these in full color in poster and magnet sizes here: Dr. Fuhrman's online store.)

It's all food for thought.. What are you having for dinner tonight?