But what about your protein?
This is a common question I get asked when people ask me how I reduced my own weight from 105kg to 85kg over 2014. The first “wake up call” was watching first hand my older brother, Clint, pass away at 57, with Bowel and Liver Cancer in November 2013. That was a real wake up call. I realised that if I continued eating and drinking the way I did, I may not be far behind him. Something in me had to change. By random chance, I met a wise food chap, Bob Ratnarajah, in Sydney at the Mind, Body, Spirit Festival in 2013. Bob and I consciously clicked and we met the next day over breakfast. Bob gave me a documentary video called, “Forks over knives”. An excellent video that documented the really bad eating habits of the USA verses China (see article link below). It opened my eyes and knew immediately that I needed to understand more about how to change what went into my body. After seeing the bad eating and drinking habits my own brother had made, I knew I had to change or possibly be not that far behind him. My wife, Julie, was already a vegetarian and I had never complied with her own change ( I was so much a meat and three veggie man, along with too much greasy, fatty and processed foods) :). There was only one way to go for me now and that was UP. I wanted to change before I got unwell. So many people wait until they have a “scare” – then they are shocked into it. There is no time like the present to make the change.
So, here I was uncovering a whole new world of understanding healthy eating options and this became my new focus to learn and action it in 2014.
My 90 year old dad, who lived in Tasmania, was diagnosed in December 2013 with lymphoma and I flew down to care for him every fortnight. This opened my eyes even further on how bad hospital and palliative care food is for patients – it is all processed, fat and sugar filled food. My Dad passed away in March.
I talked with others regularly who had already made the change and started watching excellent learning videos from new foodie movements, FOOD MATTERS
I heard for the first time about “super foods,” raw foods and how to juice every day. Highly recommend this guy – Joe Cross.
We heard about organic plant based meals and thought, why not explore this further. Of course Julie was very excited, because finally I had arrived to the conclusion that eating better (or meat free) was going to be easier for both of us to come up with exciting meals every day.
I recall that the final cruncher to not eat meat came after watching a life changing documentary from Doctor Michael Greger M.D.at NUTRITION FACTS. I also did away with 99% of dairy (so many great alternative options available), explored the “super food family (Kale, blueberries etc) and got rid of ALL sugars and fats too. My new life style chant was, “you are what you think, drink and eat” and you do have a choice to turn your own health around. No one else is responsible for your well being, only you can make that conscious, front of mind, choice.
We now eat only fresh, organic fruit and veg – lots of them with seeds, beans and sprouts. The results have been quite amazing. I highly recommend getting your head around this lifestyle choice if you want to reduce disease (particularly heart disease and cancers) and extend your life. Yes you are going to die at some point, however, dying healthy is a great option. as James Brown sings, “I FEEEEEL GOOD”
We also realised that not giving your new lifestyle choice a particular name, enables us to not be fanatical about our new eating routines. We realised that by putting a name around it limits your thinking (eg. Vegan, Vegetarian, Raw, Organic, Paleo etc) – do what WORKS FOR YOU, although get a better understanding of the bad foods and stay well away from their intensive marketing campaigns (like turning off the TV – Ok, I will leave that for another blog).
Are there good alternatives? Yes, so many great options are available and lots of support. Never complain that Coles or Woolies are your only option for food, fruit and vegetables – like us, we uncovered a whole world of options that are available and the alternative food markets and stores (In Brisbane – Northey Street Markets or order from online companies for home deliveries or join or create an organic food co-op, or grow your own food – even better!). Explore, do your research and then act on it. Yes, new effort is required to make these changes and you pay a bit more for the better quality food, however, it is a small price to pay for your own well being. And it tastes so much better too. What do you think? Time to change or are you making excuses like I once did?
So – want to be inspired further? – enjoy this blog below…
Greg Dodge ~ “Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” 