Craving Something Sweet

Find yourself craving something sweet? You are not alone. New research suggests that processed foods are as addictive as some hard core drugs.

The food industry knows this and does not care if you are hooked.

Kraft Foods spent $683 million on advertising in the US in 2012.
(Source: Advertising Age)

The consequences are disastrous, however, and the proof that we are in bad shape is in the numbers.

The best medicine for this epidemic is not in a pill! It can be easily found in the food we eat.

Food is the best antidote.

What many do not realize is that eating healthy does not have to be complicated or tasteless.

As a matter of fact, with a little bit of planning and awareness, the path towards greater health and well being is not farther than our pantry and plate.

Just yesterday I came up with a quick lunch that took into account the leftovers from the night before. The picture is not that great, but the meal was tasty and satisfying. More importantly, if you look carefully at what is on the plate, you realize that it follows a basic principle that can organize all of your meals that will help avoid issues like type 2 diabetes and other ailments related to our modern lifestyle.

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Ingredients:

  1. Grilled chicken breast. (You can grill the night before and cut into small pieces.)
  2. Avocado (slice)
  3. Cabbage (Use any other available vegetable.)
  4. Spinach or Romaine lettuce.
  5. Walnuts (handful)
  6. Avocado or olive oil and apple cider vinegar (lots)

Directions:

It’s a salad, so put it all together, be generous with the avocado or olive oil, and mix well. Easy meal.

The Take Away

More than focusing on the particular ingredients for this meal, notice the pattern to it. What is it?

  1. Include a lot of greens and vegetables.
  2. Add a moderate amount of protein.
  3. Use the greens and vegetables as the transport for healthy fats.

The result of eating this way is that you will get lots of phytonutrients, avoid an excess amount of carbs, have enough protein to maintain and build muscle, and you will enjoy the benefits of fats in the diet.

There are three macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Reducing carbohydrates means that the other two macronutrients will need to go up.

Increasing the amount of fat in the diet allows for greater satiety and fewer cravings for sugar and processed food. It is the key to undoing the damage of the Standard American Diet (SAD).

“The right fats increase metabolism, stimulate fat burning, cut hunger, optimize your cholesterol profile, and can reverse type 2 diabetes and reduce your risk for heart disease.” -Mark Hyman, MD

Dr. Hyman is a leading functional medicine clinician. He has written extensively on diet and the importance of eating real food. His article “Separating Fat from Fiction: 10 Fat Facts You Need to Know” is a good starting point to better understand the way out of sugar and carbohydrate addiction.

Finally, if you are finding yourself in a place where you know you want to change the way you are eating, know that Maribel and I can walk with you. We are not nutritionists nor can would we tell you what to eat , but we have plenty of experience with real food and the personal results that come from becoming curious about our health.

Published
Categorized as Food, Mind

By Carlos Gonzalez

Carlos Gonzalez teaches English at Miami Dade College and yoga and wellness in the community through Miami Firm Body, the company he co-founded with his wife, Maribel. He works with words, movement, and the body. His calling is to invite others to join him in the joy of searching within and finding the strength and courage to walk toward wholeness. Carlos is a spell caster, an educational trickster whose core mission is to transform grief into a source of possible beauty, vulnerability into strength, and fear into wonder.

1 comment

  1. Just a random thought upon reading this excellent post. It’s so important to focus on our diets in order to keep our bodies and minds healthy. For lack of a better acronym, “GLOW VA” hit me right away. For this quick and healthy meal, that should be a daily goal — (G)rilled protein, (L)ettuce, (O)il or vinegar, (W)alnuts, (V)egetable, and (A)vocado! Your acronym and plate may vary! Miami Firm Body is just such an amazing group… One of the best things I’ve ever done was to get healthy with them! Never doubt that if you “mind your food,” your “food will take care of your mind!”

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