It's Not About Deprivation
Are you stuck in the dieting rut that says, “I have to give up this or that; I can’t have this; I can’t have that?” or “My New Year’s resolution will be to restrict calories to lose fifty pounds by summer.”
If you are, you are one of millions held captive in the American dieting prison system.
Nutritarin eating is about . . . . eating.
I can eat this. I can eat that.
It’s not about deprivation, because when the body gets the nutrients it so desperately needs, over time, the taste and desire for junk and unhealthy food choices naturally diminish. Food preferences change and the body seeks out excellent nutrition instead.
As we choose to eat foods that have high amounts of nutrients: unlimited amounts of fresh vegetables and fruits, unlimited amounts of beans/ legumes, limited amounts of unsalted nuts, seeds and grains, a bit of fish and poultry (if desired); we no longer are controlled by unnatural cravings for junk.
Just like the body doesn’t naturally crave nicotine unless it repeatedly smokes cigarettes; likewise, it doesn’t naturally desire artificial, processed food unless it is repeatedly fed the junk. When you are healthy, you don’t want junk.
If you are overweight or obese, you got there by starving yourself from high nutrient, natural foods. Most likely your body has been fed unhealthy, chemically sweetened and flavored processed foods. Your body size is the by-product of being chronically deprived of excellent nutrition.
You need a paradigm shift. A permanently transformed body is the result of a changed mind. Focus your thoughts on putting nutrient dense foods into your body. Fill your nutritional needs.
I challenge you this New Year to forget about the all-consuming drive to lose weight by deprivation (which, by the way, takes a lot of psychological effort to get psyched up for and is never permanent), and focus instead on putting lots of nutrient dense foods into your body. Fill your nutritional needs and your body will naturally decrease its drive to overeat calories.
Do you make the salad the main dish?; including lots of raw vegetables such as shredded cabbage, carrots, sweet peppers, tomatoes, and beets? Are you using Dr. Fuhrman’s healthy salad dressing recipes? Don’t forget the central core of nutritarianism is eating large raw salads; including greens such as lettuce, kale or spinach in a fruit smoothie once a day, if desired. Without the salads, it's likely that you're not interpreting Dr. Fuhrman’s guidelines accurately.
“By teaching you how to achieve superior health, your ideal weight will follow naturally.” -Dr. Fuhrman
Let's dialogue. Do you focus on deprivation, or do you focus on eating a sufficient amount of high nutrient vegetation to achieve optimal health?
Image credits: corporatemonk.com; healnh.org; purpletrail.com
