Eating better

New Year resolutions are in full swing.

Scot and I have rededicated ourselves to eating better. I have termed our eating "clean foods".
Less sauces, less processed foods, and less fat.

We are trying hard to not make our yummy home baked goods as often. Once a week. It is hard. I love to cook and bake. So now I am just focusing on the cooking part.

In conjunction with trying to eat better I always have to have some sort of plan. Something that grabs my attention enough to want to try it and get going. I have always loved Bob Greene's book called "The best life diet". He has a great plan. Mainly called discipline. Much in moderation. He makes you ask yourself some hard questions which all lead to why you EAT. What makes you EAT? Is it hunger really? Anyways, I have loved reading his philosophy. He did touch on how our hormones can be a problem with weight gain. I just never really thought much about it until I came across this book from a leading expert in hormone balancing.

C.W. Randolph, Jr.

His book called "from BELLY fat to BELLY flat" talks about how your hormones are adding inches to your waistline and subtracting years from your life.
I have really enjoyed grasping his "3 step plan to balancing your hormones and whittling your middle". And yes, I have already felt the results.

Basically you eat foods that will help decrease your body's estrogen load. He explains how in our mid-thirties we start dropping in progesterone. The reproductive organs are not needed and this hormone decreases. Or something to that effect. So because it has dropped it leaves us with an ESTROGEN DOMINANCE. This is what causes a imbalance in our womanly bodies. There are many symptoms for this imbalance. Insomnia, depression, weight gain, and much more. He says that it is always blown off with depression medication because doctors don't know what else to do. He has come up with a natural diet and vitamin supplements which he promises you will see huge results with your weight......the MIDDLE in particular.

So in a nut shell (no pun intended).......you eat 4 MAIN categories of foods
1. CRUCIFEROUS vegetables (2-3 servings a day)
large amounts of broccoli, asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, celery, collard greens etc....
2. CITRUS FRUITS (1 serving a day)
there is a substance called d-Limonene found in the oils of citrus which has been shown to promote the detoxification of estrogen and when they gave the extract to mice they lost weight
3. INSOLUABLE FIBER (2 servings a day)
it is an estrogen binder....such foods as whole-wheat breads, barley, couscous, brown rice, wheat bran, as well as seeds, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, and tomatoes
4. LIGNANS (2-3 serving a day)
also an estrogen binder.......ground or milled flaxseed, sesame seeds

In addition to these groups ........you eat a serving of protein with every meal
2 servings of calcium (making sure there are no added hormones)
1 more serving of a fruit (in addition to the citrus)

I have learned to add ground flax to my cereal in the mornings and veggies at night. Be careful because flax is a natural laxative. Don't overdo it.

I have also learned to add much more of the veggies to my meals.

One of my favorite lunches is this hummus that we get from fresh and easy that has ground up chickpeas, lemon juice, sesame seeds, and garlic. A winning combo with some spinach and whole-wheat pitas. The chickpeas are a great source of protein without the fat. Mmmm good.
Other than that I really haven't changed my eating. Like I said before I don't bake as often. And that is surely where you can get into trouble quick.

Keeping to moderate portions, and a lot of discipline.
I do work out just about everyday so I also eat more of the insoluble items listed.
And most important I stop eating after dinner. That is hard when your up late.
I feel better.

I love sharing so enjoy!