I hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are looking forward to the New Year.
If you are thinking about making changes this time of year, you’re not alone. The “New Year New You” mantra started resurfacing a week or so ago as people look back on the previous year. Many are desperate for the upcoming year to be better. We make promises to ourselves like “I’m going to lose twenty pounds by summer,” or “I’m going to stop smoking,’ or “I’m going to exercise everyday,” because we want a big change. But big promises may be difficult to keep. Then, when life gets in the way, we miss a workout, or get home too late to make that homemade meal, and we find ourselves back in the fast-food line and using the treadmill to hang laundry.
In my video, I spoke about overhauling my way of eating to a plant-based diet for the next few weeks, but my daily diet isn’t too from that already. I am not big on meat and live mostly on broccoli and sweet potatoes…, and cookies. I do love me some cookies. Actually, sweets are my downfall–hey, I’m human, too.
But, in the midsts of cookies, lots of veggies happen in my life. Some good changes I’ve made over the years is eating more and more veggies. Of course, there’s still lots of room for growth, that’s why I’m putting this out there.
Instead or the “go big or go home” determination that starts with a bang and quickly fizzles, start small. Start with fruit. Remember, when Adam and Eve were placed in the garden, they were instructed to eat the fruit of the trees. Fruit offers more health benefits than I could possible name here.
Since we are created from the dust of the Earth, the foods that are most healthful will also come directly from the Earth. A low intake of plant foods like fruit is a major contributor to the leading diseases in America. Even persons with diabetes benefit from eating fruit and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Eat whole fruit, not fruit. Its nutrients include fiber, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients like antioxidants and other powerful disease fighters, and even some protein. Protein? Yup. Apes a mainly fruit eaters and they are pretty strong. (They also eat bugs and termites, but I draw the line there.) A piece of fruit is also naturally low in calories, so you get a ton of nutrition for a low-calorie investment. Eating fruit is a healthy habit that most of us can easily adopt.
So, what’s the best fruit to eat? Any fruit you will eat, though remember, the brighter the color, the more anti-inflammatory properties it has. Look for ways to add the rainbow to your diet with berries, kiwi, mango, red grapes, etc.
As daughters of the King, we MUST take care of out temple. Trading in processed foods for a piece of fruit is one dynamic thing you can do for your health.
Here is one of my favorite Black bean lentil chili recipes!