Post 11 | Self Discovery & Why it is So Important

Greetings,

Dieticians and nutrition experts who read this blog will probably cringe at the small amount of nutritional advice that I provide.  Their minds will likely fill with several important exceptions to each rule along with mandatory additions that must be included.

I can picture the professionals saying things like, “But people need to watch the amount of fruit they eat; too many servings of fruit can result in too much sugar.”  They are also probably thinking, “Ok, even if the person does stick to 8 ounces per meal; what happens if they make a dish which is made of 6 ounces of fried meat and only 1 ounce of each vegetable? Surely, that is not recommended.”  They can’t believe that I would dare send you back out into this toxic food environment with so little instruction.

My friends and family with no qualifications in nutrition share similar concerns.  Even though many of them fall short of the Five Rules, they never miss an opportunity to volunteer additional guidelines that must be added to any reasonable diet plan.  One friend pointed out that it is important that people increase the amount of protein in their diets.  Another suggested that it was essential to add a rule that reduced the level of salt and sugar intake.  My healthy elite eating friends tell me that you only need one rule; Eat Only Raw Food.  Thanks to Dr. Atkins, someone always suggests that people dramatically reduce their carb intake. The more critical people invariably draw my attention to various ways that a person could follow the letter of the Five Rules but still fall short of their weight loss goals.

Even the participants of the Five Rules are not 100% convinced that the Five Rules provide enough instruction.  After sharing the Five Rules, which takes only two minutes, they always ask questions that let me know that they also have tried several diets and failed.  Questions like, “Ok, but which foods are I not allowed to eat?”  “What about lime tortilla chips? I really like those. Do I have to give them up in order to follow the Five Rules?”  “What size do my snacks have to be?” 

After reassuring them that you can eat ANYTHING you like AS MUCH as you like; that the lime tortilla chips are merely a TREAT that you should enjoy occasionally and that you are encouraged to have snacks around you that you can eat around the clock; they reluctantly say, “Ok, but that is it?”  I end the conversation thinking to myself, “If I added all those rules that you suggested, would you actually stick to them? NO!!!!”

Even my own mother told me to put a disclaimer on the TOP and the BOTTOM of every page of my blog announcing that I am NOT a doctor and that eating a modest portion which includes vegetables is NOT a medically approved message.  Out of love, I can only assume that she wants me to be protected in case all those modest portions with fruits and vegetables along with healthy snacks cause the death of a dedicated follower.

All of the instances that I have just described are the result of people missing an absolutely vital point to healthy living.

SELF DISCOVERY (“SD”)!!!!!

In its broadest interpretation, SD is the process of achieving understanding or knowledge of oneself. 

Concerning the Five Rules:

Self Discovery is the intellectual evolution necessary to make lasting improvements to your diet and health.

For individuals, the Self Discovery process is the opposite of instantly trying to adhere to a countless number of dietary rules that they neither understand nor believe in.  More specifically, SD is a lifelong journey where individuals slowly begin to internalize a steady stream of healthy habits that they are self-motivated to continue. 

There are no set formats or timelines for the SD process.  Each person’s SD experience will be different; based on a number of factors including their personality, awareness and environment. Improvements also come in drips and drabs at the time and place that is right for the individual; not as a result of being prematurely lectured or scolded.

I liken it to a student who “grows into becoming a good actor”.  When Denzel Washington took his first acting class at Fordham University, do you think the professor started preparing him for future roles in Glory, Training Day and the other hundreds of movies that he would later star in?  No, the professor likely taught him the same fundamentals of good acting that are taught to all aspiring actors.  With this foundation, Denzel and many others have grown into the roles that have created an immortal legacy. Likewise, with only a few fundamentals, you too will grow into the healthy individual that I know you are. 

For example, when I started the Five Rules I regularly ate more than 10 to 15 large snacks per day; and this did not even include my popcorn training wheels!  I literally came to school and work carrying two bags; one filled with books and the other filled with snacks. While the snacks were relatively healthy, they added between 1,000 and 1,500 calories to my daily diet.  Despite consuming more calories than I did before, preparing an over abundance of snacks was the only way for me to avoid hunger while my mind and body adjusted to the correctly portioned meals.   Avoiding hunger also enabled me to overcome my addiction to devouring vending machine TREATS.

Over time, I slowly began to reduce the amount of snacks that I ate.  However, I did it in a somewhat reversed manner.  Even though I continued to prepare the same large amount of snacks; I began feeling the need to eat less and less of them.  Finally, the amount of snacks that I prepared for one day, became enough to last me for two or three days.  It was only after I began constantly returning home with over half my snacks, that I gradually reduced the amount of snacks I prepared.  Shortly, I was content with carrying a normal amount of snacks along with my modestly portioned meals.

Through SD, I also began improving the content of my snacks and meals without making particularly drastic changes.  For example, I read somewhere about the nutritional value of nuts and yogurt.  Before you know it, I began adding walnuts, granola and Greek yogurt to my homemade fruit parfaits.  Before, my frozen fruit snacks consisted of only mixed fruit with a pinch of honey.  Now, I start each day with excellent sources of protein, fiber, carbs and fat.

There are numerous examples where I improved my efficiency in the kitchen with aids like a slow cooker and indoor grill.  I also discovered brilliant websites like www.shopwell.com which helped me make since of those intentionally confusing food labels resulting in my choosing the healthier options at the grocery store. 

Sharing ideas with friends and family has also helped me evolve.  Last week, for instance, my neighbor Domah encouraged me to steam more of my meats and vegetables instead of frying them in saturated oils.  My mother suggested that I spend a few hours per month cooking and then freezing various stews and vegetables.  This helps food last longer and reduces my preparation time during my busy week.  Now, no matter what is going on, I always have at least a month’s worth of the Five Rules’ vegetable quota in my freezer.

I really want you to understand, that the Five Rules is only the first chapter in the journey of improved diet and health.  Individuals that practice the Five Rules for 60 days will not only improve their physical health; but develop the mentality for a lifetime of healthy living.

Contrary to what the so-call experts tell you, I believe that EVERYONE already knows MORE than enough to live a healthy and productive life.  Hence, there is little need for me to overload you with suggestions such as baking food is better than frying it; or that olive oil is better for you than traditional animal lard.  I am sure that you already know that a fillet of Tilapia provides a leaner source of protein when compared to a sirloin steak.

If you don’t know these things already; guess what; it doesn’t really matter because over the next 60 days of following the Five Rules you will self discover these healthy facts and much much more.

So if you need to make twenty large (not more than 8 ounces) healthy snacks in order to stave of hunger.  Please do so.  If you have a pot of collard greens sitting on your stove that has been seasoned with smoked turkey and high sodium chicken stock; eat away.  If you have to have a bowl of popcorn ever night just before you go to bed; by all means enjoy.

The only thing that matters is that you commit to following the Five Rules for Healthy Living:

Rule #1 NO sugary drinks (that includes fruit juice)

Rule #2 NEVER eat more than 8 ounces per meal (recommended number of meals is 4 to 5; but

              eat as many times as you need to in order not to get hungry) 

Rule #3 NEVER eat a meal that does not include at least 2 vegetables

Rule #4 SURROUND yourself with an ABUNDANCE of LOW fat, LOW sugar and LOW salt
              snacks that you can eat AROUND THE CLOCK and not detract from your weight
              management goals.

Rule #5 EXERCISE at LEAST 20 minutes a day 4 days per week.  (If 20 minutes is too much start
              at an amount that you feel comfortable with and gradually build-up)  Consider starting

              with
              2 minutes per day 5 days a week and add ONLY one minute per day per week.  For
              example;  Week 1: 5 minutes of walking per day per week; Week 2; 6 minutes of

              walking
              per day per week.  

<瑼↺>Happy Eating