In our ongoing series on Winning Against Inflammation, we continue to explore the incredible journey of Marty, my first Start a New YOU!® Participant. Marty battled a multitude of food and environmental allergies. In Part One, we discovered how proper hydration brought about a remarkable reduction in Marty's headaches. Today, in Part Two, we unveil the second life-changing step Marty took on his path from being “allergic to earth” to only allergic to potatoes and mustard! An amazing transformation, right?
For such a transformation to happen, inflammation was dramatically reduced for a significant amount of time. “Just add water” is not enough! So, what else did Marty do?
Marty began eating a whole food, plant-based diet that also included avoiding all his allergy foods. We did Cook-Along-With-Me sessions just like I do in my online Start a New YOU!® Program. The only difference was his Cook-Along-With-Me sessions were live instead of recorded. Marty was not a cook, so the only way cooking was going to work for him was if someone cooked along with him. We have done our very best to include every step in our Come-Cook-Along-With-Me Videos, only available in the Start a New YOU! Program.
Marty followed a very specific eating and hydrating schedule with easy-to-digest food so his digestive system could do its job, have a little rest, and be ready for the next meal. He avoided late night eating so that his body could do its proper work of detoxification, repair, and restoration on a nightly basis.
What were his results? Marty reported, “The constipation, stomachaches, and hypoglycemia are gone. I have more focus, stamina, and energy.”
When asked if he missed steak, he answered, “Absolutely! And I also miss the nice baked potatoes with sour cream and butter that went along with the steak. But I know this is a better way and I feel better, and my level of racing has improved.” [Marty was allergic to potatoes, as well as the sour cream and butter.]
Why is a plant-based diet beneficial for healing?
Increasing fruits and vegetable consumption along with an increase in whole grains, omega-3 fatty acids, beans, nuts, and seeds, have shown amazing results with lowering blood pressure to normal or close to normal levels, normalizing blood sugar levels, clearing the blood vessels for better circulation, improving arthritis, auto-immune diseases, brain function as well as every function of the body.
The power of plants to heal is found in their abundance of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, as well as fiber and the ability of the body to easily digest them. Also, there is no cholesterol in plant foods, and plants are high in fiber (legumes containing the highest amount of fiber). Animal products contain cholesterol and lack fiber. Animal products tend to promote disease, while plant foods tend to heal disease. The fiber in plants and the lack of cholesterol naturally help reverse heart disease and other diseases related to circulation and this is evidenced even in severely advanced cases.
In the Bible we find vegetables were added to the human diet after sin entered our world (Genesis 3:18). God does not say why He added the vegetables, but I would like to venture that with sin comes disease, and vegetables are a natural pharmacy.
Throughout the millennia of our planet a wide variety of vegetables has been used in abundance as staples for the diet. In the eastern hemisphere, the countries of Asia, Africa, and around the Mediterranean have cultivated and eaten vegetables as fundamental ingredients in the daily diet.
In the Anglo-Saxon European and American cultures, meat consumption was considered something of status, wealth, and wellbeing. Those who ate vegetables were considered too poor or too ill to afford meat. Today the use of vegetables is increasing in the west while meat consumption is increasing in the east.
In 1990 the United States started a campaign to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables in the American diet. They used the slogan “Five-a-Day” encouraging Americans to eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day. The slogan was printed on billboards, bumper stickers, grocery bags, and promoted on radio and television advertisements. Americans embraced the slogan.
After fifteen years of further research, it was concluded five fruits and vegetables a day was simply not enough. Therefore, a new campaign was started in 2009 with the slogan “Fruits and Vegetables, More Matters,” promoting at minimum of seven cups of fruits and vegetables and upwards to thirteen cups depending on age, activity, weight, health, etc. The campaign fell flat on its face.
While a large percentage of Americans could state the fact at least five fruits and vegetables a day is beneficial, less than ten percent of the population had put that concept into practice. Now the new campaign wanted them to eat 7-13 cups of fruits or vegetables a day. The question suddenly arose, “Where does the meat fit in?”
The campaign failed to address the questions of the American public and failed to give them transitional steps and helpful advice and hints on how to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into a meat-based culture. People were suspicious of such a concept because “where would they get their needed protein?” They did not understand there is plenty of protein in vegetables. Anything that grows has protein, otherwise it would not be able to grow. While eating vegetables we would be getting our protein first-hand directly from the plant, instead of eating the animal that ate the vegetables whereby we are getting our vegetables second-hand. Thus, while eating more plants, we would be getting all the protein we need, just like the cow and other herbivore mammals.
Dr. Bircher-Benner, established a dietetic school in Switzerland that centered around raw and live plant foods. He taught his students to eat at least one large raw salad every day at the beginning of the meal. Eating raw fruits and vegetables provides digestive enzymes that will help digest foods, fight inflammation, produces a greater feeling of satiety, prevent and reverse digestive and circulatory disease (which include most of our western killer diseases, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc.). Dr. John MacDougall states, “Eat a salad as big as your head every day!”
Dr. George D. Pamplona-Roger, Doctor of Medicine and author of Encyclopedia of Foods and Their Healing Power, states, “Foods of vegetable origin, as with many medicinal plants, can prevent and even heal disorders and diseases of human beings. Even diseases as serious as cancer can be avoided to a large extent, with an abundant consumption of certain fruits and vegetables, such as broccoli, oranges, and other foods, eaten at appropriate times and with a thankful heart, along with other aspects of a proper lifestyle.”
The notion of transitioning to a plant-based diet can be daunting, especially in a meat-centric culture. However, by gradually increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, incorporating whole grains, omega-3 fatty acids, legumes, nuts, and seeds, one can experience transformative health benefits. By making small, sustainable changes, you can witness remarkable improvements in blood pressure, blood sugar levels, arthritis, brain function, and overall bodily function.
Would you like to give plants a try?
The Start a New YOU!® Program will guide you step by step to a healthier you while you gradually add in more plants and decrease the amount of animal products.
Don't Wait, Start Today:
There is no better time than now to prioritize your health and well-being. Take the first step toward a new you by embracing the transformative potential of a plant-based diet. Remember, even small changes can yield incredible results.
Your health journey is unique, and by adopting a whole food plant-based diet, you can unlock a world of wellness. Marty's story is a testament to the life-changing effects of embracing a plant-powered lifestyle. Together, let's harness the power of plants and take charge of our well-being — one forkful at a time.
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