The Living Diet

This is it!  The moment you've all been waitin for!  The answer to the number one question I receive is about the be revealed.  I know the anticipation has been unbearable; the suspense insufferable. But before I can reveal the answer, I feel it is important to reveal something else of utmost importance: the question! =P  In all honesty there are actually two #1 questions.  Now, being a mathmagician I know it is in fact impossible to have two #1 questions, one will obviously out weight the other, even if it isn't by a statistically significant amount,  but the margin of error in my tallying is so small that it really is hard to determine which question really is the #1 and which is the #2.  Plus, I already posted an answer to "the #2 question" so we can't call the second #1 question the #2 question now could we?  So for the sake of not having to go back and changing previous posts,  we are going to call the top 2 questions "Question #1" and "Question #1 and 1/2."

Are you feeling a little something like this right about now?  =)

Now that we've got that all "cleared up," let's get to the question.  The top two questions I receive are "What do you eat?"  and "What do your workouts look like?"  Because nutrition is the single most important element to optimal health, I've decided to confront "What do you eat?" question first.  I eat...*drum roll please*...*drum roll still going*........."The Living Diet!"

You know that saying, "All I really need to know I learned in kindergarten."  Well I have my own saying.  It goes something like this, "All I really need to know I learned from Aaron Ogden (or Google)." ;)  What I am about to explain to you is not a scientific phenomenon.  I was introduced to this way of life by Aaron, but as I researched it myself, I found there is information about it ALL OVER THE INTERNET!  It is common knowledge that has been around for centuries.  Many a culture all over the world have naturally followed the diet I have adopted since the beginning of time as we know it.  And they do it, because it is their way of life, not their way to lose weight. That is the first thing to know about a diet: A diet is what you eat; not your plan to lose weight.  We are all on diets everyday. 
Some of our diets are good...some of our diets are unhealthy.  Plethoras of people say "I need to lose weight!  I'm going to start exercising." That's wonderful, but as the all knowing Aaron says, "A good exercise program alone can’t ensure excellent health. Without good nutrition you could even say that your exercise is somewhat in vain. Exercise itself depends on the fuel we give it. If you exercise to be healthy, then you better give your body the high-octane fuel it deserves. Diet is actually more critical than working out."


Life produces life. If you want to be healthy, if you want to feel alive, you must put living things in your body.The American diet is predominantly made up of processed, manufactured food.  It is all DEAD!   It contains little to no energy.  The food we buy out of cans and boxes are almost completely nutritionally and minerally depleted.  Why do you think everything is now "enriched" and "fortified."  We've removed all that is good in our food during the processing process, so then we have to add lab manufactured nutrients back in, most of which aren't assimilated into our body because they aren't natural.  Why do you think you can eat a whole carton of ice cream, a whole bag of Cheetos, or a box of "whole grain cereal," and still want to eat, but if you eat an apple you don't have the desire to continue to eat 9 more servings of apples?  It's because you're body got the nutrients it was craving from the apple,  but those other processed foods have nothing in them to satiate your body's desire for nutrients. Just take a look at these Kirlian photos. Kirlian photography is a scientific way of showing the energy fields emitted from objects. The first shows energy given off of our hands, the second of a fast food hamburger, the third is fresh broccoli.

Which food do you think is going to sustain life?  Again, if you want to be healthy, if you want to feel alive, you must put living things in your body.  Sure processed food is quick and easy, and fits our fast paced lifestyle, but it is KILLING US! Ask yourself this question right now: Do you want to be dead or alive?  If you choose the latter, then read on to discover what the "Living Diet" entails.

The Living Diet, or the "Fab 5" as I like to call it, consists of 5 ingredients: fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds...in that order.  Thee End!  That is what I eat =)  I consume processed foods as minimally as possible, and I avoid high fructose corn syrup like the plague.  I know the majority of you are now sitting speechless with raised brows, thinking to yourself,  "That's it?!  Where's the dairy?  Where's the meat?  Where's the chocolate?  Aw hell no, I can't do that!"  Allow me to put your nerves at ease by quoting Aaron again:

Optimal health means nothing without balance and enjoyment. Start implementing this diet and remember to create balance in your life while you learn to eat this diet. It is ok to celebrate and eat cake and ice cream. It is ok to go on a vacation and explore new foods. It is ok to have friends over for a summer BBQ. All these activities can add value to your life and won’t necessarily damage your health as long as you are balancing these types of foods with the high nutrient, high fiber foods that come from this diet. The Living Diet cleanses and nourishes the body to help you achieve optimal health, vibrant energy, minimal illness, and ultimately a balanced life. 

I'm an all or nothing kinda gal, so when Aaron told me to start following this diet, I did...all out. I got rid of all my processed foods.  I filled my fridge with produce and my pantry with whole grains (locally made whole grain bread (with only 5 ingredients), steal cut oats, quinoa, long grain rice), and unprocessed nuts.  I'm not really a seeds person so those aren't part of my daily diet.  On any given day, 70% of my food is fresh produce, and about 80% of that 70% is eaten raw. The other 20% I steam.

Here's an idea of what my typical day looks like: 
      First thing in the morning:  Drink Ionix Supreme, 1 tsp of Jurassic greens,
      and about 24 oz. H2O.
      Breakfast (after workouts): Isalean Shake and 1-2 servings fruit
      About an hour/hour and half later:  More fruit,  granola or other whole grain if I want it.
      1st "lunch" (another hour or so later):  HUGE spinach salad  (various mix-ins), with an
      oil/vinegar based dressing (I love Newman's Own brand).
      2nd "lunch" (about 2 hours later): fruit, steamed vegetables and whole grains.
      Couple hours later: snack on nuts and fruit
      Dinner:  steamed vegetables, whole grains, possibly some seafood or chicken.
 
You'll notice I am pretty much literally  eating ALL DAY.  I don't really sit down for a meal until dinner. The rest of the day I am grazing like a cow. 
You'd think that by eating that much I'd look like a cow too, but the truth of the matter is that even with all that food, that often,  I only eat between 1300-1400 calories a day (and I burn at least 1,000 every morning). Some days I have to force myself to eat more to get past the 1100 mark.  That is another misconception our society has tried to ingrain in our heads.  We are taught that calorie counting should be the foundation of our diet.  WRONG!  All calorie counting does is develop a complex about your body and your eating habits.  Nutrients and minerals are the foundation to any healthy diet.  That is why the Living Diet is so beneficial!  That is why Isagenix is so beneficial! (Are you starting to see how this diet and Isagenix go hand in hand)?

I can read the majority of your minds as you're reading this, "It sounds so boring!  Vegetables are gross!  Fruit makes me gassy.  I have to have my meat."  First of all,  if your body has an 'intolerance' to fruit, that should be your first indicator that your diet is unhealthy and you need to start making some changes.  What I found after a couple weeks of eating this diet, is all the processed food I used to like, didn't taste very good anymore. I quit craving processed/refined sugars, and desired holistic foods.  I started cooking with fresh herbs and spices, and found multitudes of holistic recipes online. Now all other processed foods that used to seem so hearty and delicious, taste bland to me.  On my free days (which I have once a week),  I didn't feel the need to try to "make up" for everything I didn't eat during the week like I used to when I tried the Body for Life, South Beach, and Atkins diets.  I actually just wanted to eat close to the same things I ate all week.  In fact,  there were multiple times during the Isaboday Challenge that Aaron made me promise to eat WHATEVER I wanted from 3pm-10pm.  He did it because 1) he knows balance is key to everything in life, and 2) he knows that living the Living Diet provides the way for the body to handle all the other crap we want to put in our bodies.
 
For many of you, this diet may still seem impossible, or too hard. "It doesn't fit my life style." Let me remind you that you created your lifestyle. You can redefine it whenever you choose.  You don't have to go all out like I did.  Start by adding things into your diet.  Then proceed to remove the things that shouldn't be there (aka processed foods and HFCS).  I'm a carnivore by nature, but I have cut back my red meat intake drastically, and only eat "organic" white meats a couple times a week.  I also L-O-V-E cheese, but I also have asthma, and dairy products are mucus forming, so I have had to live by Aaron's saying that "cheese is a condiment, not a staple."  I also love potatoes, another mucus forming food (when cooked).  I've had to convert potatoes from being my main food, to being a occasional side dish. It's tough at first, but definitely doable.

These are the guidelines.  Start adding in the ones that fit your lifestyle,  then continue to add in the rest to transform your lifestyle.  You'll notice the first 5 are Do's, and only the last one is Don't.

                1. Eat 4 fruits and 4 Servings of vegetables

                (preferably green, leafy) each day

                2. Eat whole grains (not whole wheat), nuts
                and seeds.

                3. Drink at least 64 oz of water each day

                4. Drink nourishing fluids (fresh juice, herbal
                teas, Jurassic greens)

                5. Take supplements that are food based

                6. Avoid processed foods and HFCS

Whenever I help someone adopt the Living Diet/Fab 5 lifestyle, I get asked "Well can I eat this? Can I eat that?" I've learned to respond to these questions in the same way that Aaron told me he teaches his kids how to eat,  "I don't tell them what they can't eat, I tell them what they have to eat."  Simply put, if it isn't part of the Fab 5, it shouldn't be the basis for your diet.  Doesn't mean you can't eat it.  Just don't eat it in mass amounts.  This diet centers on your health: your body needs high fiber and nutrients to operate properly. Try to get to where you can follow the diet completely for one day; then two days. As Aaron would say, "If you can't commit to eating this way at least 3 days a week, then you better learn to cleanse and cleanse often."

Which brings me to my final point.  If you are reading this blog then you more than likely are already aware of the benefits of cleansing.  The problem with cleansing (especially Isagenix style) is it is so amazing, and so efficient at helping us remove unwanted fat, that many people have come to use it as a "Plan B" for not living a healthy lifestyle.   If you want to get the most out of cleansing, and maintain your results without having to deep cleanse every other week, you need to adopt the Living Diet.  If you want a more in depth explanation on why to eat the Fab 5, and why to not eat all the other foods not listed in it, visit http://www.chickenorpig.com/nutrition.html.
 
In summary, if you want to get the results that I did during the Isabody Challenge, you need to remember these 5 points: 
              - A diet is what you eat.
              - Life produces life-Don't expect to receive energy from dead food.
              - The "Fab 5"
              - Focus on nutrients not calories
              - Cleansing is not a Plan B

Tune in next time to learn about all the "yummy" natural supplements you can add to the Fab 5 to help your body help itself...Like apple cider vinegar and cayenne pepper...mmm!