S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) = Bullshit. Find another way to sustain your life.

The Standard American Diet doesn't work.

Diet: from L. diaeta "prescribed way of life," from Gk. diaita, originally "way of life, regimen, dwelling," from diaitasthai "lead one's life,"...
(source: Online Etymology Dictionary)


Question: Why?
Sunshine's response:
There is no such thing as a 'standard' American. What's sad is that this crap is peddled around the world have countless effects on human societies in more ways than one.

Question: What are a few examples of what constitutes the standard American diet?
Sunshine's response:
Highly processed foods that cannot be found in nature in its completely refined and marketed state.
i.e.) Granulated white sugar, soda, conventional cold cuts, hot dogs, processed cheese products, chicken nuggets, pre-sliced, soft, sweet, bright white sandwich bread, candy and scores of other mass produced food, saturated with unnatural, non-beneficial additives, preservatives to benefit a prolonged shelf life to feed an often overfed nation more and quickly.

Question: What is the difference between the 'Standard American Diet' (a.k.a. 'Feed') and food.
Sunshine's response: The difference is knowing the difference between Food and Feed

Food, as in REAL food goes bad. It will expire.
Food, grows. Plant or animal.
Food, nourishes the human body by providing what it cant create by itself.
Food can be found in nature, in whole or its ingredient form and can be consumed raw, cooked or reasonably prepared without excessive processing or commercial refining.

Feed, was created for the benefit of mass-production, consumerism and prolonged shelf-live with the end result of making more and saving more money.
Feed, serves immediate satisfaction but leaves the nutritional needs unmet - body requires more.

QUOTE: Michael Pollen says, "if your great/grandmother wouldn't recognize it - don't buy it/don't eat."

Question: If this is all you know, how do I work my way around it?

Sunshine's response:
First, know your food. It goes into your mouth.

If you suspect that a food or group of foods makes you feel unwell - I would suggested evaluating your diet to see what you consume more than other.

Should your goal be to eat healthier - start reading the labels on the store bought products. If you don't know what it is, or where it comes from, how it's made - don't eat it until you can do some research. In many cases, once you know what it is and think about the effect it may have on your long term or short term health - you might look at what you consume a little differently.

I was successful in identifying what foods work for me and what don't with the assistance and guidance of a Naturopath after months of inaccurate diagnosis from doctors.
The method instrumental to through the employing T.E.D. (The Elimination Diet).
Basic menu for 14 days, recording how I felt through out the day for each of the 14 days.
This menu included:
* Brown or Basmati Rice
* Kidney beans, Black Beans or Garbanzo/Chick peas
* Lean protein: chicken breast, salmon or halibut, haddock (NO TOFU)
* Any dark leafy greens, lettuce secondary
* Any citrus, Lemon, lime and grapefruit
* Any herbs, spices, salt or pepper (not pepper sauce, bouillon cubes, spice mix packets)
* Olive oil, vinegars
* Sweetener: honey, agave nectar (absolutely no refined sugar)
* Grill, Roast or bake, Stir fry or pan fry with little oil

After the 14 day period of this sort of this lifestyle which restricts your body consumption of the essentials, re-integrate one of the common food allergens or suspected food items ONE per 10 days. Keeping notes or a journal is an important part of this diet because you'll need to track changes. Record anything and everything - even if you feel it may be irrelevant. Note things like headaches, itchiness, irritability, lethargy, constipation, bloating, frequency (or infrequency) of rest room visits, cold sores, hiccups, acne break outs, stomach aches, sniffles, congestion to the head or chest, lethargy, mood changes, dry mouth, thirst, cravings, sore muscles, muscle spasms, changes to your skin. You never know what can be symptom until you abstain then reintroduce the food item responsible..

Take notes of how you feel after you eat the re-introduced food. After you've reintroduced all possible trouble items review your journal and determine if you felt better without certain foods in your diet.

RESOURCE: The ALCAT Laboratories have a test checking against over 250 food items from around the world and they grade you on what food items you should avoid based on mild, medium or high reactivity.

POWER of RECOGNITION and CHANGE
* Keep a humble mind: You don't know now, what you don't know. This means there is an opportunity present...a gift.
* Knowing will make the difference: Support of web, books, internet, friends, co-workers, meet-up groups
* It often takes small steps to successfully integrate a new habit.
* When cooking and eating: Remember moderation, variety and mindfulness.
* Try any food (especially if it's one you don't like) prepared in different ways. (raw, cooked-boil, marinade, steam, oven roast, grill, paired with something that benefits or changes the flavour or texture, stuff it inside something, wrap it outside of something.)

More

Eat more dark leafy greens. (2nd runner up is BEANS!)
Understand how proteins, carbohydrates (fiber), fats, sugar, salt work in the body.know the rules of saiety: (1) fiber (2) water (3) protein
Eat produce that grows within THAT season.
Be mindful of quality AND quantity. How MUCH you are eating versus what you are burning and storing during the day is a best practice for maintaining a healthy lifestyle and more balanced with nature.
Drink 2 liters/2 quarts of water per day. Lemon in your water at waking and before bed can benefit your intestinal and overall health.
Challenge yourself to walk 30-60 minutes 5 days per week, minimum.

QUOTE: Dawn Jackson Blatner, my health and wellness mentor and author of 'The Flexitarian Diet', says:
30 minutes of exercise for disease prevention
60 minutes of exercise good for weight maintenance
90 minutes of exercise good for weight loss

Less

Avoid Refined Sugars- instead try raw honey, agave nectar, maple sugar, date sugar.
Minimize Alcohol - break down the word "Intoxicant" - toxic is the root because it is a diuretic and deprives the body of oxygen. Try cooking with teas, fruit juices, molasses vinegar (ie. Pomegranate, banana)
* Avoid fats that are solid at room temperature, try avocado oil, grapeseed (both flavourless) oils for high smoke point, peanut oil. coconut oil, sesame oils have a nice flavour, olive oil is great for raw applications, flaxseed oil for butter, nutritional yeast for a cheese substitute. (A student in one of my classes shared that tip with me! - thx xo)
* Be mindful of your eating schedule and what it is you are consuming when. This can help you take better control of the quality of foods you eat, track if you are eating out of boredom or an emotional trigger and identify when you are practicing excessive snacking.

Cooking/Food Prep methods to master

Living food/Raw diet: Try NOT cooking. If its a vegetable, chances are that can be consumed without heat preparation, try it. (NOTE: there are few exceptions, like Cassava, so do your research before hand.)
Stir fry: High heat, warm through a food without cooking cooking it through (i.e. over-cooking veggies). Do be sure to cook meat, poultry, seafood completely before stir-frying your veggies and starches.
Steam: Fast, no oil. Awesome and make for beautiful, fresh looking presentation.
Pressure cookers: ROCK! Worth the investment.