Fiber and weight loss

F-I-B-E-R is the key to feeling great, losing weight, and staying regular.

Today people are so falsely led to believe that our most important nutrient to seek after is animal protein. They measure it carefully in grams, and incorporate it at every turn. Frankly, meat has no fiber! It never has, and it never will. Neither does milk. And yet we are taught that they are health foods. These animal-based items take 3-5 days to digest in our digestive tract, rotting and putrefying in the dark, warm, environment, and ultimately can take months to eradicate completely from our systems.

We need to focus on what I like to call, "Quick-Exit," foods. They are in, they do their nutrient-rich jobs, and then they are out. In one day.

We should not, by any means, need to take a fiber supplement. Let the fiber come from what we are eating in abundance.

What are some high fiber/quick exit foods?

1.) Oats.
If you don't like the texture of cooked old-fashioned oats, try steel-cut oats. These can be found at Costco and can be soaked overnight, cooked in a rice cooker on the smart steam option, and it has a nice texture. Not mushy. Also, try incorporating the dry old-fashioned oats into your cookies, muffins, and granola or granola bars.

2.) Pumpkin. Yeah! This stuff is yummy in everything!

3.) Beans.
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE beans. And they get yummier every day. Soaked overnight, slow-cooked in a crock pot with vegetable broth as its base, they are delicious.

4.) Leafy greens.
So drink your green smoothie, and eat your salad.

Overall, please remember that for everyone, getting enough veggies is a constant effort. I still have to remind myself to eat salads. When I start waning on making the fresh salads, Paul reminds me.

If you don't do well with raw veggies, start with cooked veggies.

Make a list of your absolute favorites. The key word here is START. It may not be perfect at first, but just START INCORPORATING. Soon the veggies will replace other foods you were eating, and your body will thank you. It will literally speak to you and tell you THANK YOU SO MUCH!

And then cool stuff happens. You start losing weight. More energy. Even some friends will compliment you on how good you look. You will like it, and then you'll get addicted. Life will taste good. So give it a try, you wont be sorry!

Something Paul and I noticed is that when we fill our bodies with plant nutrients, and quit eating animal-based products, we stopped craving junk food. Our bodies needs were finally being met. We had healthy complex carbs so that our bodies were not craving the fast-sugar simple carbs. Weight loss came naturally and without suffering because of this concept. Meeting our true nutrient needs took the issue of self-control out of the "diet" picture.

What changes have you noticed on your whole foods journey?

Ashlee