There are many diet and nutrition experts out there who claim they know the "right" way to eat. However, the bottom line on maintaining a healthy diet is this:
Fierce Divas don't eat crap.
A description of crap is as follows:
- Foods that have ingredients you cannot pronounce - which are most likely additives, preservatives, or flavorings - are crap. Friendly advice between us Divas: just because an additive or preservative is "FDA approved," doesn't mean it's safe. Remember the FDA approved diet drug Fen-Phen that gave its users permanent heart valve damage? Enough said.
- Foods that have 5 or more ingredient are crap. Take a close look at the fourth, fifth, and sixth ingredients listed on the food label, Divas. Can you pronounce them? Probably not.
- Foods that have a shelf life longer than Kim Kardashian's marriage are crap. Almost any food that lasts more than a few days is due to additives and preservatives. According to SustainableTable.org, "FDA approved" additives and preservatives have been linked to asthma, allergic reactions. cancer, and birth defects. Surprised? I'm not.
- Anything "white," including sugar, flour, rice, pasta, bread, etc., is crap. According to Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, in their bestselling book on plant based eating, Skinny Bitch, "For some asinine reason, food manufacturers decided that we wouldn't buy their products unless they were white and soft. So, they took natural grains, such as brown rice and whole wheat, and stripped away all their nutrients, vitamins, and minerals to achieve the color and texture change." Why would a Diva eat anything that has been stripped of nutrients, vitamins and minerals?
Now that you understand what crap is, here is what you need to know to eat like a Fierce Diva:
Eat whole, natural foods, Divas, including plenty of grains, legumes, fruits, nuts, and veggies. As a rule, anything that grows from the ground or from a tree is good for you, so long as it has not been treated, bleached, stripped, or processed. I am a life-long vegetarian, and while I won't forbid you to eat meat, be warned that most meats are pumped with preservatives and antibiotics. Know the source of your meat, as well as your poultry and fish. Try to buy local and organic variations, which have encountered the least amount of processing. Furthermore, all meat should be eaten in moderation, if not sparingly.
I challenge you to give up processed foods for a week. I guarantee that you will feel fuller for longer amounts of time after meals, sleep better, have more energy, and encounter fewer mood swings. Remember, Divas, I want you to feel good and have the energy and focus to live the life you love. What we ingest into our bodies has a direct effect on our physical health as well as our emotional health. As I stated in Fierce Fitness, your body really is your temple. Do you want to shovel crap into your temple or do you want to make your temple shine?
I'm not judging you for eating crap. I am simply judging the crap itself. In Diva Does Dessert, I confessed that in my pre-Diva days, I ate Chips Ahoy for breakfast. My body wasn't a temple. It was a cesspool. I ate crap and felt like crap. Coincidence?
I am not suggesting you give up pizza and cookies forever. But eating them should be the exception and not the rule. Have a birthday coming? Eat your cake, but know where it comes from. Bake it yourself, or go to a local bakery where the owner wants you to have an enjoyable experience eating her food. Do you think the food company whose snack cakes have a shelf life longer than Castro ruled Cuba, and whose cupcake filling could double as grout between your bathroom tiles, cares about bringing you joy?
Don't be a cesspool. Divas. Be a temple. Start today on your mission to cut out processed foods. Let me know how it goes. Be happy, be healthy, be fierce.
Namaste, Divas!
© 2012 Ilene Evans
