Vegan/ Gluten-free/ Health people (Like me, and maybe you soon) have a very different food pyramid than the one on the mainstream. I divid it into 3 categories: Fruits, Vegetables and Complex. I call them complex.. you can call them whatever you want. It means they are foods that are harder for the body to digest so you have to eat them with foods that are EASY for the body to digest.
So this is what it looks like in my mind ^^^ (for the visual learners.. hope you like my diagram ;) ).
We'll start from the top. This is the biggest thing I learned: ONLY eat fruit on an empty stomach. I can be mixed with raw, non starchy veggies though! One of my favorite breakfasts is a fruit smoothie with some spinach and spirulina! All of this will be explained more in "What's in your jar?".
For optimal digestion, you can only eat one of the complex foods with veggies! Veggies are filled with healthy fiber, vitamins, minerals and enzymes that set your digestive system up for optimal function! Once you eat your veggies, you can pair them with a carb, healthy fat or protein, but not 2 of them!!
Crazy right?! what have you been doing all of your life? Meat and potatoes, fish and rice? For your optimal digestion you want to mix a protein with just veggies or a carb with just veggies! This triangle example is all vegan and gluten free (Make sure your pasta is brown rice or quinoa and that your oats are GF as many are sifted in flour!)
You need some fats in your diet, but that HAVE to be natural, healthy fats made by the earth. Avocados, coconut, almonds, macadamia nuts, seeds... these are all fats that are filled with nutrients and actually help your body heal. Don't FILL up on fats, but have a small serving of something everyday, whether you have an avocado, a hand of almonds or some coconut oil, good fats!
Time for the big "controversy" :O ... PROTEIN! Guess what! vegetables have protein!! So many people think that vegetarians or vegans will have absolutely no way of getting proteins. If you are eating an abundance of veggies.. you are getting more than you think. Some veggies with protein are beans, lentils, garlic, green peas, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, cauliflower, kale, collards and carrots. There will be all sorts of recipes with theses foods but even if you make a big salad or munch on some veggies, you are adding protein to your body. A lot of veggies actually have way more protein per calorie compared to meat. For example: for 100 calories of broccoli, you are getting about 11g of protein. For 100 calories of steak, you get about 8g of protein. That broccoli will also add healthy fiber, an abundance of vitamins and ZERO cholesterol!! Ahhh it just FEELS healthier!
If you are worried about deficiencies, I recommend the Arbonne Vitamin/ Mineral shakes. I have one every day, either for lunch or dinner or after a light dinner like a salad. The shakes have 20g of vegan protein from cranberries, peas and brown rice, they are some of the EASIEST proteins to digest so your system feels good to handle it! They also contain 22g of Vitamins and Minerals! They are sweetened with Stevia (Favorite sweetener, natural and no sugar) and taste delicious! Please contact me if you have questions about Arbonne products or would like to order!
We'll start from the top. This is the biggest thing I learned: ONLY eat fruit on an empty stomach. I can be mixed with raw, non starchy veggies though! One of my favorite breakfasts is a fruit smoothie with some spinach and spirulina! All of this will be explained more in "What's in your jar?".
For optimal digestion, you can only eat one of the complex foods with veggies! Veggies are filled with healthy fiber, vitamins, minerals and enzymes that set your digestive system up for optimal function! Once you eat your veggies, you can pair them with a carb, healthy fat or protein, but not 2 of them!!
Crazy right?! what have you been doing all of your life? Meat and potatoes, fish and rice? For your optimal digestion you want to mix a protein with just veggies or a carb with just veggies! This triangle example is all vegan and gluten free (Make sure your pasta is brown rice or quinoa and that your oats are GF as many are sifted in flour!)
You need some fats in your diet, but that HAVE to be natural, healthy fats made by the earth. Avocados, coconut, almonds, macadamia nuts, seeds... these are all fats that are filled with nutrients and actually help your body heal. Don't FILL up on fats, but have a small serving of something everyday, whether you have an avocado, a hand of almonds or some coconut oil, good fats!
Time for the big "controversy" :O ... PROTEIN! Guess what! vegetables have protein!! So many people think that vegetarians or vegans will have absolutely no way of getting proteins. If you are eating an abundance of veggies.. you are getting more than you think. Some veggies with protein are beans, lentils, garlic, green peas, broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, cauliflower, kale, collards and carrots. There will be all sorts of recipes with theses foods but even if you make a big salad or munch on some veggies, you are adding protein to your body. A lot of veggies actually have way more protein per calorie compared to meat. For example: for 100 calories of broccoli, you are getting about 11g of protein. For 100 calories of steak, you get about 8g of protein. That broccoli will also add healthy fiber, an abundance of vitamins and ZERO cholesterol!! Ahhh it just FEELS healthier!
If you are worried about deficiencies, I recommend the Arbonne Vitamin/ Mineral shakes. I have one every day, either for lunch or dinner or after a light dinner like a salad. The shakes have 20g of vegan protein from cranberries, peas and brown rice, they are some of the EASIEST proteins to digest so your system feels good to handle it! They also contain 22g of Vitamins and Minerals! They are sweetened with Stevia (Favorite sweetener, natural and no sugar) and taste delicious! Please contact me if you have questions about Arbonne products or would like to order!