Think of our ancestors that worked on their farms and ate nonprocessed foods. They ate bread, milk, and eggs that weren’t processed. When people ate this way and ate natural food from the land(farm to table), the incidence of illness and disease was much much lower.
It reminds me of a friend that can’t eat any pieces of bread locally as they have a severe reaction to Gluten. They get violently ill whenever they consume any processed bread products due to the Wheat and Gluten. Last year they traveled to Italy and consumed bread, pizza, and pasta regularly with no reaction to the wheat or gluten whatsoever. My belief is that this is due to the different way of processing foods(or not processing foods) in Europe.
The Longest Living People In the World
As many of you know, I have my bike race in Sardegna, Italy coming up in a months time. When I go to Sardegna, I consume copious amounts of bread, pasta’s, and even baked goods with no reaction or upset stomach whatsoever. For those that have read the book Blue Zones by Dan Buettner, it highlights the habits and diets of the longest living people in the world. Sardegna Italy is one of these spots that has off the charts number of Centurians( live over 100 years of age) in comparison to the rest of the World. I believe one of the reasons for this is they consume food that is nonprocessed, is fresh, organic and farm to table.
How Not To Die
One of my very favourite books on Health and Wellness of all time is How Not To Die by Dr. Michael Greger. In his book, he shares the leading causes of death including Heart Disease, Diabetes, Stroke, and shares how to combat these as well as many other illnesses. As you read the book, you quickly realize that that the one Magic bullet to combat all of these diseases is the foods we consume. From his years of research, he is a proponent of a plant-based diet as it can reduce the risk of most illness and even reverse certain illnesses that people already have. I would encourage you to read this book as it is a lifesaver and a great book.
My Personal Experience
For those that have followed my blog, you likely know my story. I am living testament of a person that thought that diet did not matter in terms of health and thought I could “exercise myself out of any potential illness or sickness”. About 7 years ago as part of my annual Executive Medical, I was not in good shape from a health standpoint. I was 50 lbs overweight, had high blood pressure and was pre Diabetic. Through some very quick changes in my eating habits, I reversed all of that in a matter of 3 months. As I quickly found out, the body is an amazing machine that wants to heal when we treat it well.
Then through my personal research, input from Barb and our children that were plant-based, my friend and mentor Rich Roll(RichRoll.com), I switched to a mainly plant-based diet. The results have been amazing. All of my blood tests are off the charts in terms of amazing health and in addition, I have more energy, sleep better and I am able to have harder better workouts than I did years ago. In fact, I have managed to qualify to represent Canada for the last 5 years in the World Triathlon Championships. I know that this would not have been possible without changing my diet to a mainly Plant Based, non processed diet.
The Bottom Line
I think Hippocrates knew best when he said: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.
I encourage you to try a diet based mainly on comprised of plant-based fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds and nonprocessed foods and you will see changes in how you feel in a matter of days.
Love to Hear
I would love to hear any of your stories you care to share on how you have improved your health through a change in diet. Also, if you would like my help in getting started or any questions, please reach out to me as I would be pleased to assist.
Have a great, healthy and happy day, Kev
1 comment
Hi Kevin.
The title of this blog will certainly attract a lot of attention. I appreciate you telling me the names of the two books that you recommend. And know that there will be others who look them up, too. The stories of your personal encounters are very interesting and I know everyone will take notice. Good job.
Love,
Marge