Engine 2 Diet - My 28 day plant-based diet trial
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I obviously stopped counting calories!
I've stayed on a plant-based diet this entire year, got off of my blood pressure and cholesterol meds. When I checked yesterday my blood pressure was 120/85. I haven't had a cholesterol check in a while, but it went down after 30 days on the Engine2. I don't necessarily follow that exact plan... but pretty close.
Started juicing and getting more greens that way about six months ago. I watched "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and thought I'd never do a juice "reboot", but over the summer I got depressed and started gaining a few pounds back after a full year of slow steady loss. I decided to try nothing but juice to see what that would be like.
I didn't think I'd have any "withdrawal" since I hardly eat processed foods - but I did drink a large volume of decaf coffee, which still has some caffeine. I had headaches for a few days and felt tired, but after that, I was AMAZED that the juice really supported my body. It's clearly not a "fast" in that you're getting about 1200 calories a day in juice, but it's all fruit/veggie, and I haven't had any problems with daily life. What I thought I might be able to do for 3 days, I've done for 24. This is my last day as I'm going on a 90 mile bike ride with some friends this weekend and want to be back to my normal plant-based diet.
When I started Engine 2, I didn't understand the oil restrictions, but over the year, I've read more and learned more and now realize our culture is not only obsessed with anima based protein, but oil as well. I now view my high blood pressure as a vascular disease that effects every blood vessel in my body, and that reducing oil as much as possible is the best thing I can do to help heal the lining of those blood vessels, which will in tern prevent heart attack and stroke.
I take B12 every week, but no other supplement, no meds. I'm at my lowest weight in a long time... I have 5 years of tracking data, and I'm at my lowest point in my data set. This path changed my life.
Oh, and although I've lost weight over the past year just on the plant-based diet (about 10 lbs, of which I gained back 5), today I'm down 19.2 lbs from the day I started Engine 2.
I'll be back to logging food for a while as I transition back from juicing. :-)0 -
Congratulations! Thanks for the update!0
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Hi JPriceGA
I went on a wholefoods plant-based eating regime about eight weeks ago and I highly recommend it.
Something you should keep in your bookmarks is http://www.nutritionfacts.org It is my number one source for nutritional information. It is very well researched, respected and independent and is a registered charity.
Wishing you all the best,
Ben0 -
Ben,
That is my go to nutrition site! He really distills information well and makes it fun. I also like Jeff Novick who is a dietician and chef.0 -
Hi JPriceGA,
No worries. What I found useful were two longish videos down the bottom "Uprooting the leading causes of death" and "More than an apple a day". They are about one hour in duration each but are well worth it. And it should provide ample motivation - as it did me. In fact, visiting www.nutritionfacts.org precipitated me to re-adopt wholefoods plant-based eating after a 25 year hiatus.
I don't know Jeff Novick - I will have to check his site out.
kind regards,
Ben0 -
Enjoying the discussion.
Dr Joel Furham 's Eat to Live' is a good read, and 'This rawsome life' is a great site for recipes.
I think this is definitely the way to go for health and vitality as well as the ethical reasons.0 -
Yes commercial burger crumbles are a processed food. I have been a vegan for 28 years. This last 6 months I have been cutting out all processed foods. 8 weeks ago I slammed my hip into a tree and broke it. Today I am walking, still using a walker, but in 2 weeks I graduate to a cane then graduate out of that. The Doc who fixed my hip with a titanium rod and screw, said my ex-rays showed stronger bones than most people in their 60's. Then when he operated on me, he learned my bones were really strong! Also my EKG was that of a 20 year old. I didn't tell him I haven't used animal products for 28 years!
How are you doing without oil? I am trying, but that one seems really difficult, as I like a few things fried.
Since I have been laid up, my hubby, who is a professional chief, has wanted to feed me processed foods. If i don't want them, he asks what I want. He says my choices are the same, fruits or vegetables. I had some Big Bertha Burgers in the freezer and some Gluten steaks, and now I am beginning to cook again. This week I have made tapioca pudding, lasagna, black bean Enchilada casserole and tomorrow I am making Chickpea Korma. Being a chief, he couldn't make any of these for me as they were too much work. I'm glad I'm back to cooking!
Google Hans Diehl, or CHIP (Coronary Health Improvements Program) program. He has lots of great recipes. That's where I got the Big Bertha burgers. There are lots of vegan books out there. My chickpea korma recipe comes from the book, 'Simple, Tasty, Good' plant-based recipes for top taste and vital health.0
