Four things we should reduce in our eating habits part 2
In my previous post I introduced the top four things you should reduce or eliminate from your eating habits. Do you remember? Okay… let’s review:
- Processed Fats: Processed Fats are fats destroyed through cooking at temperatures above 118 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Animal Flesh (yes red meat) and Poultry
- Dairy Products: Milk & Cheese
- Acid Addictions: Caffeine & Sugar
Reduce or Eliminate Red Meat
We already discussed either eliminating or reducing Processed Fats, and I am sure that the next one will be much harder to eliminate from your eating habits… well at least it was for me. About 15 years ago my Grand Master in the martial arts asked myself and some of the other Master Instructors in our organization to become vegetarians. At the time I truly didn’t understand why. But in the martial arts, when your Grand Master asks you to do something, you trust, believe and just say… “Yes sir”. I’m not going to lie… it was very difficult at the time to make that transition.
Ironically my wife and I were taking several personal growth seminars and we had the opportunity to fly to Fiji and complete a seven day detox program. Guess what? We were also taught about the benefits of eating vegetarian diets as we only ate raw fruits, vegetables and juices that whole week. After that detox cleanse I never looked and felt better in my life. I came to the realization that eating a vegetarian diet was healthier and I felt awesome. But I found myself upset if we went out to dinner or when I wasn’t totally in control of what was being served.
I still continued and did make the decision to eat a vegetarian based diet… but I made a rule not to be so hard on myself and allow some cheat days into my week. Over the past couple years I slowly began introducing fish and some fresh ground turkey into my diet. Okay, I have a confession… I do really enjoy a good steak. Even though I eat super clean and we hardly ever cook meat at the house. But I do like to be bad sometimes and have that cheat day and go out and potentially have a good steak. 🙁
Seriously… studies have shown that vegetarians (following a well-balanced low-fat high-fiber vegetarian diet) often have lower incidence of coronary artery disease, hypertension, obesity and some forms of cancer. A vegetarian diet can be a very healthy option but it is important to ensure it is well balanced. You could stuff your face with chips, cheese, bread and chocolate at every meal and be vegetarian but you wouldn’t be doing your health much good.
Consider a balanced vegetarian diet that includes:
Grains and cereals: Whole grain bread, brown rice, whole wheat pasta, muesli.
Legumes, nuts and seeds: Soya beans, kidney beans, split peas, lentils, almonds, cashews and sesame seeds.
Fruit and vegetables: As much as you want – think variety. Try new fruits and vegetables and include them in your diet every day. Any fruits and vegetables with color is good.
Egg whites or hard boiled eggs for protein.
Eating meat hardens blood vessels
A compound found in red meat called carnitine has been found to cause atherosclerosis… the hardening or clogging of the arteries, according to a study published in the journal Nature Medicine. The research, which included more than 2,500 vegans, vegetarians, and omnivore cardiac patients, suggests that carnitine converts to a heart-damaging compound, trimethylamine-N-oxide (TMAO), via bacteria in the intestine. Researchers found that increased carnitine levels predicted increased risks for cardiovascular disease.
Another study from Harvard School of Public Health found an association with red meat consumption and increased risk of a shortened lifespan. Eating healthier protein sources such as fish, poultry, nuts, and legumes was associated with a lower risk of mortality.
Eating meat ups your risk of type 2 diabetes
According to a report published by JAMA Internal Medicine, eating red or processed meat can, over time, increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. “Specifically, 3.5 ounces of red meat or 1.8 ounces of processed meat (e.g. a hot dog or 2 slices of bacon) daily led to a 19% and 51% increase in diabetes risk, respectively,” says Dan Nadeau, MD, endocrinologist at Mary and Dick Allen Diabetes Center at Hoag Hospital in Irvine, California. “Diets rich in animal products contribute to the increased risk incidence of obesity as well as type 2 diabetes in the U.S.”
Hormones added to red meat boost breast cancer risk, according to a large study of more than 90,000 women published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Women who ate more than 1.5 servings (approximately 6 ounces) of red meat per day had nearly double the risk of developing hormone-sensitive breast cancer than women who ate 3 or fewer servings per week. Researchers believe the hormones or hormone-like compounds in red meat increase cancer risk by attaching to specific hormone receptors on the tumors.
Five Reasons Why to Eat A Vegetarian Based Diet
- You’ll live a lot longer.
— Vegetarians live about seven years longer, and vegans (who eat no animal products) about 15 years longer than meat eaters, according to a study from Loma Linda University.
- You’ll save your heart.
— Cardiovascular disease is still the number one killer in the United States, and a typical American diet that is consumed with saturated fat and cholesterol from meat and dairy is largely to blame.
- Save more money
— Replacing meat and chicken with vegetables and fruits is estimated to cut food bills by an average of $4,000 a year.
- You’ll reduce your risk of cancer.
— A study in The International Journal of Cancer concluded that red meat is strongly associated with breast cancer. The National Cancer Institute says that women who eat meat every day are nearly four times more likely to get breast cancer than those who don’t.
- You’ll give your body a cleanse.
— Giving up meat helps get rid of all the toxins (pesticides, environmental pollutants, preservatives) that overload our systems and cause illness.
I know most of you still may not want to totally eliminate red meat from your diet… but consider drastically reducing it. What helped me make that decision was not only listening to my Grand Master or taking several seminars about it… but I would recommend watching the documentary movie called Forks over Knives, which you could probably watch on Netflix. I also would recommend reading Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Both can be extremely influential in your way of eating and your thinking when it comes to your eating habits.
Please be sure to leave a comment and I will reply as soon as I can. Remember to share if you care. I would greatly appreciate it if you took the time to share on Facebook or Linkedin. If you have any questions, you can always email me at pmelella@empoweredmastery.com and it will be my honor to serve in any way I can. If you would like to find further information about how Empowered Mastery could help your personal life or business… please visit our website at www.empoweredmastery.com.
Live Life to the Fullest!
Master Paul Melella Jr
Tips from this article
- Substitute fish or egg whites instead of red meat for protein.
- Eat a vegetarian based diet throughout the week and reduce the intake of red meat
- If you are going to eat red meat… choose the highest quality or maybe from a local farm that doesn’t have hormones etc.