Happy New Year!!
For the first time in years, I am looking forward to making a resolution for the New Year. I don’t normally partake in New Year’s Resolutions, but this time is different. I am using this birth of a new year to launch my own rebirth. Time to get off the merry-go-round and take the steps I know I need to take to improve my health once and for all. After my health struggles this year, Chris and I are fully committing to following a healthy lifestyle and to work towards healing my heart disease. The first step in this healing is following The McDougall Program…100%. If you don’t know what The McDougall Program is, it is simply a way of eating that eliminates all animal products, no oil, and minimal fatty nuts, seeds and fatty fruits like avocado and coconut. What it does include is plenty of starches, veggies and legumes.
Yep, that’s right…that is 100% no meat, dairy, eggs or oil. And for me, with my heart disease, that also means no nuts, coconut or avocado. This may sound hard to some, but you know what’s really hard…recovery from a heart attack and open heart surgery. Compared to that, food is easy-peasy. If I never want to go through that again, I have to take drastic measures. No moderation here. If I want my body to heal, I need to nourish it properly, stop inflicting harm, and get out of its way.
If you would like to find out more about this program, Dr. McDougall does have wonderful books out, including The Starch Solution, but you can find his free program here https://www.drmcdougall.com/
Now, we usually eat healthier than most. We eat lots of veggies, we’ve eaten a mainly vegetarian diet for over 10 years, we don’t smoke, we don’t do drugs, etc. But for healing, it is just not enough. We need to delve into this with everything we’ve got. I am not taking this lightly…my life depends on it. I am so lucky that Chris is taking this journey with me. It’s a lot easier to make changes like this when you have your spouse’s support.
Sure, some things may seem like an inconvenience, but we’ll figure it out. Eating out? No problem, I’m not shy. I’ll ask for what I want and I’ll bring my own salad dressing if needed. Going to friends or family? No problem, I’ll bring foods that I will eat…and enough to share. Who doesn’t love good food???
I’m fortunate. I have taken eating well serious enough that I am not on many medications, even after having had heart surgery. 81 mg. aspirin, Zocor (cholesterol meds) and Zyrtec. That’s it! Yay me, right? But, you know what? I don’t like taking meds. The Zocor gives me muscle aches and I feel like I’m dependent on the Zyrtec. My goal is to be off all medication in 2015, and I will do it.
2015 is going to be an exciting year, I just know it.