I developed theWholeness diet planbased on my personal experiences and years of extensive reading & research about healthy living. This plan is not really a weight-loss programme; itβs not about calorie counting and itβs not a Fad diet either. About 20 years ago I came across a book called the
Wholeness-ness
The essence of theWholeness diet planis that itβs not just about food and what, when or how youβre eating – it only works as a complete programme (thus the name βwholenessβ) because itβs also important to exercise (moderately), use proper skincare, carefully choose home-cleansing products etc. which you can read more about in this articleThe Wholeness Diet. Having said that, it still is mainly a diet which focuses on food and the quality of food. Itβs not easy to give up or change our eating habits – all of us have our own weaknesses, be it coffee, chocolate, cheese or cookies, without which we think we canβt exist. The best thing is not to give these up but to limit or gradually decrease our intake; alternatively βreformβ them. For example, if you canβt have a cuppa without biscuits, eat healthier varieties, preferably made by yourself, so you can control whatβs in them (itβs
Wholeness foods
My wholeness diet plan is mainly plant-based, but itβs not vegan, nor vegetarian nor even pescatarian. I think it’s best described as flexitarian, if I must choose a label. Humans have evolved to be omnivorous and, based on many studies Iβve researched, meat (even red meat!) does have beneficial effects on our health. However if we look at our ancestorsβ diet – and the diets of small communities around the world that tend to have long and healthy lives – meat was, and still is, eaten only occasionally. So I think itβs best to eat meat rarely, and most importantly, it should be of good quality, from a farm where the animals are kept and fed well. I donβt really have strict rules about how often you should eat meat – I think this should depend on your own body, lifestyle, fitness regime and budget. Personally, I donβt like eating meat more than twice a week – one of which is always poultry and the other red meat or game. However, I do strongly recommend eating seafood 2-3 times a week – alternating oily fish, white fish and shellfish –Β as all have different benefits.Β Also, you should have at least one (or preferably two) vegan days and one or two vegetarian days every week. Read more about this in theWholeness Foods article(next week)>>
Juicing
Juicing is an important element of theWholeness diet– preferably twice a day. You can use a juicer or powerful blender (like a Nutribullet). Itβs important that you have a large glass of (thin!) vegetable juice every day – and always on an empty stomach. This will help the cleansing function of your liver.Β I normally have a citrus fruit juice in the morning (e.g. grapefruit, lemon/lime and orange) diluted with filtered water (50/50%). An hour before my supper I make a potassium punch (carrot, celery, beetroot, lettuce, spinach & coriander leaves), again diluted with water. Note – fruit juices are high in fructose – so it’s best not to juice very sweet fruits (eat these alone or in fruit salads).
Drinks
We read everywhere that we should drink 2 litres of water every day. Well, I donβt. I find water boring. In the Summer or during strenuous exercise itβs easy to drink a lot but in the winter I crave warm drinks. Anyway, the latest studies show that we should take in 2 litres ofliquidsa day – herbal teas, thin soups, juices, smoothies and even solid fruits & veggies count towards it! The best way of measuring whether you drink enough is to analyse your urine – if itβs clear and has no strong smell, youβre properly hydrated!
Then there is the issue of caffeine β the latest studies suggest that itβs not as bad for us as previously thought. Surprise.. surprise – but who knows the truth?!Β I’ve tried but can not live without black tea as I need my caffeine hit in the morning! But these days I limit myself to 1 cup of black tea and 1 cup of coffee per day. Then I switch to dandelion coffee which is an excellent coffee substitute and is a liver-cleanser too! At lunch time I drink Sencha green tea, followed by various herbal teas in the afternoon and evening. I believe balance is the keyword!
I also like a drink in the evening, more precisely red wine. The problem is that I hold my drink well, so could go through a bottle very easily. I had to confront this issue, so I now no longer drink during the week, only at weekends – and even then I limit myself to 2 glasses of red wine, keeping the rest of the bottle in the shed to avoid temptation. The recommended healthy option is to drink 1 small glass (120 ml) of red wine with your daily main meal. If you can keep to this, go for it! If you canβt, try my method to cut down.
Β Wholeness meals
Although the wholeness diet is not the same as the strict Combination diet- many elements are based on it. I called my version theΒ Harmonious Food Combiningwhich is a relaxed version I tend to follow within my overall Wholeness Plan.
As I said above, I start the morning with a glass of citrus juice (or cider vinegar mixed with warm water), followed by a cup of tea and coffee.
- ForlunchI normally make carbohydrate-rich meals – soups, curries, pastas, salads, baked potatoes and so on. I always serve a green salad on the side.
- Forafternoon snacksI eat dips with raw vegetables or sometimes healthyΒ homemade flapjacks, pancakes or teacakes.
- ForsupperI eat protein-rich meals, such as fish with vegetables, hearty stews, frittata, grilled steak with salad and so on.
In the next articles Iβll explain how to put together an
Seasonal cleansing
Seasonal cleansing is another essential part of theWholeness diet plan. Every season I do a detox fortnight – basically I go vegan, gluten-free, sugar-free and alcohol-free. I used to do a full month/per year version (either in November or March), however I found it overly long and draining, so switched to just one week per season, but this wasn’t effective enough. I find a 2 week cleansing per quarter very doable & very effective. If you prefer doing a “Veganuary” or observing Lent, these can fit very well in the Wholeness Diet Plan. I particularly recommend a totalΒ Spring Cleansingwhich helps you to rejuvenateΒ for the year ahead.
Related articles
- Spring Clean Diet
- Diets that work
- Harmonious Food Combining Programme
- Harmonious Food Combining chart
- Harmonious Food Combining – pros and cons
- Harmonious Food Combining Preparation
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