Montagu Julie - Superfoods: the flexible approach to eating more superfoods

Ive regularly compared the superfoods in this book to superheroes, and so Id like to dedicate this book to the real superheroes in my life: my four children, Emma, Jack, William and Nestor. You are each, in your own spectacular way, a true superhero.

There is NO diet on earth that will yield the same results for everyone. So lets throw out the word diet as we have come to know it once and for all. Feel better already, right?! So, from now on lets use the proper, original definition of diet when it passes through our lips. A diet is the kinds of food that a person, animal or community consistently eats. Boom, there you have it. We are not and should not be looking to ever restrict ourselves to feeling great. However, there are some basic principles of eating that we can all benefit from. In other words, yes, by being flexible you can have your cake and eat it, too. And thats why I call myself The Flexi Foodie!

My Flexi Foodie approach to meal times is not one of strict rules; remember we are not dieting, thank goodness! Instead, it demonstrates how it is both simple and advantageous to embrace a plant-based, superfood lifestyle even if only on a part-time basis. I always tell my children that if they were exactly alike then life would be really boring. So, just as with my children, no two people are identical in their preferences and nutritional requirements. As a result, this book is completely inclusive no matter what your current diet and lifestyle. Absolutely anyone and everyone can easily revolutionise their eating habits and take a giant leap down the path to long-lasting health. Instead of being an instant process, this book details how to make incremental changes to your lifestyle that serve to eradicate the bad and introduce the good.

But lets start at the beginning. What causes us to gain weight and what are the health issues that go hand in hand? Why are so many people getting heavier and heavier and sicker and sicker? Fortunately, studies have been examining these questions and we now finally have some answers.

Over the past 100 years our consumption of meat, dairy, sugar and processed and packaged foods have sky rocketed. That in turn has led to an increase in obesity rates and health issues. But the good news is that you can change all this very easily and Im going to show you how!

Throughout this book and its recipes, we will focus on the foods that are most powerful for health and reduce and even eliminate the ones that arent. But what really counts is what works for you and this is a super-easy and fun way to experiment with a new way of eating. By adding more superfoods into your diet, you will naturally start to crowd out the bad ones. I have seen so many people become slimmer, healthier and feel so much better by simply increasing the good and decreasing the bad. When people start to comment on how amazing you look, and when you start to feel better and better day by day, youll be spurred on. For me, the extra bonus of this way of life is the abundance of energy that comes with it. You will soon notice that this translates into feeling great, every single day.

So, lets begin revolutionising your eating habits so we can get started on the journey to all the tremendous benefits. The foods that youll want to start adding to your plate are green leafy vegetables, wholegrains, legumes, vegetables, fruits and natural sweeteners; many of these I term superfoods because theyre SO jam-packed with the nutrients your body thrives on. The foods that we are going to decrease and maybe eliminate completely, are animal products (this includes dairy), refined sugar, wheat and refined oils. Studies have shown that when you start to cut back on these food groups and increase your consumption of wholesome plant-based foods, your health improves a lot!

Some people think that a plant-based diet might lack the nutrition they need when in fact the opposite is true. When you replace meat with these plant-based foods, you eliminate the animal fats and other things that can be detrimental to your health. But thats not all. Youre also getting the fibre you need to keep things moving, which in turn keeps you slim. On top of that, youre keeping bad cholesterol at bay and allowing all the incredible antioxidants and vitamins to be absorbed into your cells and protect you against disease. You can also rest assured that plant-based foods are not lacking in protein. When you incorporate whole foods into your diet dark, leafy green veg, other veggies, fruit, seeds and nuts you will get your necessary quota of protein.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

A PLANT-BASED DIET IS NUTRIENT-RICH AN ANIMAL ONE IS NUTRIENT STRIPPED.

But this book is NOT about cutting all the animal products out. Its possible to be flexible and have that piece of meat if you want to while combining it with an antioxidant, nutrient-dense side dish or pudding. But lets explore this a little bit more in particular, oxidation, free radicals and antioxidants.

The process of oxidation within the human body damages cells. When oxygen is metabolised in the body, free radicals are created. These free radicals steal electrons from other molecules, which in turn causes damage. In todays day and age, we are being bombarded with free radicals and this overload has been linked to a whole host of diseases. Oxidation gains momentum through stress, smoking, alcohol, pollution and other factors including digestion. For example, when you eat meat it causes the digestion to work incredibly hard to breakdown the food. Simply put, it takes about twice as long to digest meat compared to plant-based foods.

Modern science believes 80 percent or more of the damage to the body is caused by free radicals. This is where the power of incorporating more plant-based superfoods into your diet becomes your superhero. Eating a range of green leafy vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, legumes and other veggies provides you with a plethora of antioxidants. Not only do these antioxidants neutralise free radicals, but they remove the free radicals from the cells which in turn will prevent or reduce the damage caused by oxidation.

Dairy is another one that I feel needs to be cut right back or cut right out. We are the only species on the planet that still consumes milk past the infancy stage. And, in fact, humans are the only species that consumes milk from another animal. Thousands of studies have been conducted on the harmful effects of dairy. But two big problems stand out: mucus and inflammation. Dairy causes the body to secrete too much mucus and in turn, the body then tries to get rid of the mucus through phlegm or acne. This over-abundance of mucus leads to inflammation within the body, which then leads to low energy, poor sleep, irregular digestion and it can even cause diseases. If cutting back or eliminating dairy from your diet flags the question about getting enough calcium then consider eating more dark, leafy green vegetables. After all, this is where cows get their calcium. Statistically speaking, osteoporosis and hip fractures are actually lower and practically non-existent in countries with the lowest rate of dairy consumption.