My Refrigerator was recently convicted of attempted murder.
It was only after “he” tried to kill me that I realized the danger I was in. In fact, it was while I was in the intensive care unit, following my quadruple bypass surgery that I figured it out.
Of all things that can cause us bodily harm it is hard to imagine that the real danger is lurking in our kitchens.
I had friends over for dinner and their first remark to me was how healthy my Refrigerator looked. I had to adamantly remind them… there was a time, not so long ago, that “he” was completely out of control.
Your Refrigerator, without discipline, is a Weapon of Mass Destruction. With discipline, your Refrigerator can be an enormous tool for good and ultimately can save your life.
One Small Step at Time
Marshall Ulrich is an American ultramarathon runner. He has completed 124 ultramarathons averaging 100 miles each. He has climbed the tallest summit on each continent, including Everest. The Badwater Ultramarathon is a 146 mile race across Death Valley ending at 14,494 feet at the summit of Mount Whitney; he ran it four times in a row, a 586 mile run! At the age of 57 Marshall ran 3063 miles from San Francisco to New York, in 52 days; an amazing feat of endurance and pain. When asked how he accomplishes these feats of endurance, he simply responds; “with millions of little steps”.
The insight Marshall is sharing transcends to any activity we pursue. Amazing things can be accomplished focusing not on the enormity of the task but by simply focusing on the task at hand.
Habit Swapping
I have found the most productive tool to reinvent your life is to swap one bad habit a day for a good habit and then build on that accumulation of changes.
A great first step to start a nutrition makeover is by mentally taking an inventory of the food in your fridge. Open it up and take a panoramic view of its contents. Does it look like a friend or an enemy? Considering that 67% of us will die of a chronic disease associated with diet, the danger is real.
Small Decisions = Big Results
Walk over to your refrigerator when you are done with this article and take a picture of the contents.
What you stock your refrigerator with is a choice. A choice made long before the food made it home. It is a choice based on thousands of small decisions that confront you daily. Each decision needs to be approached with an overriding master plan.
When you select items at the store ask yourself a question: does this belong in my refrigerator. Extend that same question to ordering at restaurants; is this something I would eat at home?
When I open my Rehabilitated Refrigerator, I see my plan in action. It represents the power and control I have to exert my influence and willpower upon a large metal box. That influence ultimately controls my destiny.
My wife recently received her certification in Plant-Based Nutrition, from T. Colin Campbell & Cornell University. One of the first steps she accomplishes when meeting a new client is a Whole Foods walk-through. She has completely mapped out a refrigerator cleansing, essentially replacing the bad with the good. The Refrigerator makeover is a key step in beginning a master plan.
-Replace animal proteins with plant based foods.
-Replace sugar drinks, juice & sodas with water and infused teas.
-Replace your condiments; gravitate towards mustards, hot sauce & vinegars.
-Throw out anything with high fructose corn syrup, be wary of fake sweeteners.
-Throw out with anything with saturated fats.
-Focus on the least number of ingredients when putting together meals.
-Rarely open cans, opt for fresh every chance you get.
-Keep fresh fruit & vegetables in appetizing bowls, clean & ready to eat.
Use your Refrigerator as an extension of your overall plan towards health. Use it to represent your goals & serve as a constant reminder of your success. When your foundation is solid the rest will follow.
As far as the attempted murder charge; I dropped it. I am proud of who “he” has become. In the end, I was mostly to blame; I filled him with marketing and advertising and expected a healthy outcome.
Now I wonder what those cabinets are scheming?
Hi, I am intrigued by your early heart problems.
Did you have any of the main risk factors?
Did you test out you Lipoprotein a level? if you did, how high was it?
whoa… throw out everyting with saterated fat!?! Please dont lump coconuts in with animal fats… Medium chian fatty acids found in coconut fat is super good for you!
Coconut oil is 90% saturated fat.
The damaging effects of processed (hydrogenated) oils are shown in animal models.1 Hamsters fed hydrogenated coconut oil with or without cholesterol in their diet quickly develop lipid rich lesions (early atherosclerosis) in their arteries with rapid progression of artery disease when the diet is continued.1 Studies on rats demonstrate that highly processed coconut oils, as opposed to virgin coconut oils, have the most adverse effects on cholesterol.2 Thus, foods that have been altered from their natural state the most by processing have the most adverse effects.
McDougall’s Thoughts: https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2006nl/may/coconut.htm
My conclusion is that coconut is a natural plant food which can have a small place in most people’s diets. As a whole food the oils are combined with the fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other plant components in a way that makes them safe. When the oil is removed by processing from its natural surroundings then it becomes a medicine at best and a toxin at worst—just like other oils (corn oil removed from corn, olive oil removed from olives, etc.) The more processing— the worse the oil.
If you decide to include this high fat food in your diet; then realize that coconut is very rich, packed with calories and fats. You will likely gain weight if this becomes a big part of your diet. People with weight-dependent diseases, like type 2 diabetes and degenerative arthritis of the lower extremities should be very careful about including coconut in any form. Otherwise, as a condiment—like other nuts and seeds—coconut will add unique flavors to your meals and provide quality nutrients. Just think of it as a treat. Have you ever tried to open a coconut? One reason they are packaged in such hard shells may be to keep people from eating too much of a good thing.
References:
1) Mangiapane EH, McAteer MA, Benson GM, White DA, Salter AM. Modulation of the regression of atherosclerosis in the hamster by dietary lipids: comparison of coconut oil and olive oil. Br J Nutr. 1999 Nov;82(5):401-9.
2) Cox C, Sutherland W, Mann J, de Jong S, Chisholm A, Skeaff M. Effects of dietary coconut oil, butter and safflower oil on plasma lipids, lipoproteins and lathosterol levels. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1998 Sep;52(9):650-4.
3) Nevin KG, Rajamohan T. Beneficial effects of virgin coconut oil on lipid parameters and in vitro LDL oxidation. Clin Biochem. 2004 Sep;37(9):830-5.
4) Ng TK, Hassan K, Lim JB, Lye MS, Ishak R. Nonhypercholesterolemic effects of a palm-oil diet in Malaysian volunteers. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991 Apr;53(4 Suppl):1015S-1020S.
5) St-Onge MP, Jones PJ. Physiological effects of medium-chain triglycerides: potential agents in the prevention of obesity. J Nutr. 2002 Mar;132(3):329-32.