Here are some meal plans and recipies to get you started.
http://drmcdougall.com/free_4a.html
And wisdom from Burgess.
Radical change and progressive change
Posted: Sun Apr 29, 2007 4:51 am
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I usually prefer radical change over progressive change. If I know I need to do A, B, C, and D to become healthier, then I make the changes immediately -- if I can.
In the real world, however, two factors make instantaneous radical change impossible.
- First, I need time just to find out what I need to do (for example, avoid added fat).
- Second, I need time to find out how to do each item (for example, first throwing away the butter and the bottles of veg oil, and, as a second step, examining the labels of prepared foods or, better yet, stop buying prepared foods and eat whole foods instead). We aren't born knowing these things; we have to learn them, and even an ambitious learner needs time.
So, in one sense of the term, all change is "progressive." The key question is: At what rate should I make the change?
To decide how fast I should change, I need to know:
1. Why I want to change: Is it to save my life from an imminent heart attack? If so, I am not going to waste any time making changes. This step tells me how fast I should change.
2. What my goal is: Is it, for example, to eat only (a) plant foods, (b) foods with no preservatives added, (c) foods with no salt added, (d) a wide range of plant foods, and (e) foods that are high fiber? This step gives me a list of changes to make. I should put them in a priority order, with most important coming first. Cutting out dairy products is probably much more important than cutting out coffee.
3. What my plan of change is: Is it to (a) dump all animal products, first; (b) concentrate on increasing the variety of plant foods in my diet, second; (c) eliminate preservatives, third; and (d) reduce salt last? This gives me a step-by-step procedure with dates attached -- in other words, a schedule -- to follow to make sure I am not losing sight of my goal.
In this sense "progress" is an acceptable alternative to immediate wholesale change. But if a person has no clearly defined goal or a definite schedule, "progress" can easily become an excuse for laziness or evasion of the need to make changes.
My summary is that change should be amibitious but achievable. Not one or the other, but both. Adding one new veg to my diet every ten years is achievable, but it isn't ambitious. Making a completely knowledgeable total change in my diet between now and the next meal is ambitious but it isn't achievable.
Both are need: Ambitious and achievable.
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Burgess Laughlin, Star McDougaller
http://www.aristotleadventure.com -- The Aristotle Adventure
http://www.aristotleadventure.com/anti-itis/ -- How I solved inflammation (-itis) problems
Good luck!