Yesterday morning, I had the opportunity to watch a PBS special featuring physician Joel Fuhrman. For the past two decades, Fuhrman has helped thousands of patients overcome heart disease, diabetes, and even terminal cancer by creating a healthier lifestyle that includes eating nutrient dense foods. Some of the super foods he talked about included the common mushroom and onion.
Did you know that eating mushrooms and onions daily can significantly lower the incidences of breast cancer in women? As laudable as the annual Race for the Cure seems to be, we should be educating more people about eating healthfully daily to prevent cancer. I know it's a cliche, but an ounce of prevention truly is worth a pound of a cure.
Even though I have followed a fairly healthy diet, I realized after watching Dr. Fuhrman's presentation that I needed to amp up my efforts. Likewise, I wanted to remind you that as wonderful as a daily gentle yoga practice is, you can't do it in a vacuum. If you eat a lot of junk - especially too much fat and sugar, you aren't going to reap the maximum rewards from doing yoga. So, no, you can't do yoga and eat daily M&Ms, doughnuts, french fries, and potato chips, and expect to feel wonderful! Sorry, it just doesn't work that way. An occasional bite of these won't harm you, but they are addictive foods that are best to steer away from. I am having a real time trying to motivate my 14-year son to turn away from McDonalds!
Dr. Fuhrman created a clever acronym for remembering the best foods to eat daily and in quantity to maximize your health and to be able to live into your into your 90s feeling energized. I love it and wanted to share it with you. Think of the word, combs, and just substitute a "g." The word is "gombs"
G = greens (lots and lots!)
O= onions
M = mushrooms
B = beans/berries
S = seeds/nuts
As you increase your awareness of your body with a daily yoga practice, apply that same awareness to your food intake. As Dr. Joel Fuhrman says, "your health is your wealth!"
Yours for doing yoga and eating healthfully,
Laura Venecia Rodriguez
My new book is available at Amazon.com
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