by Joshua Anderson
According to Texas firefighter Rip Esselstyn, the author of Engine 2 Diet, you can lose weight, reduce cholesterol, and look fabulous by being on the Engine 2 diet for 28 days. What Engine 2 Diet does is that it plans your meals and shopping lists so that you can dish up easy-to-make meals. You will have to shop for the food items at a store that retails only natural foods. Your food intake is then logged and along with the planned exercise regime, you find yourself on the way to a new you. Importantly, you connect with all the others who are on this diet so that you get the support you need.
Whole grains, nuts and seeds, vegetables and fruits, all are sources of low-fat protein and are the main ingredients to be consumed while following the Engine 2 diet. The author himself agrees that it is very difficult to follow this diet. You are used to the regular diet of eating so many different varieties which you have followed for so many years, which makes following the Engine 2 diet a bit difficult. To make the diet more interesting chicken and fish have also been included which can be eaten in the initial stages of the plan. Whole grain crackers and whole grain pastas, as also tofu, soy yoghurt and vegetable burgers are allowed. In this diet every 1000 calories you consume will have just less than 2.5 grams fat content. You are not allowed to add oil while making these foods. Sugar used will also have to be the natural sweetener only.
In the Engine 2 diet plan you are required to consume less salt. This diet is a vegetarian diet and concentrates mainly on plant proteins. People usually tend to consume dairy products, meat and eggs which are considered as rich sources of protein. Proteins which exist in the form of chains are actually made up of around twenty amino acids out of which only eight amino acids can be ingested from the food that we eat. These amino acids are important for our body and as per the Engine 2 diet plan the plants also can give us the necessary amino acids. Carbohydrates provide energy and fuel to the body and our body absorbs at least 70 percent calories from the carbohydrates that we consume daily.
The Engine 2 diet lays a lot of emphasis on proteins obtained from the plants. Different quantities of amino acids are available in different plants. The Engine 2 diet selects different vegetable combinations which complement each other so that the right quantity of proteins and amino acids are available to the body. Proteins available from the plants are much safer than proteins obtained from non vegetarian foods. Our whole body requires energy at all times, be it working, exercising, breathing or for that matter even digesting food, all require energy which can be obtained from carbohydrates. After the digestion process sugars available in both the complex as well as simple carbohydrates get converted into glucose.
Glucose obtained from carbohydrates remains in our blood in the form of glucose. Carbohydrates are stored in the form of glycogen in the liver and muscles. But since the body knows how to regulate itself, any excess carbohydrates in the body are converted into fats. Health friendly complex carbohydrates are found mainly in vegetables like sweet potatoes and beans and also in fruits and different other grain cereal breads. Complex carbohydrates release sugar in a very controlled manner in our system so that we have enough energy in our body to carry out our daily activities throughout the day. One can now know and understand from the Engine 2 diet, that even plants can supply our body with the necessary fat content.
Our body can obtain high and instant energy from simple carbohydrates. But these simple carbohydrates get converted into fat and get stored in our body and make us look fat. Such fats are very dangerous to our health and well being. A number of fruits and vegetables do contain good fats like poly saturated or mono saturated fats. Soybeans contain a great 41% fat content, whereas, vegetables such as spinach contains 11%, bell peppers contain 6%, broccoli 8%, and fruits such as strawberries contain 5% fat content. Good fats are available in fruits and vegetables and these are very good sources of fat for the body.
Esselstyn has given examples of Tony Gonzalez, who beat breast cancer to win more than a thousand triathlons, Salim Stoudamire, NBA player, Dave Scott, who won the famous Ironman triathlon, held in Hawaii, and Martina Navratilova, tennis champion as hugely competitive athletes whose diet was plant based. It is plants that provide the most nutrients and what’s more, the best nutrients. Plants generate essential calories as well. Vitamin B12 is an essential supplement, which are accessible via fortified soymilk, yeast, or even a pill. Good nutrients are always released slowly into the body’s system.
Flaxseeds, walnuts and soybeans are a very good substitute for fish oil. So if you wish to enjoy good health, consume a lot of vegetables or plant foods which are not only rich in fiber, but also give you the required energy throughout the day. Rich omega 3 supplements can be obtained from flaxseeds, walnuts, soybeans and other leafy vegetables. So you can replace fish oil with these given substitutes, for enjoying better health. Fatty foods like butter, sour creams and margarine may make your food very tasty but in the bargain you have a lot of good health to loose.
We all develop certain tastes, right from our childhood. So when we try out the natural plant food, in the beginning, we find the taste a bit different, but as the time goes by one can get used to it and it becomes a kind of a habit. Once you find that you are fitter than before you realize the actual benefits of plant food in comparison to non vegetarian foods.
About the Author:
The
Engine 2 Diet is a fresh and exciting dieting program. The author, Joshua Anderson, has been experimenting with many diets. After getting very excited about the
Engine 2 Diet, he had to tell everyone. Click a link above to find information on the book, and how to get started.
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