Starch Solution Review

If you are a fan of Dr. McDougall, then you probably have heard of or read The Starch Solution. I am a huge fan of Dr. McDougall and for the past few years have followed him closely. I love the work he does, he plays a huge roll in the plant based movement, especially the low fat vegan lifestyle. After hearing so many incredible reviews and testimonies from his recent book and diet plan, The Starch Solution, I decided to give it a try!

If you aren't familiar with The Starch Solution, it is a low fat vegan diet based around starches. It allows you to eat the foods you love like pasta, rice, potatoes, pancakes, and all the other yummy carbs...even bread and LOSE WEIGHT! Foods that are off the menu are meat, dairy, eggs, butter, and oils, which for me was easy since those are already off my menu! My biggest concern was the 3-5 servings of fruit allowed, coming from a high raw lifestyle, fruit is huge part of my life! I love the taste of fruit, I eat it in abundance, I absofruitly love it! But...

Fruit stayed on my menu. I continued to eat fruit for breakfast as well as for snacks. My typical day looked something like this:
Breakfast- fruit meal or banana smoothies
Lunch- rice, potatoes, or pasta with fresh or steamed veggies
Snack- fruit, usually grapes or pomegranate
Dinner- salad, rice, potaotes, pasta, and veggies

Pros: This program is super easy to follow. All the foods recommended are highly accessible to everyone. No need to purchase any superfoods or supplements, which is always a plus! The book offers a 7 day program to help you get started as well as a fairly large recipe guide for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The recipes are all very simple, no hard to find ingredients, and all budget friendly.
This is also something the entire family can follow. All the meals are kid friendly which as a mom that is important! Foods like mash potatoes with gravy, pasta with marinara sauce, oatmeal, veggie pizza are all favorites in my home already! I was really impressed with how tasty the recipes were. I already cook oilfree so that was not a difficult adjustment for us, but the book gives simple instructions for cooking without oil, and keeping the food delicious! Trust me, no flavor is lost!

Did I already mention budget friendly? Yes, but let's talk about how inexpensive this lifestyle is! Potatoes and rice are some of the cheapest foods on the planet! They are available in every grocery store as well. The program does not require you to purchase a high price blender, juicer, or dehydrator. All you need is what you already have in a standard kitchen.

It is also very easy for busy families! Breakfast foods like oatmeal are great for kids trying to run out the door for school, even toast with a simple tofu scramble takes no time to make, or just pop some waffles into the toaster!  Lunch for me was dinner leftovers, quick to pack up and take with me to work. I made dinner nightly with leftovers in mind so everything was made to feed 5 instead of 3, that way my husband and I always had leftovers for lunch. None if the recipes were complicated or very time consuming, so if you are not great in the kitchen or just don't have time, this is perfect for you!
Did I lose weight? Gain weight? Stay the same? I actually lost 3lbs, (7lbs actually, weighed myself the day after I wrote this, which was a week and a half since the 3lb loss) though I was not looking to lose weight it was a pleasant surprise.If you are concerned with weight gain on this high carb program, please don't be, it will not happen!!
Cons: None! I really think this program would work well for everyone! Not only is it great for weightloss, but also great for those already at an ideal weight. The Starch Solution is a whole food diet which means you will be eating healthfully and really what are the cons of that? Lol!

Foods on the Naughty list!





6 Foods On The Naughty List

 

 



Doing a complete overhaul of your diet can be a bit scary. Many people just can't make such major changes all at once because they end up falling off the wagon FAST! So what they fall off the wagon? Well, the issue isn't just a little fall, usually they pick up ALL their bad habits and some new ones! That is the major problem with dieters. I can spot a dieter a mile away! They lose 5lbs and then gain back 15. They also look very bloated and puffy...an indicator they binged on salty-high fat foods because they are so hungry!!!

So to make it a bit easier, here is a list a foods on my naughty list! Remove one or two of these foods at a time, until you are eating clean :) The trick here is to NOT add them back in! Move on, change your lifestyle for the better!!

1. Dairy!!! I know, I know, how does one live without cheese???? lol! Easy actually millions of vegans do it daily :) Dairy is #1 on my list as it is completely unnatural for human consumption! I don't care that humans have been eating it for thousands of years...doesn't mean it is healthy to consume. Men have also raped women for millions of years...it doesn't make it right! So that reasoning needs to be thrown out the window! As we evolve, we are also understanding the science behind digestion and what causes major acidity in our blood, what causes mucus, and what causes cancer! Dairy is a huge component to many health issues...some minor ones like allergies or eczema,
and major ones like cancer! Give up dairy today!!

2. Processed meat! (well, all meat if you can)...but processed meat is a good place to start! Deli meats, hot dogs, bacon, meats in a can, are so extremely toxic!! They are major components to health problems in our society! They are highly processed, filled with chemicals, and loaded with salt & fat! Hot dogs and bacon have been a common link between those who have diabetes, obesity, and heart disease! The study in the journal Circulation linked consumption of processed meats to a 42 percent greater risk of heart disease and a 19 percent increased risk of type 2 diabetes, Agence France-Presse reported. Removing those from your diet is easy!!! Get creative with your veggies and make some yummy veggie sandwiches instead!

3. Soda!! I won't even get into it, lol! I feel like this is one of those things we should all know the dangers of! Loaded with sugar, corn syrup, toxins, chemicals, and so on! No one should be drinking soda...we know better! Diet soda is even worse...so yeah, don't drink that either!

4. Sports drinks are high on my list as well! They are NOT healthy and NOT needed for any athlete, don't let the highly paid-sponsored celebrity sell you this crap! The BEST sports drink is water or coconut water...plain and simple! Sports drinks are just a chemical concoction...filled with food coloring, HFCS, and more junk!

5. Frozen meals! Yes, Smart-Ones, Healthy Choice, Stouffers, Lean Cuisine, etc.! Get them out of your freezer NOW! If you are one of those people who thinks you are eating these to lose weight...guess what? It's not going to happen! These foods are s low in calories but high in sodium, preservatives, chemicals, and low quality ingredients, you will be bloated and hungry immediately after eating one! Low calorie processed foods are not the way to go when trying to lose weight...eat MORE healthy food and lose weight! The second thing about these is that you are having to use a microwave daily to eat these! There is so much info out there on the dangers of microwaves...please stay clear of them as much as you can! Instead make your own food! Or focus on eating raw food until dinner! Yes, eat raw fruit for breakfast, salads (huge ones) for lunch, and more fruit before dinner! This will help improve your digestion, lose weight, and keep your blood alkaline :)

6. Protein bars & shakes! YUCK!!! Stay away! Unless you can read and identify each ingredient, please don't consume these! There is this HUGE misconception that if you exercise AT ALL you need to fill up on protein! That is so so wrong and just plain old bad info! Does the body need protein to repair? Yes. Does it have to be a complete protein? NO. Does it have be eaten in large quantities'? NO! I don't eat bars or drink shakes and have never struggled with building muscle or staying lean! There is no such thing as a protein deficiency in our society. We are actually the opposite...we are consuming a very high protein diet, which is why we are suffering with disease! If you want a shake after a workout, try blending kale or spinach, water, and your favorite fruit like bananas, strawberries, or mangoes! Yummy and highly nutritious, if that won't refuel your body, then I don't know what will!

This is a great start! I could go on and on about cookies, candy, junk food, but we already know those foods are terrible! Focus on natural whole foods! Include more raw plants into your diet! Drink more water! Stay health, be happy :)