Blog

October 20, 2011

Recently one of my clients told me about Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet. As you might expect by the title, it is a vegan approach to eating and living. Veganism is a philosophy that  avoids consuming animal products as food or in any fashion such as clothes, cosmetics, and products that are tested on animals. Veganism is motivated by a desire to practice a “cruelty free”way of living. In doing so, there can be many benefits to one’s health which might include losing weight, provide natural way to improve you health and alleviate medical conditions that are lifestyle induced.

I have found that finding a bigger meaning or purpose behind what you want to change can be very motivating. For example, many people find it so much easier to give up unhealthy habits such as smoking, drinking, consuming coffee when they are pregnant. If you are struggling with your eating and lifestyle habits, finding your bigger purpose beyond just having to lose weight to look better or because you think you will be more attractive can provide the motivation you are lacking.

One of my clients came to me struggling to overcome a compulsive and unhealthy candy eating habit. Every time she felt the need to shut down emotionally she binged on candy. When I suggested she start to look at the candy negatively she remembered that was what she did when she stopped eating meat. I think it is easier to let go of an unhealthy habit especially one that involves an addictive substance such as sugar, by intentionally focusing on the negatives of what it does to you and how badly it makes you feel. You can also derive energy from knowing that you are no longer supporting companies that practice business in a way that harms others.

I am particularly disturbed by how businesses develop products for the consumer that have the potential to hook them and are unhealthy. Sometimes it takes years for this information to reach the consumer as was the case with smoking. Personally I feel the food industry is very similar to the tobacco industry. Every person that I can help to free from the grips of an addictive substance that is “man-made” the better I feel.

I think we are all disconcerted and disillusioned with the state of affairs in our country. Can you believe that one of our biggest exports is antidepressants and the toxic fast food that is so pervasive in our culture. Perhaps it feels overwhelming and you think there is nothing you can do to help change our state of affairs. I think we all have the power to stop consuming products that are harming us, others, and the environment.

The sooner we wake up to what is going on the more effective we can deploy and use our power of choice. That is why I think you should take a look at Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet. You may find the motivation you were looking for to eat healthier and live healthier by practicing kindness. This “diet” works with the Nirvana Diet because the program I developed is a diet for the mind. It helps you make what you want to change your lifestyle.

Join the conversation and let me know what motivates you to live a healthier life.

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