SOS

   


     This is what I think of when I hear SOS.  Gillian's Island!  LOL

     No I don't need help, but I have been learning a lot about being SOS free.  SOS stands for sugar, oil, and salt free.  I remember when I first started this plant based diet, how everything tasted so bland. My husband often commented that I need to add more seasonings, and then he proceeded to add more salt to his plate.  It hasn't been until recently just this year that I have tried really hard to go SOS free.  Since Christmas I have lost 9 pounds as well, and I know that this is why.

     So there are the advantages of going SOS free.  Weight loss is a big one.  A person's taste buds will change a lot after going salt free especially.  My husband took me out for lunch yesterday, and to one of my favorite places to go as well.  Zuppas!  I love their soups, but it was so salty yesterday that I could barely choke it down.

     What does salt do to your body?  It retains water, it makes your blood pressure rise.  We do need salt, but only minimally.  We need 180 mg per day if you don't sweat, and more if you do.  You don't need a salt shaker though.  There are plenty of plants that contain salt naturally.  Also don't cook with salt.  If you have to have salt, add it to your plate at the table.  Salt dissipates during the cooking process.  There are also all kinds of salt substitutes on the market now days that add lots of flavor to your cooking.  Trust me, once you remove it you will get used to not having it as your taste buds adjust.

     Oil was another hurdle for me when I first started this way of life.  Do you water saute?  You can save on so many calories if you don't use oil to saute your veggies.  We don't even have oil in the house anymore.  I was reminiscing this morning as I was cooking up some potato hash on the stove. When my kids were young, I would cook up spuds with lots of oil to get them crispy.  I sure wish that I had raised my children differently and that I knew then what I know now that oil is artery clogging, and diabetes causing.  It also plays havoc with your heart, your blood pressure and your skin!  You know what is so irritating is companies will tell you that oil is heart healthy!  We do need oil in our bodies, but we need the right kinds in moderation.  Avocados, nuts, and seeds provide all the oils we need. Don't go crazy though as you will gain weight.

     Sugar, my last nemesis.  Sugar is everywhere!  It's in everything!  Sugar is likened to a drug.  It's as addicting as drugs.  It lights up a part of your brain that is very satisfying.  I have the biggest sweet tooth on the planet.  There are many people that are addicted to this stuff.  It also causes obesity and obesity in this country is an epidemic.  Couple it with a sedentary lifestyle, and it's a disaster waiting to happen.  Again, I wish I hadn't given my children so much sugar.  I was listening to a video this morning about when processed foods came into our world, and it was just after WW11 when women started to work more out of the home, and life became so incredibly busy.  Processed foods were easy back then and today, it is astonishing to go to the store and see all the "food like" products on the shelves.

     It is so important to stay away from any processed foods.  They play havoc on our bodies, they are making us sick!  There is more diabetes, more heart disease and more obesity than ever before, and it's all because of the FOOD!  Food is making us sick!  It can also make us well though.  I'm so thankful that I have an interest in nutrition, and that I have made great strides in our family to eat nutritious healthy foods.  It's all a process and something that we aren't used to doing, but there are so many resources that can help us along out journey.  One book that I have been reading is Lean and Clean written by High Carb Hannah, and she writes about SOS free eating.  It has helped me to understand and change my evil ways.  LOL  Check her out on YouTube, and get her book.  It's an ebook, and so worthwhile.