Page 5 | Michael T. Miyoshi

Little Need for Snacks · 23 August 2013

The more I eat plant-based, whole foods, the less I feel the need to snack.

I thought the conventional wisdom that said having four or five small meals throughout the day was how things were meant to be. But when I eat little to no processed foods, I do not feel hungry between meals. At least once the toxins are purged or at least mostly gone from my system.

I suppose this no snacks needed phenomenon is more proof that there is such a thing as sugar addiction. When I eat the good whole foods, I am satisfied. I have no cravings. I do not get that empty feeling in my stomach a couple hours after eating that says I need to have a snack. But the more processed foods I have in my diet, the more I need to snack.

Since it is difficult to completely avoid processed foods in modern society, I wondered how much we can tolerate before we get the cravings. Before we need to snack. While I am sure it varies from person to person, I have found that a couple pieces of bread is about it for me. When I eat more than a sandwich and a few chips, I definitely want more. And more. And more. Or I will need a snack in a couple hours (or less).

Contrary to conventional wisdom, eating a lot is not necessarily bad. (When we eat nutritionally, we tend to get filled up without consuming tons of calories.) Even snacking is not necessarily bad. (Again, when we eat the right foods.) The thing is that when we eat those good plant-based, whole foods, we can eat lots of volume and get the added benefit of not needing to eat snacks all the time.

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Dates and Raisins · 22 August 2013

Dates and raisins are the perfect foods for anybody with a sweet tooth.

Dates and raisins are chewy, sticky, sweet, and delicious treats. And they are healthy. After all, they are just dried fruit. They are just what the sweet tooth ordered.

As much as I like cookies and other sweet treats, I really need to stay away from them. Whether they are homemade or not, they are dangerous. At least for me. I find it difficult to eat less than a half dozen at a time. Each cookie leaves me wanting more.

I do not find myself overindulging when I eat raisins or dates. I might eat several handfuls of raisins, but they satisfy my craving for sweets instead of leaving me wanting more. The same is true with dates. Just a couple of those sticky sweet dates satisfy my desire for treats.

Unfortunately, there are still times when I still find myself being an irrational cookie monster wanting (and often eating) cookie after cookie. But I know I can satisfy my sweet tooth by reaching for those perfect treats. Dates and raisins.

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Staying Off My Soapbox · 21 August 2013

I want to get on my soapbox whenever I hear about the different diets people are trying.

I want to tell them that a whole food, plant-based diet is the way to go. I want to tell them that cutting out processed foods and reducing the amount of animal products is healthier than eating only 500 calories of food each day. I want to tell them that people who use fad diets usually end up gaining more weight when they figure out they cannot sustain those diets forever. But I usually keep quiet. I usually keep off my soapbox.

The main reason I keep off my soapbox is because people do not want others to preach at them. Especially, if they are getting the results they want doing what they are doing. Especially, if what I have to say does not support what they are doing.

Another reason I keep off my soapbox is because I would rather live what I believe and have people ask me what I am doing. I have told lots of people to check out my website to see the specifics of what I am doing. I have done this casual promotion simply by being myself. People notice that I have lost weight and they ask. So I can get on my soapbox for a short time.

That real soapbox is the last reason I keep off my soapbox in person. I just point people to my blog. I let them know they can read about my yearlong journey. They can read everything I would have said had I jumped on my soapbox.

When it comes right down to it, most people will not change their minds when others start ranting and raving. When others start preaching about people changing their evil ways. That is probably the real reason I do not just jump on my soapbox when I hear about the different diets people are trying. Even though I really want to.