Dr Joseph L. Mancusi: Choose health, life and love

What foods would you hate to give up?

“I would die without hamburgers, French fries and soda.”

“I would die without my bacon or sausage, eggs and chips.”

“I would die without fried chicken, gravy and mashed potatoes.

I am a New York Italian. I thought I would die without pasta, pizza, and bread and butter.

If you said any of these: pasta, pizza, fried chicken (with the skin), hamburgers, pancakes, ice cream, French fries, soda, candy bars, donuts, chips, snack cakes, cookies, potato salad, tacos, burritos, white bread or your mother’s pies I bet you are “undermuscled” (I don’t like saying: fat). Look in the mirror. If you are more than 25 pounds “undermuscled”, you are choosing to die younger. Why do you want to die young?

Stop kidding yourself. You are choosing to die by eating foods that will kill you fast. I know.

Years ago, I worked one year in NYC as a Presidential Exchange Executive. I commuted to New York from Virginia. During the work week, I lived in my old house with my father and aunt. My neighborhood had the best food.

Wow. Did this company take good care of their executives! I ate a buffet lunch everyday. It was incredible. It had Giant Shrimp, fresh fish, lean roast beef, pork loin, chicken breast, 3 soups, 7 salads, and 6 vegetables. Good stuff. They also had pasta, pizza, creamed soups, ice cream, pies, cakes, cookies and anything you wanted to drink except alcohol.

Everyday I went wild at the buffet. I filled my plate two or three times. I could hear my mother say, “Clean your plate, and don’t waste food. People in China are starving.”

I tried to clean the buffet table.

One night I had dinner with my father. I told him. “I would die without this real pizza. You can’t get Italian food this good in Virginia.”

“True,” He said. “But slow down, you are getting fat. You will get a heart attack.”

He was right. I had gotten so “undermuscled” (fat) in less than six months that I had to buy two new suits. I knew I had to choose death or choose to eat the right foods. I chose life. For the next two months I did not eat any bread and butter, pizza, pasta or ice cream. That is all I gave up. I still gorged at the buffet. I ate all the shrimp, lean meat, vegetables, light salads I could. I was too full for dessert.

I lost 19 pounds in two months. How could that be? Looking back over twenty five years I realize now that I went on a low carbohydrate, high protein, and low fat, high fiber diet without realizing it. This is a very healthy diet. Ask any cardiologist.

Name your three favorite “bad for you” foods. Give up the three bad foods you eat when you are tired, anxious, depressed, angry, bored or hungry between meals for one month. These are your emotional crutches. If you are overweight, they are killing you. Replace them with all the vegetables (no extra potatoes) you want. I guarantee you will lose weight. Fast. Choosing healthy life choices is easy. Bet on it. You know you can do it. Choose health. Choose Life. Choose Love.

www.yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com This has a list of the ten worst snack foods.

www.americanheart.org Go here before the heart attack.

Actions Items

1. Totally give up three bad foods for a month. What are they?

2. Substitute all the green leafy vegetables you want.

3. Walk 5 times a week for 30 minutes.

4. Contact me with your story. Maybe I’ll print the responses.

Dr. Mancusi is an inspirational speaker and psychologist. drmancusi@yahoo.com www.mancusi.net ©2009