10-Step Method To Changing Your Diet For The Better

I get asked all the time, " Where do I begin?" "What should I eat when one opinion says 'don't eat this' and another opinion says 'do eat this'?" And then I hear, "It's just SO overwhelming!!" I won't lie, it sure can be overwhelming when changing your diet! We get accustomed to eating a certain way and then when we become creatures of habit and it is hard to change! I always suggest starting slow. Don't try to completely change your diet all in one week. 

Now there are times that we face a major health issue and it may be necessary to completely remove a problem food all at once. This was my situation 10 years ago when I had to completely remove yeast from my diet in order to get my health/life back on track. There have been other times over the years that I have slowly changed my diet to try to pinpoint a trigger food and obtain optimal health.

I came across this 10-Step list the other day and thought it was good to share. This would be my advice to anyone who is looking to get themselves/their families on a path to better health. 

10-STEP METHOD TO CHANGING YOUR DIET FOR THE BETTER:

If you are really interested in changing your diet for the better, it is best to start simply instead of making radical changes all at once. I recommend doing one of these steps every two weeks. An excellent book to read about eating right is “Food Rules” by Michael Pollan. He gives more explanation for a lot of these food rules.

Step 1: Pay attention in the grocery store: Start reading labels! Become familiar with what you are eating. Notice that all the fresh foods are on the outside aisles and all the processed foods are on the inside aisles. Eventually, most of your cart will be filled from the outside aisles, which makes shopping so much easier!

Step 2: Eliminate everything in your diet that has hydrogenated fats in any form. Partially hydrogenated is just as bad as fully hydrogenated.

Step 3: Eliminate everything in your diet that has corn syrup in it, high fructose or otherwise.

Step 4: Eliminate everything in your diet that has artificial sweeteners except for natural stevia.

Step 5: Eliminate every grain in your diet that is not a whole grain. Don’t be fooled by multi-grains that aren’t whole grains. Who cares if its 10 different grains if they are all stripped of their nutrients?

Step 6: Eliminate white sugar from your diet.

Step 7: Eliminate low-fat and no-fat versions of your favorite foods from your diet. (yes, that’s right!!! Your body will crave less fat since it is getting more of the right fats and you will want less. )

Step 8: Eat as much produce as you can that is grown in your area when it is in season. Buy organic as much as possible.

Step 9: Rotate your foods. Don’t eat the same food more than 3 times in one week. (This is particularly hard to do with breakfast foods.)

Step 10: Don’t eat anything with ingredients that your great-grandmother wouldn’t have recognized.

Try not to get overwhelmed. Take it a step at a time. Try to find others who are seeking the same outcome and work together to encourage one another. Our Society has been on a downward spiral of junk food, fast food, and 'feel good, comfort food'. I am seeing a change recently though, of more and more people trying to 'get back to the basics'. So if you are trying to get healthier, you are not alone, and the support is out there!