The top 20 changes you can make fin your diet which will reap immediate benefits!
It is all about the simple daily things.
Making a change in our diets to improve our overall health and well being is something Americans are becoming increasingly aware of. To even begin on this path seems daunting. Where does one start? Which are the most important to alter? How can I lose weight? Where do I find these "organic" things of which you speak??? By the end of it your stress load is increased, we feel overwhelmed, so we do nothing.
1) "If it had a mother and father or came from the earth you can eat it." I recently heard this and love it. It is so simple but true. Start out by slowly removing all "processed" foods from your diet. Too hard you say? Well it simply means a meat (protein), a steamed veggie, and a grain and maybe a soup, stew, or salad. Homemade oatmeal bars, fruits, trail mixes and yogurts for desert. Remember If you can't pronounce whats on the label DON'T EAT IT!
http://www.livestrong.com/article/450187-processed-foods-in-a-diet/?utm_source=popslideshow&utm_medium=a1
http://www.livestrong.com/article/200795-how-to-eliminate-processed-food-from-your-diet/
2) Eat seasonally. It is all our homo sapiens did until post WW2. Now we can get a watermelon from Chlie in January…but should we? It is also cheaper to purchase food in it's season.
http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/seasonalcooking/farmtotable/seasonalingredientmap
3) Five colors/flavors. America seems to love shades of brown and white for its foods. We also tend towards sweet and salty for our flavors. So lets add in those reds, yellows, greens, and black. How about some bitter, astringent, or pungent flavors.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/411534-five-elements-diet/
4) Purified water NOT in plastic bottles. Stay hydrated to increase energy, improve mood, and alertness. Anywhere between 4 and 8 8oz. glasses a day, depending on your personal sweat level, should be good enough.
http://5gyres.org/
5) What ever you eat the most of make it organic. Always buy these items organic.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-06-01/health/dirty.dozen.produce.pesticide_1_pesticide-residue-pesticide-tests-fruits-and-vegetables?_s=PM:HEALTH
6) Slow down and eat your food…chew. By sitting down and taking time with your food you aid digestion, reduce the need for antacids, and actually eat less.
http://summertomato.com/how-to-become-a-slow-eater/
7) NO fried foods. Okay I know this is gonna be hard so when you indulge make it fried in oil with no trans-fat.
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/understanding-trans-fats
8) NO high fructose corn syrup. Just NO NO NO…google if you must but there are just too many reasons to list.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/18/FDGS24VKMH1.DTL&ao=all
9) NO artificial sweeteners. Agave nectar, organic honey, and stevia are all good choices.
http://www.naturalnews.com/artificial_sweeteners.html
10) I am a big fan of vitamin C. Besides which the foods high in vitamin C have many other great nutrients as well. I love strawberries, peppers, papaya, broccoli.
11) Go ahead and have a glass of wine and a pierce of chocolate (high in cocoa)
http://www.dark-chocolate-antioxidant.com/dark-chocolate-antioxidants/benefits-pairing-chocolate-wine
12) Cooking oils. Change to olive, sesame, almond, flax, and fish. I especially recommend sesame.
http://www.realfooduniversity.com/healthy-cooking-oils/
13) Change your salt to sea salt. There are wonderful minerals in sea salt that we just don't get from "processed" salt.
14) Snack; dried apricots, prunes, pine nuts, almonds, brown rice cakes, blueberries, oat bran crackers, cherries, pumpkin seeds, avocado, bananas, yogurt. eliminating processed food from diet
small packages come packed with nutrition!
15) Switch up to green-tea. Try some Gen Mai Cha is very rich in flavor.
http://chinesefood.about.com/library/weekly/aa011400a.htm
16) Find an organic yogurt you like which contains "live cultures" and make that a morning or night time snack.
http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/family-nutrition/yogurt/10-reasons-yogurt-top-health-food
17) Cow milk is for baby cows. Really. If you must though make sure that it has NO Bovine Growth Hormone or antibiotics in it. I love almond, coconut, and rice milks. My kids were raised on goat milk.
http://www.notmilk.com/
19) If a food cause you to burp, fart, get a headache, increase mucus, create pimples, or constipates you DO NOT EAT IT! Just cause there is a "little purple pill" that lets that obese guy on t.v. enjoy his pizza doesn't mean he should be eating it. Get a clue.
http://www.foodintol.com/
20) Reduce the "white" in your life; sugar, flour, fats, white rice, potatoes…You will see your belly fade away! We as Americans love our flour and eat a lot of it hence increasingly more gluten allergies are being reported. Processed flour foods also tend to be very low in nutrition.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-white-foods
21) NO GMO's. Get the iPhone app. or read this list before you shop. Occupy your wallet and let's end Monsanto's takeover of our kitchens!
