Now that you’ve gone through the questions from Day 18 to determine whether or not you’re toxic I wanted to give you some quick and easy steps that you can use to start eating clean on a regular basis.
The reason I say that it simple is because you can do things One Choice at a time you don’t have to implement everything all at once. However, f you found that you said YES to more than 10 questions on the list you may be more motivated to try a few things at once!
Read through these five steps and start looking at foods that you can reduce one at a time with the goal to eventually eliminate some of them. Also pay attention to what foods that you can add to replace those other foods so it doesn’t really feel like you’re missing out on anything!
1. Reduce/ Eliminate Allergenic and Addictive Foods
Many people experience symptoms of premature aging or poor health and have no idea that the solution may be as simple as removing possible food allergens. If you cringe at the thought of removing a certain food, chances are you are allergic or intolerant to it and it is causing an array of problems you may or may not be aware of. To be clear, a food allergy and a food intolerance are not the same thing, although their symptoms may appear similar. A food allergy is an immune system response and occurs when the body mistakes an ingredient in food as harmful and creates antibodies to fight it. Food allergy symptoms develop when the antibodies are battling the “invading” food.
The most common Allergenic and/or Addictive foods are: Gluten, Dairy, Sugar, Soy and Alcohol.
2. Reduce/Eliminate Artificial Ingredients
Ideally you will want to be eating whole unprocessed foods and cooking fresh meals. Certainly there are good quality pre-packaged products available and you will notice their ingredient list is clean! You can pronounce everything on the label!
Other ingredient lists are not – they are loaded with additives, preservatives, artificial colors and flavors. If you have a difficult time pronouncing the ingredient and/or if the ingredient list is really really long, it’s a good indication to avoid it.
Avoid artificial sweeteners (e.g. Sucralose, Splenda, Nutrasweet, aspartame and saccharine); Stevia and Xylitol are ok.
Be conscious about GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms). GMOs aren’t an added ingredient, but the actual product; for example there is a lot of corn and soy that has been genetically modified and it is less natural to our systems. It is best to avoid GMOs.
3. Drink More Water and Low Calorie Fluids
I wrote about hydration on Day 7 and hopefully you are already drinking more water. Water is so important! Be creative – make a spa water by adding cucumber and basil; or even dilute fresh juice for a little flavor – about 2 oz of juice and 20 oz of water.
4. Choose Nutrient Dense Foods
The easiest way to add foods that are loaded with nutrients is to think COLOR. Especially vegetables! The more colorful the vegetable the more nutrients are available. Think about iceberg lettuce, it’s nearly white and doesn’t have very many vitamins or minerals. On the other hand, greens like spinach are kale are a deep dark green and are loaded with disease-fighting antioxidants!
A fun game to play with your kids (or your spouse) is to choose a fruit or vegetable for a different color of the rainbow each night for dinner. Red, Orange, Yellow and Green are a little easier so you might repeat those colors often!
Red = Red Bell Pepper
Orange = Tangerine
Yellow = Butternut Squash
Green = Broccoli
Blue = Blueberries
Indigo = Purple Beet
Violet = Eggplant
5. Choose Organic
Select organic whole foods that are free of preservatives, additives, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, artificial flavors and all other toxins. Organic fruits and vegetables contain up to 40% more antioxidants than those conventionally grown. Yes, Organic foods are usually more expensive, however, because the nutrients are cleaner and more available for your body to digest many people find that they actually eat when they start eating more organic food. Watch for sales on organic produce and meats and stock up if you can!
I encourage you to select one of the steps to focus on for the next week and gradually add a step each week and soon you’ll be Eating Clean!
Health & Bliss to You,
Susie