At the beginning of each new year, many people set themselves a variety of objectives, such as aiming to follow a specific diet as a part of their healthy eating plan. This is a wonderful initiative! Have you tried it before? Which particular diet did you try adopting? Vegan, Keto, Raw Food diet, Intermediate Fasting? Let me know how it went! The trouble is that many people give up on these resolutions very quickly, determining the specific diet attempted to be ineffective and seeing no point in continuing with it or trying it again. However, the truth is that the diet in question may not work for you simply because it is not the right eating pattern for your body at this current moment in time.
Each diet addresses specific health issues or eating needs. It is, therefore impossible to decide which specific diet you may need and how long you should follow it, without first understanding your own symptoms. Once your body’s needs have been addressed, the eating plan should be adjusted accord to your personal response. However, if you were to explore all the different diets, you would notice one factor common to them all – each diet suggests replacing eating rubbish with eating real food! This fundamental principle of eating healthy is encoded deep in our human genetics.
Therefore, today, I would like to share with you a very simple 7-step solution that will help you improve your health without needing to adopt any particular diet. So, here is your Healthy UNDIET Guide to fundamental and essential changes for the better!
- “Eat real” as much as you can!
Simply do not buy any processed food, including sauces, biscuits and tinned products. You can start gently, reducing little by little, and eventually aim to eat 100% whole food that you know was made in your kitchen! This will help eliminate any unwanted components, that happen to be toxic, from your body and raise awareness about food and its nutritional value.
- “Eat wild” and organic as much as possible!
Nowadays we mostly eat modified food that looks good and tastes better, but that, unfortunately, has lost many of its healing properties and contains fewer nutrients. For example, wild blueberries are much smaller and less sweet than big, commercially produced berries. However, despite their lesser size, they actually contain more useful micronutrients!
- Drink more water!
This sounds very easy, yet, how many of us drink at least 2 litres of water a day, especially during the winter? Water is essential for the digestion, detoxification, energy level maintenance, healthy skin, blood pressure control and so much more.
- Eat slowly and chew better!
Digestion starts in your mouth. Make sure you swallow properly liquified food. Even when you eat soup, do not rush and take your time ensuring that the enzymes from your saliva have had the chance to do their job in the oral cavity. This way you will also experience more flavours, textures and smells from the meal you eat, allowing you to enjoy it more!
- Eat diverse food!
Any single food doesn’t contain all the essential nutrients that we require for health and well-being. Therefore, by eating a diverse, balanced, multicoloured range of ingredients, you can consume the necessary amount of micro-elements for normal body function.
- Take a deep breath before you eat!
When you do diaphragmatic breathing 5-10 times before your meal, you reduce your level of stress, improve your digestion and increase your metabolism. Simple, but so powerful.
- Stop counting calories!
A calorie is not a measure of health. The quality of the food consumed sets up your metabolism and is much more important than calories. It has been shown that counting calories can actually increase your appetite and cause weight gain.
Therefore, follow these 7 practical steps and let me know how they go! They may take some time to take effect, and that is OK. Work on them one step at the time and be patient! The aim is to live a rich and fulfilling life without any restrictions and to enjoy your food every day.
Please, do not hesitate to contact me for more information, advice or consultation.
Photo by Peter Wendt
| Irina |
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