Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Inflammation - 7 Foods to Avoid...Where Do You Start?

By now you may be feeling overwhelmed, wondering where to go from here?
Knowing which foods are harmful to you and actually getting them out of your diet takes work but it is sooo worth it!
My approach is not scientific.  I am not a doctor.  I have however, read several books, spent hours talking with like minded people and walked through this process over the last 5 years.  So these are my thoughts and suggestions:

Decide where you are in the process...
1.  Do you feel pretty good and just know you need to live healthier for the long haul?  Do you make pretty good food choices regularly but just want to continue to grow in this area?  If this is you then I would start by writing a daily food log which will help you really see what you are eating regularly.  If your daily food log shows that you are doing OK with your choices then from there I would take a week (or a day) to focus on each of the 7 foods to avoid and see where you can make changes in your diet.  If not for the benefit of you...do it for the benefit of your children and family.

2. Do you feel like you are at the end of your rope and feel physically bad more days than not?  Have you been diagnosed with a disease that involves inflammation?  Have you been to the doctors office many times in the past year and really have no answers?  How about us ladies who often get told "it's in your head?" Or how about my friend who was finally told to "go see a psychiatrist".  (can you tell I"m a bit hot about this one!)  If I were you (and I am)  I would do an Elimination Diet.  I would decide to take the bull by the horns and get rid of all of the things listed in my first 7 posts.  Know that you may not have to lose these foods forever but for the next 3-6 months you are on a journey to feel better.  Once you get all the foods out of your body then you can start adding them back in one at a time.  THEN, you will KNOW how those foods are affecting your body.
 - I know people who have lost 10 pounds just by cutting out dairy..their body was fighting against it!
-I know people who feel like they have more energy than they have had in years by cutting out gluten...it was messing up their digestive system and taking all their energy.
-I know people who don't have near the sinus and allergy problems because come to find out...they were simply allergic to one of these foods.

In the scope of life - 3-6 months of focusing on your foods is so worth the outcome of knowing what triggers your pain.

Avoiding these 7 foods is not the answer to everything... it is however a piece of the puzzle.

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