Health and Nutrition - What to Remove from Your Diet

We are what we eat! Eating is a conscious choice that affects are lives, our attitudes, moods and emotions. There are many types of foods we may not be conscious of their impact. I thought it might be a good idea to invite you to consider removing some items from your diet. Here is a short list.

• Soda - The average American drinks an estimated 56 gallons of soft drinks each year, one can of soda can be loaded with sugar, artificial sweeteners and food colors and sulphites. Studies have linked soda to osteoporosis, obesity, tooth decay and heart disease. Drink water or a cup of organic free trade herbal tea.

• High Fructose Corn Syrup – This is one of the biggest contributors of the obesity and type II diabetes epidemics we are experiencing. High fructose corn syrup is everywhere because it is cheap and plentiful and it is easy to incorporate into processed foods. I personally would not give it to my dog if I had one. It disrupts our sugar metabolism. It is also genetically modified as are the enzymes used to produce it.

• Trans Fats – This is a must. These are outlawed in Denmark and have no place in your diet. If you eat out, you are sure to be getting big doses of Trans Fats in your diet. Eat at home and enjoy the experience. Use organic coconut oil, olive oil, organic butter or ghee, and flax oil.

• White Foods – These white foods are highly processed grains and sugars and oils. A good example would be white flour and white sugar. In order to process these empty foods, we have to rob our body of nutrients to use them. Eat whole grains and whole foods everyday.

• Artificial Sweeteners – These are toxic chemicals and mess with the natural signals in our bodies. Try a moderate amount of organic maple syrup, honey or molasses.

• Artificial Colors, Preservatives and Flavors – All of these are toxic chemicals, contributing to allergies, asthma, depressed immune systems.

As I have said before, you do not have to do this all in one day, and you do not have to be perfect. Making dietary changes is usually not easy. Be kind to yourself and be patient. I invite you to remove one of the items form the list each week. Then you will wake up one day and realize that that can of soda really does taste awful and really does mess with your emotions and energy levels.

May you be happy and well!!