How much would you like to improve your health and vitality? A little…or a LOT? If you want to see improvements in your overall health, you’ll need to become a label reader. Start looking at the ingredients in the food you’re eating. If the list is incredibly long with words you can’t pronounce and have no clue what it is, it’s probably a good sign you should put the item back on the shelf immediately and move on.

For noticeable improvements in your health and energy, begin removing these items listed below.

First list of foods to eliminate are processed and refined foods, as well as dairy:

Processed and packaged foods – Anything packaged in a wrapper, box or in the frozen section (specifically things that don’t resemble a food found in nature) such as candy, cereal, pop tarts, bread, nuggets, canned cheese, etc.

Take it a step further to experience even greater improvement and remove:

And to achieve the highest state of health your body can offer you:

Consume a diet of all raw, or mostly raw, fruits & vegetables with a small amount of nuts and seeds. 

At this point, you’re probably thinking I’ve taken away everything and left you with nothing to eat, right?

You may not know this, but there is a healthier alternative for just about every food item on the market these days.

Instead of processed sugar you can use agave, stevia, 100% pure maple syrup, date sugar and coconut sugar, cane juice and coconut nectar.

Instead of wheat you can have things like amaranth, buckwheat, quinoa, oat, coconut and organic corn flowers.

Instead of soda you can drink 100% fruit juice with seltzer water or delicious kombucha drinks that have lots of carbonation but also beneficial bacteria for intestinal health, and there are natural coffee substitutes that will give you a coffee taste made from natural ingredients. You can also find unlimited herbal teas at your local health food store.

Instead of traditional fast food, you can prepare your own food to go or grab an all fruit smoothie from a juice bar or a nice big salad from a local salad bar, topped with your own healthy salad dressing. Maybe even an all veggie taco or burrito. You can create your own at places like Chipotle. Another great place for finding healthy, delicious plant based meals is Veggie Grill.

To replace dairy, there are amazing milk alternatives on the market like rice, oat, hemp, almond and other nut milks that taste delicious.

Maybe this sounds overwhelming at first, so if you’re not an all or nothing type, take it one step at a time moving forward at a pace you can live with removing what you can, in increments that feel good to you. If you do too much too soon, it might backfire and have you binging on all the wrong things if you end up feeling deprived. This is not at all about deprivation, it is about finding alternatives to the foods that are wreaking havoc on your body, allowing your tastes to naturally change and enjoying an abundance of foods that will nurture your body and allow it to detoxify and heal so you can feel better than you’ve ever felt.

It’s also worth noting that most foods that contain soy, corn of any kind including high fructose corn syrup, canola and cotton oils, and even plain old sugar, if not labeled organic, are most likely Genetically Modified or considered GMO, and best avoided.

If you need guidance, I’m always available for consultations through email and Skype. Just click HERE.

Once you begin making a few of these changes, you’re likely to begin feeling like a new person. You’ll notice improvements in your energy, stamina, weight, skin, mood and mental clarity. You’ll find you sleep better, wake up refreshed and feel lighter overall. You will also notice how much more you appreciate the flavor of food and you’ll naturally become more drawn to eating, and even craving, certain fruits and vegetables. Sometimes the changes are very gradual depending on your commitment  and you won’t notice how good you feel until you slip and eat something you previously eliminated. That’s when you really notice how much better your body was functioning on the new and improved path.

Don’t take my word for it, check out the following films for proof that changing what you eat dramatically affects your overall health and wellbeing:

To read more about how to improve your health and vitality, click HERE

Did you ever stop to think about what you’re putting into your mouth? Or ponder where the food will go and what it will do once inside your body? Have you ever wondered what the food you’re eating is made of?  Most people don’t. They’re so used to just eating what looks and smells good, or simply what’s placed in front of them, without any thought about how their bodies will be able to process the food or if it even contains any nutritional value. For most people, if it tastes good, they’ll eat it. This has become one of the major downfalls of our health in our western civilization. To make a long story short, the food industry is BIG business. They are in it to make money. If it doesn’t taste good, you’re not going to buy it. These companies do everything in their power to make you want, and even need, their food. They have full time food scientists in a lab creating meals and snacks to grab your taste buds and have you addicted to their products. They spend billions of dollars in ad campaigns to lure you in, creating tag lines such as “Betcha can’t eat just one,” “It does a body good,” and “Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.” They don’t give a hoot what they’re putting into their products: GMO’s, MSG, preservatives, excitotoxins, high sodium, high fructose corn syrup, shortening, hydrogenated oils, pesticides & herbicides, fillers, binders, the list goes on. All they care about is whether it tastes good, will have a long shelf life, is cost effective on their end and that it becomes a big seller. None of the ingredients mentioned above are a food and none of them belong in your body. And yet, most people consume these things all day long, without a second thought. The human body doesn’t know what to do with these ingredients or how to process them and most of it gets stored in your cells where it sits and eventually creates complications in the way your body functions. This is one of the reasons we have an epidemic of obesity and disease wherever a western diet is consumed. When it comes to Real Food, the body knows exactly what to do with it. It absorbs the vitamins, minerals and water content and uses the fiber to keep your colon clean and functioning optimally. It is simple to digest and doesn’t damage any part of the digestive tract as it moves through your body. What is Real Food? Fresh, whole, ripe fruit, vegetables, nuts and seeds. When we look at our closest ancestors in nature, with whom we share 99% of our DNA such as the bonobo, they have similar digestive tracts, similar teeth, opposable thumbs, and they don’t have claws or fangs, and they don’t kill other animals for food. They do eat a diet of primarily fruits, with tender, easy to digest vegetables, and a small amount of nuts and seeds. Yes, many humans have adapted to eating meat, grains, dairy and junk food but it doesn’t mean we should or that it’s optimal. I personally suffered a lifetime of digestive issues, skin & hormonal problems, as well as chronic headaches and migraines. I searched every avenue of medical treatment and healing modality for all of these ailments and never found longterm relief until I changed my diet. The moment I removed all the processed and junk foods, as well as meat, dairy and grains, my health began to improve and continues to improve everyday. It’s not a “cure all” but I’m relatively symptom free these days and that’s very rare in today’s world. I’ve been on this path since March of 2009 and it’s been the best decision I’ve ever made. The list of benefits is long, and nothing the medical community could ever even dream of offering. Here are some of the benefits I’ve experienced from changing my diet & lifestyle: Improved digestion Eliminated chronic headaches & migraines PMS vanished Menstrual cycles are regular, balanced, short and pain free Clear skin More energy & vitality Stronger endurance Happier Improved vocal ability Stronger immunity No longer experience the common cold or flu Nail fungus vanished Improved hair and skin quality No more dental plaque Spend less money Relationships improved Stronger intuition Closer connection with nature Improved spirituality More confidence If you are suffering from an ailment you’d like to get rid of, or you’re just interested in living a quality of life that’s better than what you’re currently experiencing, making simple changes in your diet and lifestyle just might have a profound impact on your overall life and wellbeing. Click HERE to read “How To Get Started”