Habit, Not Restrictions
We are having longer days and (some places) warmer temperatures, so I’ve been talking about spring cleaning lately. We’ve discussed how to spring clean our bodies with detoxifying drinks. We also looked at decluttering the mind to get rid of the thoughts we don’t need. For our final week in April, we are spring cleaning the body. It is a perfect time to rethink your eating habits. There’s detoxing and fasting, but there’s no need to deprive yourself, to skip meals, or to create complex juices, for example. I love juices and I love making a juice in the morning with a little bit of protein powder… I’ve done that for over 30 years, but I’m talking about something different.
The ultimate goal is to make healthful and tasty choices into an everyday routine. This can have a positive impact on your health.
85% of visits to physicians could be addressed with a lifestyle change.
“Clean eating” is a buzzword right now, but it simply means choosing minimally-processed foods. Those foods are also more nutritious for us! Minimally-processed foods are as close to their natural state as you can find them.
You may have also heard of “eating raw,” a dietary guideline. When I talk about diets, I don’t refer to “going on a diet.” I’m referring to our food intake. The body is a machine. Some of us take better care of our vehicles, our cars, better than our body’s machine! Do you put the best fuel into your own vehicle to make it run the best it can?
To reboot your diet and reset your gut:
Remove toxins from your body, especially the kidneys and liver, because that’s where those toxins are stored!
Eat the 3 Ps!
Prunes
Pulses
and Pears, oh my!
Prunes are naturally loaded with soluble fiber called pectin. Pectin is a pre-biotic. It feeds the good pro-biotic bacteria in your system! It keeps the gut intact and helps clear the intestinal tract of the stuff that just hangs out in there. Cleaning out our insides isn’t something we do occasionally, but something we would want to do on a regular basis.
Pulses are dried seeds and legumes. The four most common are beans, chickpeas, lentils, and split peas.
Pears, oh my! Not only do pears contain 0 calories, they are also what we call a pre-biotic fiber that helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels. It also ensures bowel regularity and maintains a strong immune and nervous system. Much of the fiber in fresh pears contains pectin! Pectin has also been shown to reduce cholesterol and to reduce the risk of heart disease!