Restore Your Health in 2015

So, with a new year already here, hopefully some people have decided to implement some positive dietary habits to improve their lives. When you understand that by modifying your nutrition, you can reap benefits of so many different areas of your life, it is important to take a critical look at the food on your plate. Mood, energy levels, digestion, and sleep are the basic improvements and tangible benefits you will see, but at the same time intangible benefits such as more discipline, improved motivation, inspiration, and a clear mind are present also.

How do you kick start a dietary shift so you can stay committed, eliminate cravings, increase your chances of long-term success, and achieve the results you want?

Deary Diary:
I am experimenting the beginning to my year by following what I call a "raw vegan-pescetarian cleanse".

I will only be eating the following 100% organic produce:
Raw seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, flax), raw nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews), raw vegetables (spinach, cucumber, celery, green chard, kale, beets, onion, carrots, ginger), raw fruits (avocados, olives, tomatoes, pomegranate, apples, raspberries, strawberries, grapefruit, lemon, lime, banana)... On and because I value physical fitness and heavy resistance training due to its incredible benefits, I will be supplementing the diet with steamed, wild caught seafood in order to obtain adequate protein (mostly Mahi Mahi and Sockeye Salmon). I am drinking nothing but water or 100% pure coconut water during this cleanse, and having plenty of it. So far I am on day 9 going on day 10 and I feel fantastic. This was exactly what I needed to rejuvenate my body back to a state of optimal health, and removing all the excess crap I've accumulated in my body from poor eating.

While it has been a little more than a week and this is no indicator of fat loss, I have lost 6 lbs and removed all of the bloat accumulated from the holidays. I am sleeping deeply and restfully, I have constant energy through the day, I am strong in the gym, I feel light on my feet and am never bogged down after eating. Best part of all - I have zero cravings.

I feel connected to the food I eat, knowing that all of it is one step away from mother Earth, I practice sincere gratitude for this nourishment as the nutrients rebuild my physical body. I might continue this style of eating for an undetermined amount of time as I have no urge to slow the momentum I feel from this....


Now that I got my journal entry out of the way, I want to share how this applies to you. I am not saying it is necessary to follow in my footsteps, but it may be wise it take a look at the food you are eating currently and arrange a diet that removes the excess waste that delivering no real nourishing value to you..

If you truly want to make a difference in your physical health in 2015, then heed my words. Cut out stuff like gluten, dairy, and soy which are common allergenic food choices for most people, and remove packaged goods from your pantry. Set a goal that over a certain period of time (maybe 10-14 days) you will eat only fresh and organic fruit, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and 100% organic fresh meat (grass-fed, free range, or wild caught). Instead of feeling like you a limiting yourself and following a 'diet' (I hate that word), maybe instead shift your attention to the benefits you are reaping from this lifestyle shift.

Know that you are literally healing your body. Be appreciative of this healing process. Understand that the body does not heal overnight, or in one week, but that you can begin to see some major positive affects in a very short time. Hopefully this brief glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel gives you the motivation to pursue something long term.

I have experimented with many different diets, diet styles and methods, diet techniques, and various other nutrition therapies. One thing that I have learned is that everyone responds different to different foods and methods. One of the most important pieces of wisdom you can imbue upon yourself during your lifetime is giving yourself a chance to understand your personal diet. Once you have your core, basic foods established, you can experiment with adding other things in an out of your diet but stay relatively on track with your eating habits. That is why such an extreme 'vegan cleanse' works well - you are really eliminating all the possible kryptonite from your life, and can become sensitive to how different dishes affect you.

Here are two examples of how this particular 'diet' might look for a given day:

Example #1:
7 AM: Bowl of raspberries, sunflower seeds, walnuts.
10 AM: Green smoothie with celery, cucumber, chard, ginger, lemon, parsley
12 PM: Massive spinach salad with avocado, red onion, tomato, and steamed fish. Topped with extra virgin olive oil (cold pressed, organic), lemon juice, and fresh herbs.
3 PM: Avocado, olives, or small salad with olive oil dressing.
5 PM: Carrots with handful of nuts.

Example #2
(metabolic reset - could be better for fat loss and regulating hormones with protein in morning):
7 AM: 5 oz piece of seafood on bed of vegetables with homemade dress (olive oil + lemon juice + garlic + salt in magic bullet)
10 AM: Green smoothie
12 PM: Massive salad
3 PM: Carrots dipped in homemade guacamole
5 PM: Apple with nuts or seeds

Now these are just examples! Feel free to interchange, substitute a grapefruit here for a snack, or different veggies in your salad or green smoothie, etc. The important piece is to have regular meals that are whole food choices. If you can do that, you are ahead of the game.

Try it out for a week, two weeks... maybe even a month. Let me know how it goes. I am very interested to hear how you feel around day 8 or 9.... if you can make it that long :)

Beware as you might feel slight 'detox' like symptoms around day 3 or 4. This is okay and totally normal. You could be a bit sluggish, tired, and weak. Drink a LOT of water and make sure you are eating enough. When you are consuming such nutrient dense food, you require very little calories to actually operate as your cells are getting the specific nutrients they need to perform. This can be a bad thing as you may actually end up eating too few calories. Try to use your gut and intuition to determine how much to eat. You will know when you go through a whole bad of raw walnuts that enough is a enough.

Good luck to you on your journey to wholeness and health, and I sincerely hope that you make 2015 the best year of your life. I believe you can, I know you can, and I encourage you to do it.