Let me give you an example. I was getting a skin rash from time to time on my hands and feet. My skin just got red and itched like crazy. I wondered if it was because I might have had a slight intolerance to wheat products, as many people do. I decided to eliminate wheat from my diet to see if it helped. Instead of depriving myself entirely of bread, crackers, and cookies, for a while, I sought out Food of Life Ezekiel Bread which is sprouted-grain bread, Sesmark rice crackers, Mi-Del gluten-free cookies, and other wheat-free crunchy foods from the natural food section of my neighborhood grocery store. I merely substituted some of my regular purchases for new, similar foods. I just tweaked my purchases. I didn't eliminate an entire food group just because I wanted to approach eating wheat differently. It wasn't stressful. I just took a baby step that was moving me in the direction I wanted to go. It was really easy. It was a piece of (gluten-free) cake! Personally, my body feels a lot better without wheat in my diet, but I don't expect everyone to do this, of course. I was trying to find the "cause" for a negative "effect" that my body was experiencing. Reducing wheat in my diet definitely helped reduce my skin rashes.
Think about what your body may be saying to you. Do you eat a lot of sugar? Do you reach for cookies or candy when you are stressed? Or are you more of a crunchy-food lover? Do you go for the chips, crackers, and anything you can munch on? Whatever the case, consider what food you can tweak in your diet. Just as a first step. Instead of eating Cheetos to get that crunch, aim for Santitas tortilla chips with only 3 natural ingredients (corn, oil, and salt). Eliminate all of the additives and colorings and ingredients that you cannot pronounce in foods like your ice cream and choose Breyer's All Natural Ice Cream with only natural ingredients like sugar, cream, and vanilla. Don't worry about the calories for now - worry about eating pure, clean, natural foods that aren't processed or full of chemicals. Instead of eating a sugar-filled jelly or jam on your breakfast toast, try a 100% natural fruit spread. Just start with one food in your diet and think about how you can make it a healthier option. Step out of your comfort zone and try something new that leads you towards your destination. Then celebrate that you have taken this baby step. Each time you eat that food, praise yourself for making a healthy decision - and enjoy every bite!
