Several years back, I was working long hours and feeling extremely unhealthy. I was tired all the time, my blood sugar and cholesterol levels were creeping up, I carried extra weight, and worried all the time about everything. I knew something needed to change.
I was so overwhelmed with my life that the thought of doing something I knew was good for me 
practically sent me over the edge. So, I didn’t. Then I crashed. My body was completely depleted and it took me two years to recover. Luckily, I remembered how incredible I felt after eating well on a spa vacation years earlier. With that experience as inspiration, I began to eat more whole foods and fewer processed foods.
I couldn’t believe the changes. It only took a couple days for my energy to increase. I lost 5 lbs in the first month. My out-of-control sugar cravings practically disappeared. I, once again, experienced how positively food can affect me, and I began to crave that feeling every day. Food became important to my health and health became my life’s passion. Now I need to share this revelation with everyone!
Small, incremental changes in your diet CAN help you achieve your goals. A diet that consists of recognizable whole foods provides the necessary building blocks to help reduce your stress, increase your energy levels, improve your mood and prevent or reverse diseases such as arthritis, Type 2 diabetes, obesity.
So what are “whole foods” anyway? If you have picked an apple, carved a pumpkin, cracked a walnut, or visited a farm stand, you know what whole foods are. Mother Nature grows our whole foods – think fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts and seeds. I used to think eating a whole Peanut M&M was eating real food. It’s not.
How should you start on this new path to wellness? Commit to eating more real food, more whole foods. Here are a few ideas to try:
- Eat a vegetable (not tomato or potato) as part of 4 meals each week
- Try a new whole grain instead of white rice (e.g., quinoa, chia, etc.)
- Eat less animal product – embrace “Meatless Mondays”
- Enjoy a green smoothie for breakfast, 2x a week
Let me know what 2-3 small steps you identified and how it’s going. I would love to hear from you!
