I have heard this, A LOT! I will admit it, I have thought the same thing, many, many, many times. Let’s try to make this easy…
Keep It Simple and Be Consistent
Do you want to know a secret? Are you sure? I am NOT a chef. Are you surprised? Probably not, but…here is another secret…you DO NOT have to be either.
When I consult with patients, my job is to diagnose their health condition, develop a game-plan for them to begin healing, teach them and educate them on the process, and help them develop healthier lifestyle habits.
I like to keep eating very simple. This is my motto:
Stay away from inflammatory foods! That is, it.
But, Dr. King…What Are Inflammatory Foods?
Dairy, gluten, soy, and nightshades. Pretty simple, eh (no, I am not Canadian J)?
Think about this analogy: if you put bad gasoline into your vehicle’s motor, the motor will not run efficiently. Your body is very, very similar. If you put inflammatory foods into your body, your body will become inflamed.
Symptoms associated with your body being inflamed may be the following:
- Joint pain
- Sore muscles
- Bloating
- Diarrhea
- Allergies
- Brain fog
- Loss of hair
- Fatigue
- Skin irritation
Now that you know what some of the symptoms are, you must start preparing yourself for the new eating lifestyle.
To me, changing your ways of eating are simple. Now, before you want to kick me down a mountain for saying that, think about it this way: if you had a plan (recipes) set in place (for “x” number of days you know what you are eating), then you don’t have to do any planning for the rest of the week.
Let me break it down this way…If you took Sunday afternoon to plan out your meals until Wednesday, and then on Wednesday you took the time to plan your meals out until Friday, you are set! I gave you two fun days to “explore” what you may want to eat.
When I say “plan” I mean, shop for your foods and prepare them.
But, Dr. King, this will take a lot of time!
Yes, it takes time. Anything worthwhile in life, takes time. How much is your health worth? If you don’t put in the effort now, someone else will have to put in the effort down the road (nursing home, family members, hired chefs, etc.), and by then, it may be too late to help you heal.
I Just Changed My Eating…
Let me explain…for the last 2-weeks, I have been eating veggies (I am not vegetarian) and a little bit of fish. This was a challenge I wanted to accomplish, as I have always wondered how I would feel eating this way.
Do you want to know the result? I feel, AWESOME!!!
Does this mean I am encouraging you to become a vegetarian? No! Does this mean I am a vegetarian? No! I still plan on eating meat. But, I wanted to share this quick story because changing habits is only hard, in our mind!
Changing habits, and eventually lifestyle, takes time, hard work and, more hard work. I won’t pretend that the last 2-weeks have been easy. It has taken me out of my comfort zone. Heck, it has even taken me out of my normal aisles in the grocery store.
However, I am proud of myself for accepting a new challenge, working towards it, and accomplishing my goal.
My Challenge to You!
Change something in your daily routine. The change doesn’t have to be how you eat (but, I would highly encourage it if you are eating the above foods), but something that must require work, thought, and CHANGE!
Does the change need to be for 2-weeks? Not at all. This is your challenge!
So, once you decide on your challenge, share it with a friend or family member that can hold you accountable. If you would like, you can even share it with me.
Most of us are weak and don’t like change, but if someone can support your through the “change”, it makes the change easier. I promise you!
If You Need Ideas (Recipes)…
One of my favorite websites that I share with patients is www.autoimmunewellness.com
There are a ton of recipes on their website, and there are some great cookbooks for you to buy.
If you decide to buy a cookbook, try this: once a week pick out a new recipe to prepare. Then, if you like the recipe, put a green sticky on that page (I use the skinny, tiny Post-It stickies). If you don’t like the recipe, put a red Post-It on the page.
If you did this for a couple of months, now you have a TON of recipes that you can turn to when you are bored with what you have been eating.
One complaint I have, and one complaint that patients have a lot, is a lack of variety. This is why I encourage you to visit some websites or buy a couple of cookbooks.
I hope this helps you on your path to healing!
If you have any questions, feel free to email me: drking@askdrking.com.
Would you like to schedule a time to speak, if so, call my staff (866) 375-4641 to schedule your complimentary phone consultation.
