5 Simple Ways to Kick-Start Your Health

Almonds and avocado slicesSometimes it can feel downright overwhelming to get your health back on track!

You want to eat better – and you’ve tried – but despite your best efforts it still isn’t happening.

You try to go to bed earlier, but get sidelined watching a favorite late-night show on TV.

Or, you’re convinced that you do your best work late at night. (more on that later)

You have days, perhaps, when you really feel like crap – and that’s when you tell yourself (again) that you really, really need to get a handle on things.

We’ve all had days like that, right?

Yet even when you know better, it’s often hard to begin.

My advice?

Slow down. Take baby steps.

Pick one of the following, to start – yes, just 1! (After all, you have to start somewhere).

 

Jump-start your digestion

Hardly a day goes by, that I don’t hear another tip for what you absolutely MUST do first thing in the morning.

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Setting You Up for Success

Woman with her arms wide openDoes this sound like you:

You often feel like less than a million bucks?

You have Celiac disease, a gluten- related disorder or food sensitivities?

Your doctor send you home, with nothing more than a few handouts and minimal instructions?

What I’ve come to realize over the past year, is that it really isn’t enough to simply remove gluten from the diet.

Cause let’s face it – by the time you got a diagnosis, you’re body had already been under assault for years, from the very foods you suddenly learned you were sensitive to.

So, it goes without question that, really, that you also need to repair some of that damage – and do your best to quiet down the inflammation inside of you.

Yet, the average person is given little more than minimal instructions, at the time of diagnosis – other than “Stop eating gluten.”

Sound familiar?

Sadly, this has become the #1 reason why only 30% of people with celiac disease heal on a gluten-free diet alone.

Simply put, there’s more work to be done! (Yet is anyone telling you this?)

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Is Detox A 4-Letter Word?

Bathroom ScaleWe’re just a few days into the New Year, and hardly a day goes by that I don’t come across an email or Facebook post advocating a full body Detox or Cleanse.

The general idea is to undo the damage from all the holiday indulgence.

(I even offer an Extreme Kitchen Makeover – not quite the same thing, but a detox just the same.)

So, what’s the point of a Detox, anyway?

Is this just some “new agey” thing?

Why would the human body even need to detox? And what exactly are you detoxing from?

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What Is Your Headache Telling You?

Diagram of health“Non-celiac gluten sensitvity and celiac disease are like two sisters. The oldest is celiac disease, and the youngest is non-celiac gluten sensitivity.”

Dr Umberto Volta

 

Could your headache be related to what you are eating?

As you may have guessed, the short answer to that question is – yes. And it isn’t just your headache, either – any aches or pains you’re experiencing throughout your body, could easily be related to your diet.

Case in point – not too long ago, I tweaked my back, prompting a call to my chiropractor.

I had no idea what I’d done to cause this, but I knew he would set me right again.

During the exam, he asked me “What did you eat the day before?”

“Seriously?” I thought. (I was both surprised and mystified by the question).

A few years ago, I might have scoffed at the mere suggestion of a connection between my diet and a persistent pain in my back.

But if my journey over the past few years has taught me anything, it’s that everything in our body is so closely interconnected, that what might seem implausible on the surface, is often worth a closer look.

In other words, more often than not – our diets really are the culprit behind our physical symptoms.

(Often setting you back several months, in your quest to quell the inflammation in your body, and ultimately feel human again).

Of course, several days had gone by prior to my visit with the chiropractor, and I really wasn’t sure what I’d eaten.

He was very specific, though.

Had I perhaps ingested some gluten? Dairy?

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Are You Getting The Nutrients You Need?

SupplementsDid you know that up to 50% of people with Celiac disease have multiple nutritional deficiencies?

This holds true as much as ten years post diagnosis!

And this doesn’t even include those who are merely gluten-sensitive (as opposed to Celiac) or allergic to other foods, such as dairy, nuts or eggs.

Yet, I know from personal experience, that it is, in fact – true.

One thing about being gluten-free, or following any kind of special, medically prescribed diet, is that you may not be getting the nutrients you need.

So, you definitely want to make sure you are!

How do you know where you stand, nutrition-wise?

Take time to review each of the following, and you will have a better idea of your present habits, and what likely needs a bit of work.

 

 

Eat a High Quality Diet

Hands down, good health begins with a whole foods diet.

That means plenty of vegetables, fruit, and nuts and seeds, plus whole grains and legumes.

For protein, you want to rely on free-range poultry, grass-fed meat and wild caught fish.

In other words, the purer your diet, the better off you will be.

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