Eating for Health, Where to Start?

"Dear Hillary, On your first tele-class you spoke about different types of diets. I find the idea interesting but I don't know where to start! Can you point to some resources and tell me what benefits/changes you noticed from changing what you eat? Thanks.” rnFor me diet has been very important and allowed me to feel more in the driver seat with my diagnosis. I see the body like a car and fuel does make a difference.You wouldn’t put a low grade gasoline in a Masarati or Bently so why do this with your body? Learning to take out foods that are not healthy to cleansing to finding what was best for me gave me good results like sleeping better, more energy and clarity when thinking. rnChanging the way I east has been a process and I have learned one to be careful with to not shock the body. When I took out sugar specifically artificial sugars, I noticed what I thought were symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis to be gone. Dairy causes mucus in the body and this will cause a lot of different negative effects on our bodies and when I stopped I found to be clear in my mind, body and have more energy. Now this may bring up issues I totally get it however its worth trying and seeing what would foods affects you and keep a log of it as well. rnIt is important to have on your team of healing a doctor (Chinese, Ayurvedic, Natropath, Holistic) who is open to seeing the importance of diet but again you want to make sure you know there methodology and credentials. What made the biggest shift for me was following Ayurveda which taught me how to cook and that food is part of your medicine. What I love the best about Ayurveda is that each season you eat different foods to help your body be at its best. Additionally, I found what I was allergic to and stopped eating meat (red, chicken and pork) and only eat wild fish (salmon, scallops, tilapia) watching mercury levels. By cutting out meats made me feel lighter and less aggressive. This may seem likes a lot but when you see yourself as a Masarati or some other vehicle that is taken care of then you may get on board. Remember for me it's has been a 13 year process to find what works for my body. Each of us is unique and it will take time to fine tune what will work for YOU and it changes over time. This is what I do when I work with clients : 1. I have then write out a days of eating as they rise and then go to bed for a week to see the patterns of eating times and see if emotions are involved with your eating – this is more than diet but behavior. Its tough but good inventory to see. (When you take out foods you may have to take 1 or 2 to start then work you way down the list and keep this on file to record the results. )rn2. I have them cut out processed foods, fast food, junk foods, corn syrup, sugar, sodas, coffee, alcohol and anything that has colors or artificial anything. (cutting out foods make a huge shift)rn3. If they are feeling tired, having a lot of colds and such we then take out dairy, wheat, yeast and sometimes go full to gluten free diet.rn4. I suggest they do an allergy test and choose to work with an Ayurvedic Dr., Chinese Dr., Natropath, Chiropractor or Nutritionist that is well rounded in food allergies. It is good to know what you may be allergic to as this could be creating upset in your system and you have no idea about. rnYou always can go to the bookstore but there is sooo much there as well as the internet and I feel taking out what is not working the best way to begin. And then eat as much whole foods as possible and mix it up. This is a process of learning your relationship to food and how you are getting energy which will help you listen to your body as well. I must say though that with healing its not just one thing its the integrative approach to make sure you are eating well, drinking water (1/2 your bodies weight in ounces), exercise, sleep and having fun. rnThere are many other ways of eating which I have tried many and now bring in a bit of each.What to keep an eye out for is cleansing too much. Some diets are great for a few months to clean out the body but then you must go back to eating what works for you so you don't deplete your body of its nutrients. Some I have worked with and recommend:

• Ayurvedic Diet (you must get checked to learn your constitution or eat for all of them which is explained in books)
• * Macrobioticrn
• * Gluten Free which can also be Candida Dietrn
• * The Body Ecology Diet (good for 6 month cleanse)
• * The MS(Multiple Sclerosis) Recovery Dietrn
• * Vegetarian (this is without fish and soy can be a problem so proteins are a bit tougher to get)
• * Alkaline Diet

Some titles to check out: (my bookstore)

• * Prescription for Nutritional Healing – Balch & Balchrn
• * Healing MS – Diet Detox and Nutritional Medicine for Total Recovery - Ann Borochrn
• * A Life in Balance – Maya Tiwarirn
• * Ayurvedic Cooking for Self Healing – Usha Ladrn
• * The Body Ecology Diet – Donna Gatesrn
• * MS Recovery Diet Ann D. Sawyer – Judith Bachrach

Have more questions about diet or lifestyle? Then now I would like to invite you to get your questions answered for FREE each month during our live Mastering Your Diagnosis Q&A. Ask your question today at AskHillarynow.com. On our next call I will personally be interacting with you to work through your challenges. rnThis post originally was posted on my personal blog I am not a Mess Blog.com