5 guidelines help your patients eat right

Studies show the more confused people are about what they should eat, the less likely they are to make healthy food choices.

Most people are similarly less likely to make sweeping dietary changes unless they truly understand the power of their plate in not only preventing, but also in reversing chronic degenerative disease.

To help your patients, provide simple guidelines for healthy eating, and convey information on the devastating effects of poor nutrition along with the healing nature of good nutrition. This information is a powerful vehicle for change and elicits tangible, often life-changing results.

For example: When Nancy became a patient, she was taking seven medications, had severe osteoarthritis, could barely walk, was in constant pain, and had to catheterize herself daily — among other things.

She had heard that eating healthy foods could help conditions, but doubted it could work for her. Nancy went to a nutritionist only because she could no longer afford her medications and her friend insisted.

Although skeptical at first, Nancy was delighted when, in just a few weeks, she was able to go off four of her medications, was virtually pain-free, could walk without her walker, had lost a few pounds, and was generally beginning to feel much better.

In addition, her cholesterol dropped below what it had been when she was taking cholesterol-lowering medication.

What did Nancy do to achieve such dramatic results so quickly?

It may surprise you that she didn’t cut or count calories, carbohydrates, or fat; take a special pill; or start working out. She simply began to switch from the low-quality, chemically laden processed-food brands she had been eating for years, to higher-quality, additive-free, natural food brands.

She also began to include a couple servings of fresh produce into her diet each day.

The most popular brands of processed, packaged, chemically laden foods (pseudo foods) so widely consumed today are injurious to the body. Aside from the obvious diet-related conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, or obesity, few people realize poor nutrition in general is the primary cause of all chronic disease.

5 HEALTHY EATING GUIDELINES

With the help of chiropractors and other natural healthcare providers, an increasing number of people like Nancy are becoming aware of this relationship between diet and disease and are revamping their nutritional lifestyle.

Here is a brief overview of five healthy eating guidelines to share with your patients and see what happens:

1. Only eat real food. But if you eat “fake food,” wait a long time before doing it again so your body can recover.

The very definition of “food” is fuel to nourish the body. Anything not nourishing is not food.

To implement this guideline:

• Eliminate all pseudo foods containing harmful ingredients such as chemical additives, white refined sugar and flour, high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, and similar ingredients;

• Eat only additive-free, natural-food brands, available at all natural-food stores and increasingly available at regular grocers;

• Consume organic produce, and organic, antibiotic- and hormone-free meats, fish, and dairy products whenever possible; and

• Drink purified, filtered water.

2. Eliminate stimulants. But if you do consume them, relegate to very rare occasions.

Stimulants include caffeine, alcohol, refined salt, sugars, and other refined carbohydrates (such as high-fructose corn syrup and refined flour). They act like drugs in the body and send your system soaring out of balance, causing a variety of symptoms including fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, and more.

Using fewer stimulants equates to being healthier and having more energy.

To implement this guideline:

• Free yourself from stimulants by eliminating them completely until balance is restored in the body. This takes from a few weeks to a few months. Then, relegate them to rare occasions according to your tolerance level. If symptoms return, completely eliminate the offending substance once again;

• Switch from health-robbing refined salt to unrefined, mineral-rich sea salt; and 

• Substitute herbal teas or roasted-grain beverages for coffee or caffeinated tea, and replace refined sugars with fruit and low-glycemic natural sweeteners, such as stevia or agave.

3. Eat an abundance of whole, fresh, natural foods. Avoid processed foods. Most everything that comes in a box, can, or package is a processed food (with the exception of some unprocessed brown rice or legumes, for example). Whole, fresh, natural foods (preferably organic), such as produce, meats, fish, poultry, whole grains, legumes, and seeds, are always your best choice.

To implement this guideline:

• Equip your kitchen with gadgets that reduce the time and effort it takes to prepare healthful foods. Consider such items as a salad spinner, vegetable steamer, rice cooker, juicer, and food processor;

• Prepare dishes in bulk and chop extra salad fixings for quick meals later;

• Vacuum seal foods to maximize shelf life and save time and money; and

• Take advantage of the “packaged” fresh foods available today, such as baby carrots, assorted chopped veggies, freshly cut fruit, and prewashed greens.

4. Take into account allergies and sensitivities when making food choices. The eight most common food allergens — wheat, milk, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, eggs, fish, and shellfish — can cause a variety of symptoms, such as wheezing, itching, tingling, nausea, or diarrhea. Individuals who are severely allergic can go into anaphylactic shock.

Many individuals who are not allergic to foods may be intolerant of them and suffer from chronic conditions, such as acid reflux, gas, bloating, constipation, sinusitus, weight gain, depression, arthritis, and more.

To implement this guideline:

• Eliminate the eight most common food allergens from your diet for two or three weeks to help clear and strengthen your system;

• Then, introduce foods one at a time from the allergens list to identify those that may cause problems;

• Cleanse your eliminative tract with a protocol that’s appropriate for you, and do regular maintenance cleansing thereafter; and

• Boost your immune system, reduce stress, and exercise regularly.

5. Be aware of your ailments when making food choices. Learn which foods exacerbate or help improve specific conditions to expedite the healing process.

Improving your diet improves the body’s condition. As you start improving the quality of your diet, you’ll start feeling better and improving the overall quality of your health.

To implement this guideline:

• Follow all five guidelines to allow your body every opportunity to restore and maintain health;

• Research recommendations for foods that can help reverse specific conditions, as well as those that may be causing or contributing to your problems; and

• Cleanse and clear your tissues and organs with a protocol specific to your ailments and to restore health and energy in general.

When applied consistently over time, these five guidelines produce amazing results. It’s miraculous what the body can do when fueled properly — energy is restored, excess weight is shed, body systems are regenerated, disease is reversed, and nagging symptoms disappear.

Kelly Hayford, CNC, is a nutrition and health coach, author, speaker, and healthy lifestyle educator, and author of If It’s Not Food, Don’t Eat It! She can be reached at 303-746-8970, by e-mail at kh@wellnesscoaching.com, or through her company’s Web site, www.foodfitnessbyphone.com.