AIM

All things in life works better with a healthy diet and exercise

We have provided you with some suggestions in these areas

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1) Anti-Inflammatory Diet

The majority of the following information is from Biotherapeutic Drainage using the Unda Numbers by Dick Thom, DDS, ND.

  • Try and eat only organically grown foods; they reportedly have 2-5x more nutrients and it will decrease exposure to pesticides.
  • The foods listed are only examples of foods to eat.
  • Try to compose meals of approximately 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% healthy fats.
  • Try not to eat any food more than 4 times a week.
  • Plan your meals ahead of time.
  • Find at least 10 recipes you enjoy.
  • This diet is recommended for a minimum of 6 weeks. After that you can start adding in one food at a time and see if you feel as good as you did before. If so, keep it in you diet and move on to the next food. As you gain higher levels of health your body is often able to eat a wider variety of foods

    STEAMED VEGETABLES:

  • Steaming improves the utilization or availability of the food nutrients allowing the GI mucosa to repair itself.
  • Use minimal raw vegetables except as a salad.
  • Fermented vegetables are highly recommended for immune system benefits and colon health
  • Include at least 1 green leafy green vegetable daily (such as chard, kale, collards, turnip greens etc.).
  • Eat a variety of any and all vegetables (except tomatoes and potatoes) that you can tolerate.
  • Add your favorite spices to enhance the taste of these vegetables.
  • It is best to try and eat mostly lower carbohydrate (3%, 6%) vegetables. For example:
  • 3% vegetables: asparagus, bean sprouts, beet greens, broccoli, red & green cabbages, cauliflower, celery, chicory, cucumbers, dandelion greens, endive, lettuce (red, green, romaine), mustard greens, parsley, radishes, spinach, sea weed, Swiss chard, turnip greens, watercress
  • 6% vegetables: beets, Bok Choy, brussel sprouts, chives, collards, eggplant, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, onions, parsley, pumpkins, red pepper, rutabagas, string beans, turnips, zucchini
  • 15% vegetables: artichokes, carrots, parsnips, green peas
  • 20+% vegetable: cooked carrots, winter squash, yam

    GRAINS:

  • Eat 1-2 cups of cooked grains per day, unless you have indications of high insulin levels, are over weight, have high blood pressure, have high cholesterol or have diabetes.
  • Allowed grains include: amaranth, barley, buckwheat, millet, oatmeal, quinoa, basmati or brown rice, rye, teff.
  • If you have a gluten intolerance then your best choices are brown rice, wild rice, red rice, black rice, millet, amaranth, quinoa or buckwheat.
  • Other grain foods that may be eaten are rice crisps, Wasa crackers and dehydrator raw food crackers .

    LEGUMES:

  • Eat a variety of any legumes that you are able to tolerate. Soak them for 48-72 hours and cook slowly with a pinch of asofoetida (hing) and a piece of wakame. The wakame and hing help reduce any flatulent tendencies. The following are the recommended legumes: aduki beans, adzuki beans, chick peas, kidney beans, lentils, mung beans, pinto beans, and split peas. Fermented soy beans (tempeh or miso) are wonderful to add to your diet. Miso comes in many different forms, from sweet white to heavy rich dark ones. I recommend if you have not tried these yet that you start with the white, red or chick pea miso's as a base for a soup or a lovely addition to your vegetables. I encourage you to take the steaming water from your vegetables and use it as a base for your miso soup. It is also used to make wonderful salad dressings when combined with tahini, apple cider vinegar and ginger juice. Tempeh can be added to stir fry.

    FISH:

  • Poach, bake or steam deep-sea fish not farmed fish: cod, croaker, haddock, halibut, pollock, sardines, sole, summer flounder, tilapia, wild Pacific salmon are preferred
  • No shellfish: clam, crab, lobster, shrimp

    CHICKEN/TURKEY:

  • Eat only the meat and not the skin.
  • Eat free-range or organically grown chicken or turkey.
  • Bake, broil, or steam.

    MEAT:

  • All free-range, grass-fed animals including lamb, buffalo, venison, elk, and beef are okay.

    FRUIT:

  • Eat only 1 or 2 of practically any fruit except citrus.
  • It is preferred to eat the fruit baked.
  • Eat mostly low carbohydrate fruits. For example:
  • 3% fruit: cantaloupes, melons, rhubarb, strawberries
  • 6% fruit: apricots, blackberries, cranberries, papayas, peaches, plum, raspberries, kiwis
  • 15% fruit: apples, cherries, grapes, mangoes, pears, pineapples, pomegranate
  • 20+% fruit: bananas, figs, prunes, blueberries

    SWEETENERS:

  • Occasionally barley syrup, lohan, maple syrup, raw honey, rice syrup, stevia, or xylitol (birch sugar).
  • Use ONLY with meals.
  • Absolutely NO sugar, splenda, sacharine, NutraSweet, or any other sweetener.

    SEEDS AND NUTS:

  • Grind flax, pumpkin, sesame, or sunflower seeds and add to steamed vegetables, cooked grains, etc.
  • You may also eat nut and seed butters: almond, brazil, cashew, sesame, etc.

    BUTTER/OILS:

  • For butter, mix together 1 lb. Organic butter and 1 cup of extra virgin oil (from a new dark jar). Whip at room temperature and store in the refrigerator.
  • Use extra virgin olive oil or centrifuged coconut oil from young spoon nuts for all other situations requiring oil.

    SPICES:

  • Add whatever spices you enjoy.

    DRINKS:

  • Drink spring, bottled, filtered, or reverse-osmosis filtered water every day.
  • Drink ½ your body weight in ounces of water daily.
  • Sip the water and drink 1 glass per hour.
  • A few drops of chlorophyll will add a pleasant taste and numerous health benefits.
  • NO distilled water.
  • Small amounts of soy, rice, or oat milk are allowed ONLY on cooked grains or in cooking.

    For now, avoid the following foods:

    • All animal milks
    • All corn products
    • All animal cheeses
    • Tomatoes
    • Commercial eggs (organic are ok)
    • All dried fruit
    • All wheat products
    • Fried foods
    • (including breads & white flour)
    • Alcohol
    • Citrus fruits
    • All fruit juices
    • Peanuts & peanut butter
    • Any processed food
    • Meat (pork & grain-fed animals)
    • All caffeinated teas & coffee
    • Potatoes- red & white

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2) Mind and Body Fitness for Lifelong Good Health

Use movement to explore the connection between body and mind.

By Shannon James
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic - Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Mind and body fitness? Many people who want to get into shape don't realize there is more to fitness than well-toned muscles. There's no shortage of exercise regimes that just promote the perfection of the body, or the idea of fitness as a part of a weight loss plan.

Centuries ago, Western culture lost its focus on the interconnectedness between the body and the mind or spirit, and how each has the power to affect the other. Cultivating a love of movement can help you get beyond the concept of physical fitness as separate from mental fitness – and toward a lifelong program of good health through mind and body fitness.

Whether you choose yoga or another form of movement for exercise, remember that our bodies are made to move to feel good. So when you incorporate regular activity in your life, you're moving closer to overall mind and body fitness. But if you are overweight, this can be more difficult. You can improve your mind-body connection for better mind and body fitness – it's just important to choose realistic.

You might consider redefining exercise as any activity that unites your mind and body and reduces your stress level. In fact, high levels of stress have been linked to weight gain, and certainly can lead to emotional eating. Finding activities that are both enjoyable and easy to do is important when developing any type of.

It's important to be realistic about what we expect from ourselves. Consider your goals. Is 30 to 60 minutes on a treadmill a reasonable time frame at this point in your life? Are you setting yourself up for failure or success when you create this expectation for yourself? Would it be more enjoyable to you to do some stretching and a shorter period of time on the treadmill?

Developing an exercise plan that fits your lifestyle and your desires is critical. Surprisingly, long-term weight loss is linked more closely to whether a person sticks to their fitness routine than to what that routine actually consists of. A routine that is gentle and pleasurable is more likely to lead to the long-term gains you are seeking.

All-or-nothing thinking about exercise leads us to first bite off more than we can chew and then give up all together. Just walk into a gym in the month of January and try to get on a Stairmaster. There's a good chance you'll have to wait in line. But by March or April, there are usually plenty of free machines.

It is also important to tailor your fitness goals to your preferences. Some people like the idea of getting out of the house in the evening and going to the gym. Others prefer staying home and doing a quieter exercise routine after the demands of a stressful day. Either approach, or a combination of the two, can result in improved mind and body fitness.

What is critical is for you to come to know yourself and to take yourself seriously. If you like to be home in the evenings, find things to do in your home or consider an occasional walk with friends or family. If you crave the company of others, head for the gym. Think about what would please you most, and follow your inner voice.

Many people who are preoccupied with food and body issues tend to pay too much attention to the needs of others, while paying too little attention to their own needs. While you may intend to benefit your children with their countless activities, the added stress can cause an imbalance within your family. Can you take a look at your schedule (or your family's) and reschedule some time for yourself? What would it be like to say no?

Long-term weight loss can take time. And we can get demoralized when we don't see immediate results. But remember that maintaining an exercise routine is associated with physical as well as mental well-being. Where has our focus on the numbers on our scale gotten us? Some would say it has taken us to more harsh thoughts, more bingeing and grazing on food, and, ironically, less fitness rather than more.

It may be that the best exercise you can do right now is to throw your scale into the garbage. Focus on how you're feeling with your exercise routine. Is it something you enjoy and can maintain? Is it reducing your stress level and allowing a connection between your mind and body? If so, you'll probably keep it up, and fitness of mind and body and spirit will be yours.

Don't forget how important it is to see your physician before starting any type of exercise routine, and to following his or her recommendations. So try to be gentle with yourself and realistic about how to proceed.

There is tremendous confusion in our society about how to approach health and fitness. You may have tried losing weight before and failed. But consider the possibility that we as a society have not failed at dieting and weight loss. Rather, dieting has failed us as an effective tool for fitness.

Remember that fitness of mind and body belong together, and that exercise is very narrowly defined in our society. So redefine exercise as any activity that reduces stress and connects your mind and body. You'll be more likely to continue your exercise plan and achieve the outcome you're looking for.

Published February 2006.

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