Cleaning up your diet is monumentally beneficial for your wellbeing, but knowing where to start can be a daunting task. The key to a better, cleaner diet is to make small, sustainable changes to your lifestyle, and doing it one at a time so you don’t send your mental wellness in a tailspin in the process! With that in mind, we turned to Steven Macari, a certified holistic health practitioner specialising in nutrition, weight management, digestive health and stress management, for a list of fixes that you, with time, can implement in your diet.
1. Get rid of gluten: Reducing or eliminating gluten from your diet is no mean feat, which is why it’s important to get this one under your belt before you move on to make any other changes. Studies show that more than 60% of us are gluten-sensitive, and the percentage goes up – for some reason – if you have blue or green eyes. Macari recommends removing gluten from your diet for two weeks to see if you experience any improvements. If you do, you might want to get your doctor to confirm you are indeed sensitive to gluten.
2. Drink more water: As a human being, you’re 70% water, which shows just how intrinsic good old H20 is to your wellness. Most of us don’t drink enough water and, as a result, end up mistaking thirst or dehydration for hunger, and consequently overeating. In order to hydrate your body effectively, you need to drink half your weight in ounces per day (i.e. if you weigh 120 pounds, you should drink 60 ounces of water every day).
3. Watch out for the white stuff: There are four foods that are commonly referred to as the white devils: white sugar; pasteurised dairy; table salt and white flour. These foods are known as devils for a good reason; they have a direct, disastrous impact on your mind and body. In fact, the white devils have been linked to any number of health concerns, including a weakened immune system, high blood pressure, weight gain, blood sugar issues and digestive problems.
4. Say NO to GMO: Two of the biggest genetically modified (GMO) foods are soy and corn, but there are other offenders that you should also avoid. Papaya, squash and aubergines all fall into this category and studies have shown that these kinds of foods actually modify your cells. This can mean you fall prey to a whole host of health issues and even age prematurely, and no one wants that! Instead, you should choose organic produce wherever possible. Even if fruit and vegetables don’t fall into the GMO category, if they’re not organic this means they have been sprayed by toxic chemicals. Non-organic meat means that animals have likewise ingested these chemicals, and your body will store those toxins. Your body is unable to detoxify these substances in fat, meaning that you won’t be able to lose weight because the foods you’re eating are covered in toxic substances.
5. Make friends with fat: While bad fats can make you ill, as well as making you hold onto unwanted body fat, good fats are, as the name suggests, good for you. In fact, your body needs good fats for effective brain function, healthy skin, high energy levels and well-regulated hormones, so it’s important to get your fill of good fats. This means you need to avoid bad fats such as canola oil, palm oil, margarine, hydrogenated oils, vegetable oils and trans-fatty acids. Then, add in healthy fats like organic versions of olive oil, coconut oil, ghee, butter (from pasture-raised cows), grape seed oil, avocado oil and nut oils.
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