Spring Cleaning: Cleanse Your Diet
by Henri Roca, MD, Clinical Functional Medicine Specialist
Investing in your health doesn't necessarily mean spending hours at the gym or buying expensive supplements, sometimes it's as simple as rethinking your eating habits.
Schedule Your Meals
To begin, consider the concept of scheduled meals. This helps to avoid the toxicity that comes with grazing, a habit that can lead to overeating and poor nutritional choices. This is where the idea of intermittent fasting can come into play.
By limiting your eating window to 8-12 hours per day, and fasting for the remaining 12-16 hours, you're giving your body a chance to rest and reset.
Gluten & Casein
Next, it's time to take a closer look at what you're putting into your body. Gluten, a common food additive, can cause significant issues whether you're sensitive to it or have Celiac Disease. Therefore, it might be beneficial to take a month or two off gluten and all wheat products to see if any improvements in your health occur.
Similarly, casein, another food additive found in dairy products, can contribute to gut, skin, joint, and inflammation problems. A temporary hiatus from casein and dairy could make a significant difference in your overall well-being.
Processed Foods
Fast food, junk food, and processed foods are all culprits in driving inflammation and should be removed from your diet. These foods are often high in unhealthy fats, sugar, and sodium, leading to an array of health issues.
Equally detrimental are sweets and simple carbohydrates. These foods not only drive inflammation but also impair fascial health, induce cardiometabolic dysfunction, and exacerbate arthritis.
What To Eat
Instead, fill your plate with anti-inflammatory foods like fish and non-starchy vegetables. These foods are rich in nutrients and can help combat inflammation.
Furthermore, aim to ingest at least 90 to 100 grams of protein each day, unless you suffer from kidney disease.
Retoxing
The cycle of retoxing through grazing, a monotonous diet full of gluten, casein, sweets, simple starches, and fast food can lead to a myriad of health problems.
If you find yourself unable to break this cycle, seeking help from a functional medicine provider is strongly recommended.
Investing In Your Health
Remember, investing in your health means investing in your future. It's not about deprivation, it's about conscious eating.
So, schedule your meals, consider intermittent fasting, and be mindful of what you're feeding your body. Your health is your wealth, after all.
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