Who knew that just changing what we ate and how we lived would create such amazing results in my family's life.
Listen in or read on below for a few tips that I used in my family and now guide my clients to do to create a healthier diet and lifestyle.
Over 15 years ago I was faced with a child on ADHD medication that made her feel horrible but helped her excel in school and I was prescribed a medication I didn’t want to take.
I did my research which back then we didn’t have all the great websites and holistic authorities posting information everywhere. But what I found was it may be very helpful if we changed to a healthier diet and lifestyle.
My kids were 11 and 13. Probably the worst time possible to overhaul our whole family’s diet and lifestyle. But we jumped in with both feet and never looked back.
The benefits were amazing! Who knew just switching to a healthier diet would impact our health and lives that much?
I worked with a professional to wean my 11-year-old, Jordan, off the ADHD medication. Jordan never skipped a beat in school and went on to receive a masters at FSU on the Dean’s List.
The rest of us lost that foggy brain, slept better and my husband and I even lost weight and inflammation without trying. We all felt and looked better.
I didn’t have one to one guidance when I made the changes in my family. It wasn’t always easy and I failed several times but we just kept making small changes and they added up.
Here are a few things I did with my family and work with my clients on when I guide them to switch to a whole real food diet & healthy lifestyle:
Know what you are eating.
Do you really know what you are eating? Do you read the ingredients or just look at the front of the package that lists all the buzz words? The package says it is healthy, keto, gluten free, vegan, sugar-free, fat free, blah blah blah So, it must be healthy because they told us it was.
I teach my clients that a package that has 5 or less ingredients is best. At the very least be able to pronounce and know what the ingredients are.
If you have no idea what the ingredients are then guess what… neither does your body.
If your body doesn’t know what you just put in it then it will probably end up as fat to keep it away from your vital organs so that it can protect them.
Believe me, your body doesn’t need any more toxins.
Drink fresh clean water.
Did you know most people are dehydrated and don’t even know it?
60% of your body is composed of water and 73% of your heart and brain are water.
Therefore, drinking enough fresh clean water is very vital for your body to be healthy.
When you drink at least 50-60% of our body weight in ounces of water per day you will feel more energized. Toxins will get flushed out of your body. This is so important because your body is bombarded all day every day with toxins from the food you eat, your environment, your cleaning and personal products - just to name a few.
If you are not drinking enough water then slowly increase your intake until you are up to at least 50% of your body weight in ounces per day.
Eat clean fruit and veggies.
So, I don’t just mean wash your fruit and veggies. You absolutely should!
But what I do mean is be selective on picking lower toxic fruit and veggies.
We are all on a budget and it may not be possible to buy all your produce organic.
Environmental Working Group or EWG does research every year to determine which fruit and vegetables contain the most residue from pesticides and fertilizers. Some of our produce may also be GMO or genetically modified. EWG’s yearly shopping list of the dirty dozen and clean 15 will give you a list of the produce you should buy organic if possible and those you could buy conventional. I recommend if the price is close buy organic. Why not?
These are just a few of the many ways to start eating a whole real food diet and living a healthier lifestyle.
We pay a lot of money for food whether at home or when we go out to eat.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to ensure the food you consume be nourishing and healing as opposed to toxic and possibly creating inflammation and disease in your body?
I will happily pay more for better food if it keeps me feeling and looking good. I would rather pay for healthy food now then possible medical bills later.
Oh, and by the way, I never needed that medication once I changed over to eating a whole real food diet and created a healthier lifestyle. I recently found out the ADHD medication was causing my child to have suicidal thoughts she wasn't able to articulate at 11yo. I thank God we got Jordan off the medication when we did!
Where are you on your journey toward a healthier life? I would love to hear. Let me know in the comments below.
If you are ready to switch over to a healthier diet and lifestyle, I can help. Please reach out via my email – Sheri@EmpoweredHealthCoaching.com or book a free call.
Live life empowered!
Sheri Johnson is a certified Transformational Holistic Health, Wellness and Life Coach in the Central Florida area. She believes everyone deserves an amazing healthy, balanced life, full of energy and feeling fantastic! When you get back on track in life and feel like yourself again then you can easily step into who you truly want to be living out your purpose, passion & what you were called here to do.
If you are ready to decrease stress and overwhelm while creating balance in your body, mind and spirit then please check out her website and book a free breakthrough session with her.