1. Cut out processed foods and sugar.  

Take a good honest look in your refrigerator and cupboards.  Throw away everything that does not look like it did in nature.  Sugar is poison.  It's a difficult concept to even want to believe this, but inflammation literally feeds on sugar. Almost every health condition will show a decrease in symptoms once sugar is removed from the picture. 

2.  Increase water intake.  

Proper hydration is fundamental to basic cellular communication.  If you’re not hydrated, nothing happens correctly in your body.  You should be drinking ½ your body weight in ounces, plus 16 ounces for every 8 ounces of diuretic (coffee, tea, juice, etc..).

3. Increase vitamin and mineral consumption.  

In our culture, we think of pills when we think of vitamins.  Change your mindset, and consider whole foods your vitamin and mineral source.  A high quality supplement from a naturopath or nutritional therapist is important, but I believe that a nutrient dense diet is a crucial part of feeling and looking healthy.

4. Heal your digestion.  

Be honest with yourself about your bowel movements.  Most people will say that their BMs are doing fine.  Most people are not doing fine.  We should have three, clean, well formed, poops a day.  Not many can say they do.  If you’re not pooping properly, it’s fair to assume that you’re not absorbing those nutrients you’re working so hard to ingest.  In this case I recommend a supplement called hydrochloric acid.  This is stomach acid, and helps to digest food at the top of what I like to consider a food roller coaster.  It would be in each person’s best interest to find a naturopath or nutritional therapist who can test your body for helpful supplements.  Aloe vera juice and Country Life probiotics have been incredibly beneficial to the health of my gut lining. (I attached the link so you can see it... but I don't think you should order it online. It needs to be refrigerated.)

5.  Eat fat,

always organic! Look for expeller or cold pressed oils; olive, coconut, hemp, and flax are great oils to add to your diet.  Try to include more raw or properly soaked and dehydrated nuts.  Eat chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, avocados, full fat meats; free range chicken/omega 3 eggs, and grass fed beef.   Go organic  (always) and full fat for milk products (though you should get tested for a dairy allergy).  Don’t fear fat and cholesterol (do be very deliberate about your sources though).  Your body actually needs cholesterol to make hormones!

6. Get tested for food allergies.  

Seemingly minuscule  ingredients like soy lecithin and citric acid can wreak havoc on your body.  A great place to start is experimenting with the removal of the top food allergens: Dairy, gluten, eggs, soy, and corn.

7.  Do not eat anything with iodized salt.  

Use sea salt only, and read the label to make sure that’s really all your getting.

8.  Open your mind.

The best diet for your body right now may not be what you currently believe it to be.  If you're a dedicated carnivore, maybe your body needs more raw foods.  If you're a passionate vegetarian, but you're having dreams that you're a lioness chasing a herd of buffalo, start considering humanely sourced options for animal protein.  Bodies know things. Listen closely.

9.  Put yourself first.  

Our culture is fast, and over stimulating.  Especially when you’re dealing with a health condition, you must learn to say no to unnecessary obligations. Saying no to some engagements leaves you time for self care.  It’s important to exercise, meditate, and find time and space for peace and quiet.  Get as much sleep as you can (I know how hard that is for moms). Do your best.  Get acupuncture!  Acupuncture is always my first step when I feel overwhelmed by life. The effects are subtle, but drastic.

 10.  Believe your Self into good health. 

Know that you can be healed. Energy and intention are huge! Speak and think lovingly about yourself and others. Have an abundance and love mindset, instead of a mindset of scarcity or fear.

11.  Take action.

Change takes action. Growth takes action. Feeling your best takes action. Get started today. Know that there will be ups and downs. Great days and really, really terrible days. Overall, as you heal you'll notice your connection with yourself strengthening, and in turn, your connection with the world around you will be strengthened.

Nourish to flourish.

Thanks for reading, make healing choices! :)