What’s your resolution for 2012? Does it include weight loss, detoxification, increased energy and vitality? Are you worried you won’t accomplish your goal? As a physician and founder of Austin UltraHealth, I have guided hundreds of people though an Elimination Diet, which will allow you to accomplish all of this and more in just 14 days!
We all know we are a society living in too much excess: too much work, stress, junk food, illness, weight—and too little time. For those of you who find yourselves falling into this trap of excess, the very idea of living a life without these issues may seem not only impossible but also impractical.
The irony is to accomplish everything on your daily “to-do” lists, your body and your mind must be functioning at peak performance and firing on all cylinders. In order to allow your body and mind to function optimally, you must nourish them with the raw elements they need and crave: whole foods, water, exercise, rest and relaxation. Yet, if you are like most people, you expect your body to keep up at this breakneck speed while “nourish- ing” it with fast food, yo-yo dieting, sugar, a never-ending pot of coffee, late nights at the office and a constantly chiming cell phone. This kind of lifestyle causes havoc on your body, depletes you of vital nutrients, and causes inflammation lead- ing to weight gain, brain fog, decreased energy, and ultimately chronic disease.
So what is an Elimination Diet? First, it is not a diet. You will not be counting calories, carbohydrates, fat grams, points or portion sizes. Furthermore, you will not be hungry during the 14 days. An Elimination Diet is a plan for a whole new way of eating that nourishes the cells in your body, giving them energy and vitality, jump-starting your metabolism and rebalancing your body. It’s a plan that will teach you how to get rid of the toxic foods and replace them with whole, “good foods” that promote detoxification.
The basic principle is simply to eliminate the “bad foods” and add the “good foods.” Bad foods are those that are toxic to our bodies and those that create inflammation in our bodies. Examples of these toxic foods: caffeine, sugar, alcohol, processed foods, fast food, junk food, trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup. The main inflammatory foods: gluten, dairy, yeast, eggs, corn, soy, peanuts, nightshade vegetables, and citrus fruits.
Good foods: organic lean proteins; legumes; fresh, organic fruits and vegetables; nongluten containing whole grains; and nuts and seeds.
Toxic and inflammatory foods disrupt the internal processes of the body that optimize health and regulate weight. When we eat these bad foods, our bodies can be left feeling tired, stressed and inflamed. Furthermore, toxins contribute to chronic pain and increase the likeli- hood of becoming obese, having high blood pressure, getting diabetes and being diagnosed with an autoimmune or chronic disease. During an Elimination Diet, and hopefully throughout the rest of your life, you will be replacing these toxic and inflammatory foods with good foods. By eating the good foods, you should feel increased energy levels, more restful sleep, reduced joint pain, more mental clarity, weight loss and an overall improved feeling of wellness and health.
At the end of the program, you will gradually add back in the foods that do not cause inflammation for you and avoid those that do. I hope that you will permanently avoid the toxic foods and live a happy and healthy life. Whether you’re looking to drop a few pounds, increase your energy or mental sharpness, jumpstart your metabolism or simply get your body back in balance—an Elimination Diet is worth a shot. Try it for 14 days and see how you feel.
