How to Prepare for a Food Tune-Up...Step 2: Define WHAT you're going to eat!

OK, so I’ve decided that I want to break free from feeling crappy by cleaning up my food for 10 days. Hopefully, this will reset my focus and help me to get back on the path to feeling great!

The next step in the process is figuring out what the heck I’m going to eat during the 10 day Tune-Up. So it’s time to be honest with myself and answer the following three questions. If you’re playing along, take out a piece of paper and do the same…

Write down the answers to the following three questions:

1. Are there foods that I don’t tolerate well, am sensitive to, or allergic to (ie. they cause digestive problems, stomach aches, headaches, gas, bloating, belching, acid reflux, etc.)?
2. What are my “trigger foods”? (Foods that set off mindless eating or overeating?)
3. What foods do I eat that aren’t particularly good for me or have little/no nutritional value?

For me, this is easy.

I know what foods I’m sensitive to (dairy, eggs, yeast, sugar).

I know my trigger foods that I eat mindlessly or eat too much of (salt, butter, pasta, bread, rice, sweets, chips, nuts, crackers, movie popcorn).

And beyond that, I know what foods/drinks I eat/drink that aren’t particularly good for me or that don’t have a lot of nutritional value (margaritas, wine, beer, sweetened decaf coffee drinks, Icees, french fries and other fried foods, fatty meats, candy, high sodium or high sugar condiments, packaged stuff, etc.).

Soooo…during my Food Tune-Up, I’m cutting out all those things listed above.

“Oh my gosh, Dorothy! What’s left to eat???”

Worry not, my friends! There are PLENTY of good foods to eat! I am NOT going to go hungry! (And neither should YOU!)

So now that you've listed the foods that DON'T serve you, now list the foods that DO serve you (I’ll do the same!)!

Make a Shopping List. Get out your computer and list foods that are nutritionally dense, promote wellness, AND taste good to you. This will be your SHOPPING List, so feel free to make it list-style and add checkboxes so you can print it out, highlight what you’ll buy, bring it to the store with you, and check off highlighted items as you buy them. (You can find my Shopping List HERE as an example.)

In general, I’m going to eat/drink the following during my Food Tune-Up:

• Veggies…ALL kinds (Yes, even potatoes and sweet potatoes!)
• Fruits…ALL kinds (Yes, even bananas!)
• Pure Herbs and spices (I’ll use fresh when possible. I’m LIMITING added salt.)
• Proteins (about a palm sized serving for 2 meals/day)...lean meats, fish, beans, quinoa, tempeh, lentils
• Added Fats…SMALL amounts of extra virgin cold-pressed olive oil, avocado oil, avocado, nuts/nut butters (I’m going to try to give my liver a little break and avoid fats before noon! Just an experiment!)
• Seeds: (A sprinkle here or there!) ALL kinds.
• Sparingly use ACV, coconut aminos, tamari, nut milks, condiments/dressings (as “clean” as possible!)
• Drinks: Filtered water, herbal teas (decaf), spindrift (with fruit juice only), mineral water, home made vegetable juices

Am I going to count calories? No.

Am I going to track macros? No.

AM I going to stress about how much food I’m eating? No. (I’m going to eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m not hungry.)

I want this to be as simple as possible!

Now, do you need to eat what I eat? Nope!

You and I might have completely different foods on our lists…and this is OK! Your list should NOT contain YOUR trigger foods or “empty calorie” foods, but it SHOULD have all the foods that promote health for YOU and taste good to YOU! Also, remember, this is NOT forever…it is only 10 days! It’s a little experiment!

OK, so now you have written down WHAT you WILL eat and what you WON’T eat for your 10 day Food Tune-Up.

Get ready…next we’re going to talk about another Prep Step….How to Prepare Your Environment for Success!

Side salad?  Nope.  A Tootsie Roll!  LOL!
I think I can do better!