During my career I have helped literally thousands of people to lose weight and keep it off. Often, against all the odds and in spite of politically correct nutritional dictates that would counter my recommendations, my clients have successfully reached their weight goals and lost bodyfat by following some simple yet powerful principles.
Foremost among these has been this one indisputable fact; We are all biochemically different beings, therefore there is no ONE dietary style that will work for everyone.
Therefore EVERY food that we eat will create a different reaction in EVERY one of us. For some people fruit lifts them up and makes them feel great, for others they feel dull and sluggish. Some are allergic to nuts whilst others aren’t.
No one food, no one diet can possibly meet the needs of all of us. In fact, it’s ridiculous to try!
Therefore, this article does not attempt to tell you what you should eat. Instead we’ll be focusing on 10 simple rules that apply across the board to all of us and, when followed, will virtually guarantee your success whether you are on a high protein, low fat or detox diet.
Without further ado;
Dax’s Rule Number 1:
If you own it, you’ll eat it.
Forget about putting all of the ‘bad’ food in the house out of sight; get it out of mind too by binning the lot! I know this may seem a little extreme but the truth is that anything that you have in your fridge or food cupboard WILL eventually find its way into your mouth.
If it’s tinned, processed, has ‘e’ numbers or unpronounceable words on it, it goes into the bin. Full stop, no ifs or buts!
Any and all processed foods fit this category. The simple rule is that anything that will last for more than 4 days without going bad should be avoided as ‘non-foods’ that will harm your health.
Dax’s Rule Number 2:
If it has wheat or gluten in it then it doesn’t go into you.
The plain and simple fact is that most of us have a hard time digesting wheat and gluten. The knock-on effect of this poor digestion is that we often inhibit the uptake of other important nutrients thus leaving us poorly nourished and often allergic or intolerant too.
The difficult thing about ridding wheat and gluten from your diet is that it is used in everything from bread, pasta, biscuits, cakes, breakfast cereals, sauces, the list goes on… Just make sure that you read the labels on the foods you are buying.
Dax’s Rule Number 3:
At least one third of your food should be uncooked.
Many, in fact nearly all, of the vital micronutrients found in our foods are destroyed by excessive exposure to heat during our cooking processes. This renders these foods calorie dense yet nutrient deficient which can lead to food cravings, eating binges and excessive weight gain along with numerous conditions associated with malnutrition.
Ensure that fresh, raw fruit and vegetables form a large part of your diet. This can be made easier by juicing.
Dax’s Rule Number 4:
Eat More Vegetables.
Unlike many fruits that are known to cause allergic responses or contribute to weight gain through their insulin-provoking effects, virtually ALL vegetables are good for you. (If you know that you are allergic to a certain vegetable OR that excessive intestinal gas is created by ingestion then obviously avoid them!)
Vegetables contain phytochemicals, which are powerful natural agents that promote health. They will also help to alkalinize your system, as most of us are far too acidic. Most people benefit more from increased vegetables than from extra vitamins. You will normally need a large amount of vegetables to optimize your body's pH acid/alkaline balance.
The recommendation is that you should try to consume 1lb of vegetables for every 50lbs of body weight. This will probably sound excessive in comparison to your current eating habits, but give it a try, you can always tailor it up or down!
Ideally raw, juiced or lightly steamed is best.
Dax’s Rule Number 5:
Limit or Stop ALL Sugar Intake
Gram per gram, sugar is probably one of the most dangerous substances on earth. Seriously! Sugar has been linked directly to many forms of cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, asthma, eczema, immune system suppression, alcoholism, premature ageing, multiple sclerosis, obesity, osteoporosis, parkinsons disease…the list goes on!
Sugar in all of its forms creates havoc with your sensitivity to insulin and has a knock on effect throughout the entire endocrine (hormonal) system.
Avoid all White sugar, brown sugar, dextrose, maltose, fructose, glucose or in fact ANY ingredients that end in ‘ose’. They are all sugar.
You will also need to be careful with high glycemic index (GI) carbohydrates like:
White Rice
Pasta
Potatoes
Flour Products
Corn
Oats
Which are quickly converted into sugar in your body. Instead, opt for fibrous, starchy vegetables as your primary carbohydrate sources.
Note: If you DO consume high GI foodstuffs, ensure that you ALWAYS keep the portion sizes small and that they are ALWAYS accompanied by fat and protein. This will reduce the insulin provoking effects.
Dax’s Rule Number 6:
Consume only Organic and Free-range produce and meat products
From seed to storage our fruits and vegetables are sprayed with pesticides more than 10 times rendering them highly toxic anti-nutrients that have been identified as PROVEN carcinogenic agents of the highest order.
Think about it; insects are the hardiest species on the planet, capable of withstanding extremes of environment, toxicity and bacteria yet our chemicals are still strong enough to kill them off. Those chemicals are within our foods and eventually within us. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out the threat that this represents to us, the very END of the food chain.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS all non-organic agricultural produce, opting instead for organic and bio-dynamic food sources. These foods not only lack the toxic chemicals, they are also far higher in nutrients and taste fantastic too!
Similarly, avoid all non-organic meat, dairy and egg products as these foodstuffs are loaded with hormones and pro-hormones that effect the way our own bodies produce hormones. This results in endocrine imbalances, adrenal fatigue and myriad medical problems including MS, Parkinsons disease, ME, Diabetes and Cancer to name a few.
Eat only from free-range, organic and bio-dynamic meat and dairy which yield a far better nutrient profile yet minimise the hormonal imbalances caused by their non-organic counterparts.
Often, people complain about the prohibitive cost of eating organic and free-range produce. They’re right, it IS a more expensive way of eating… at first!
Yet, after just a short time of eating the nutrient-dense foodstuffs from the organic and free-range group, you’ll find that your food cravings reduce as your body starts to receive what it needs.
In fact, in just a short time, eating organic proves to be no more expensive than non-organic… you eat LESS food because it’s better quality!
And besides…
Even if it is a bit more expensive to eat organic, at least you won’t be consuming all of those chemicals that are PROVEN to make you ill!
Dax’s Rule Number 7:
Eat again no sooner than two hours and no longer than four hours
This is CRITICAL in supplying a steady flow of nutrients to your body in order maintain the balance of your internal environment. Eating regularly reduces the glucose and insulin fluctuations that lead to overeating and eventual fat gain. In addition, a steady supply of the right nutrients for your unique biochemistry will ensure that you not only maintain optimal weight but also optimal wellness and health too.
Dax’s Rule Number 8:
Drink plenty of clean, filtered water
With over 80% of the human body being made of water, it should come as no surprise to find that we need to maintain a good level of hydration in order to maintain optimal health.
Yet, if you closely examine the fluid intake of most individuals, you’ll find that most of us go through life severely dehydrated. We’ll drink tea, coffee, fizzy drinks and alcohol, but rarely will we take on clean, purified water!
The trouble is, all of these other drinks do not help with the hydration process. In fact, they serve as diuretics, causes us to process our precious internal water supplies even further.
When we become even 2-3% dehydrated we can suffer decreased health and performance. Stay dehydrated for long periods of time and you invite all types of medical problems including:
- Low back pain
- Fibromyalgia
- Ulcers
- Chronic fatigue
- Asthma
- Diabetes
- Obesity
And other conditions too numerous to mention.
The key to staying healthy, fit and well is to ensure that adequate water enters our bodies on a regular basis. A good guide for how much you should drink is 1 litre for every 50lbs of bodyweight, so if you weigh 140lbs we’re talking 3litres. If you’re in hot climates or exercise a lot you’ll need to drink more.
It’s not just about quantity though. Another thing to take into account is the quality of the water you drink. Due to high levels of chemical pollutants within our water supply, you should ALWAYS filter your water prior to drinking it. A simple Brita type of filter does the job quite well, though if you want to go a step further you can filter straight off the tap.
If you’re drinking water on the go the try to buy your water in glass bottles. There is increasing evidence that plastic bottles begin to ‘leak’ their chemicals into their water after a while, especially if it’s been exposed to heat.
Dax’s Rule Number 9: Avoid or minimise alcohol
There’s no getting away from it alcohol is a toxin! Sure, it may provide a short-term lift or a high that we grow accustomed to but nevertheless, it damages your health just the same.
As a powerful sugar, alcohol encourages rapid fat gain through excessive insulin reactions as well as more directly as an appetite stimulant.
Why else do you think we’re offered our drinks when we first enter a restaurant? Because by the time we come to order we’ll be starving and order more!
If you must drink, do so occasionally, with moderation and NEVER on an empty stomach. ALWAYS consume fats and protein with alcohol and minimise carbohydrates.
Dax’s Rule Number 10: Get out and about!
We all know that we need to get off of our fat in order to get our fat off but how many of us realise that it’s VITAL to get ourselves outdoors too?
Even if we’re eating healthily, drinking fresh water and being active by regularly exercising at the gym we still need sunlight in order to stay healthy.
In fact, lack of full spectrum light had been implicated as a major contributing factor in many chronic problems such as:
- Chronic fatigue
- Depression
- Tooth decay
- Hair loss
- Stroke
- Alcoholism
As the major provider of vitamin D, natural light is Essential to many of our biochemical reactions. Without it, many of those reactions will simply not take place, or else their effects will be greatly reduced.
The answer?
Get outdoors at least 30-40 minutes a day. Take your lunch outside, read a book or go for a walk, just get out!
So there you have it. 10 simple steps that you can take today to make your diet more effective and your life more healthy.
Now, I’m not saying they’re all easy. As creatures of habit, it’ll take many of you every last ounce of discipline to establish these new rules into your life, but make no mistake, when you do you’ll be astounded at the results!
Dax
P.S - You can download my free elimination diet at www.daxmoy-pts.co.uk/elimination.asp and join my elimination diet community at http://www.eliminationdiet.ning.com/ if you want a little helping hand getting into shape.
Both are free!
