The 3 things I NEVER eat..

Nutrients = information. You have 37 billion chemical reactions happening within your body every second. Every single reaction requires vitamins and minerals to make it work. Magnesium, for example, regulates over 300 enzymes alone as part of these chemical reactions. The best source of vitamins and minerals, including magnesium, is the food you eat. But there’s only so much food your stomach can hold, so if you fill your plate with nutrient-poor choices, you don’t have room for nutrient-dense, medicinal, information-rich foods. If you eat crappy food you just aren’t getting the right information. Personally, there are some foods I stay away from because I know they are not good for my health. Then there are others that I enjoy here and there and take a break from at certain times throughout the year. Most people share this similarity: eating processed foods, refined sugars, junk food, or too much dairy, alcohol, or coffee makes you feel terrible. They make you fat, fatigued,bloated, bloated and have the ability to affect your genes in an unfavorable way. I avoid refined sugar, processed carbs, and conventional dairy at all costs. With coffee and alcohol, I find I can moderate them on a regular basis and then I like to abstain for a while. Here’s a deeper look at how these foods impact our health: Refined Sugars This includes cane sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, sugar alcohols, artificial sweeteners, soda, among others. Why ditch added sugars? There are over 200 names for sugar and it’s likely that every boxed and processed food in your cupboard has at least one source of sugar in it. Since sugar is highly addictive, sneaking sources of sugar into processed foods can create addiction and cravings. In addition to sugar being addictive, it can cause blood sugar imbalance, insulin resistance, weight gain, diabetes, among many other problems, and the average person is consuming 152 POUNDS of sugar each year. It’s a big problem, and it has to stop if you want to nurture your health. Processed Carbohydrates This includes grain flours, cereals, processed and boxed foods, fruit juice, foods with long ingredient lists, fake ingredients, frankenfood, junk food, breads, pastas, etc. Why ditch processed carbs? Processed carbohydrates digest rapidly, just like sugar, and can cause all the same issues I listed above. They take up space on your plate and in your belly where nutrient-dense foods could be and tend to make up the vast majority of most meals. Your body ends up lacking important instructions and nutrients—it’s like trying to interpret smoke signals on a windy day; it’s just not particularly effective communication. Dairy This includes cow’s milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. This does NOT include pasture-raised butter or ghee. Occasionally I'll try sheep or goat cheese, but I know that dairy, for the most part, does not work for me Why ditch the dairy? Cow’s milk from conventionally raised cattle contains dozens of reproductive hormones, allergenic proteins, antibiotics, chemicals, inflammatory compounds, and growth factors, some of which are known to promote cancer. The dairy council has somehow convinced us that drinking milk is the only way to ensure healthy, strong bones, but the truth is that there are many better options that have more bone-boosting nutrients than milk. Sardines, arugula, and tahini are three of my favorite foods. Not only do they contain more calcium than milk, but they also are loaded with other nutrients necessary to build strong bones, like magnesium, vitamin K, and vitamin D. Alcohol and Coffee This includes all types of alcohol and coffee, including decaf. Why ditch coffee and alcohol? Alcohol and coffee are occasionally a part of my life. However, I treat alcohol like a recreational drug. I love tequila with friends from time to time, but I don't have it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or even every week. I also love coffee, but I try to stay off of coffee for a few weeks at a time especially when I'm not sleeping well or feel very stressed out. I recommend keeping alcohol at least two hours away from bedtime and try not to drink coffee past noon. I’m not saying to give up coffee or alcohol forever, but I do advise that everyone have a few periods without coffee and alcohol every year. Any time I come back from traveling or a period of eating in a way that doesn't work well for me, I always like to do a reset. That is why I designed the Gut Health Reset Course next class is launching Jan. 6th 2020