Diets Don't Work, but this did for me!

Tweet

Eating has always been one of my passions as far back as I can remember. I come from a family of fantastic cooks, so food has always played an important role in my life. I encountered some health problems a couple of years ago, and since I'm allergic to most medications, I had to find another solution--one which didn't include loading up on vitamins whose names I can't pronounce. I began changing the foods I ate in relation to my specific health problems. First came the gradual elimination of all the foods known to precipitate and/or worsen my condition. I started with wheat and dairy products which are known allergens for people with arthritis. Each food removed from my diet had a significant impact because of all of the food products I had been consuming that contained them. I spent many hours in supermarkets reading each and every label. Next I had to eliminate most saturated fats because of another health issue, but I replaced them with the "good fats". Fortunately I was never too fond of meat and now eat it only once or twice a month. I prefer fish, and occasionally chicken. I have always loved fruits and vegetables, so I increased my consumption of them to help balance out my diet. I also eat only a minimal amount of starchy vegetables. In addition, I increased the use of spices that have been known to have anti-inflamatory properties, specifically ginger and turmeric. Just making these small changes, and without dieting, over a period of twelve months or less, I lost a total of 35 pounds. Health problems will always be a part of our lives, but the changes I made have significantly improved the quality of mine. A couple of things helped make my dietary changes easier to tolerate. One was the purchase of some raw food cook books. Sounds gross, but it doesn't involve taking a bite out of anything live at dinner time. Actually I found some extremely delicious recipies in them. The other is an occasional day of spontaneous eating. I do this at least once or twice a month and it has no impact on either my health or my weight.