Steps to Healthier Living 4

Hi all, I am curious to know how you did with step 3, the whole grains. So if you want to take time to email me at solehaven@me.com that would be great.

Let's review.
1 - Water intake
2 - Sea Salt (Real Salt)only
3 - Whole Grains Only - This includes rice. No white rice. Whole grain rice only. There are great selections of wild rice that are whole. With the white rice they have taken the outside shell off. Which hold lots of nutrients.

So today as I am writing this I am wondering, do I give you a the big one or give you a smaller one?

Step 4

Eliminate processed sugar. Eat only fresh sugars from fruits. This one is a big one. it is one that takes time, because it takes time to take away the craving. When I did this years ago, it took me about 21 days to get through it, and feel good about it. When I did this, I allowed myself one day a year to eat whatever I wanted. Dec 31. The first year I had coke and loved it. The second year on my day, I had a SIP of a coke and it was awful. Also the sugared stuff wasn't good the second year either. So the desire does go away.

This one takes looking at the ingredients of everything. Believe me, you are addicted to white sugar. If something you like has sugar in it, find a recipe and make it fresh replacing the sugar with apple juice, or date puree. There are ways to sweeten without processed sugar.

There is sugar in LOTS of foods. What this does is moves you further away from processed foods. Processed foods have the enriched flours, and the high fructose corn syrup, and the chemicals that we don't need to be giving our bodies.

Take time on this one. I have cut out the sugars, the enriched flours, and have increased my water intake to 1 1/4 gallons a day. I also only use sea salt. You are not doing this alone. I am right here with you.

This is a 'Life Journey' to Healthy Living, enjoy it!

God's blessings,
Lynn

Hydration

How much water do I really need? We have heard for years that 8-10 glasses a water a day is right. But I ask you, 'How can that be when you have a 5'4" woman who weights 115 pounds and a 6'4" man who weights 250 lbs?'.

The rule of thumb to remember: 1/2 your body weight in ounces. That is right, you need to drink daily, half your body weight in ounces. So if you weigh 150 lbs, whether you are a man or a woman, you will need 75 ounces of water daily.

OH but wait... that is not all... IF you are a caffeine drinker you need to calculate your water intake a little differently. For every ounce of caffeine you take in, you will need to replace it with 2 of the same measurement of water. AND that water will NOT count toward your daily water intake.

Do your brain a favor... Hydrate your body well.