Final Week + Food Re-Introduction
Complete “Re-Introduction Food Log” handout
Finish “Track Your Progress” handout
Re-introducing Foods
By eliminating highly allergenic, addictive foods for 21 days, your body has reset, your inflammation is down, and your cravings have subsided. You have a clean slate. With this clean slate, you will be able to identify clearly what foods are inflammatory to you.
At this juncture, you can re-introduce foods one-by-one to test your body’s tolerance. If you did not eliminate certain foods for the whole 3 weeks, you may want to consider adding another week on to be sure your body have reset.
You may have an idea of what food(s) have caused inflammation for you leading to minor aliments or possibly contributing to serious health issues. It’s best to introduce the least inflammatory foods first. So, if you suspect dairy to gluten, consider introducing corn first.
Guidelines for Re-introducing Foods:
Re-introduce one eliminated food at a time. Wait at least 4 daysbefore reintroducing another food. Op timally wait 1 week. ( See the My Introduction Food Log)
Eat 1-3 normal servings of the food that day. Repeat the next day if you are unsure about the reactio.
When re-introducing a new food, notice the following:
How do you feel immedieately after eating?
How do you sleep that night?
How do you feel the next morning?
How are your bowel movements the next morning?
How are your emotions?
How doesyour skin look?
Identifying Your Food Sensitivities / Allergies
Any reaction is an indication that this food is inflammatory or problematic for you - either you are intolerant or you may be allergic
Consider eliminating that food permanently, limiting your consumption or rotating it in and out of your diet: by doing so you will have less daily inflammation leading to a lifetime of less disease and aliments
Re-introducing Caffeine, Sugar & Alcohol
Re-introduce if you would like
It will be more evident how these foods affect you now that they have been excluded for a period of time
Overall, respect that these foods are addictive and ultimately should be used in strict moderation
Caffeine + alcohol: 1-2 servings a day or less
Sugar: <25-45 grams a day
Moving Forward, Here Are Some Pointers!
Don’t try too hard - if a meal isn’t perfect, it’s OK.
Continue to build your cooking muscles. Cooking + eating at home will assure you are in control of what you eat. In time, this will become a habit/daily practice that you can pass on to your family.
First and for most, strive to eat CLEAN 80% of the time. Choose fresh food, avoiding antibiotics, hormones, and preservatives when possible.
Don’t forget the fat + protein when you eat. Keep your sugar low + other carbohydrates to 10-30% of total calories. You will have to experiment to see what ratios make you feel well.
Don’t Neglect The Fundamentals
Sleep
Adequate sleep will make everything else in your body work better. If you need more sleep, go to bed earlier instead of sleeping in. If you are having trouble sleeping, address this as a priority.
Move your body
If you don’t have a dog, pretend you do! Don’t sit for more than 20 minutes at a time.
Address your STRESS
Unaddressed stress will sabotage all of your goals, interfering with your emotional state, cause cravings, as well as your ability to lose weight and stay on track. Striving for a balance of work, rest, sleep, and play is a good strategy. (Don’t forget play!)
Have Your Hormones Tested Annually
Vitamin D: vital for heart, immune, and emotional health (yes, this is a hormone and not a vitamin). I strongly recommend everyone have their Vitamin D levels checked. Strive for optimal levels between 40-60. Ask your doctor for a copy of the results.
Cortisol: this is your stress hormone. If it is too high or too low, this will interfere with attempts for weight loss, ability to fall + stay asleep, as well as continue to cause dangerous inflammation in your body.
Sex hormones: i.e. Estrogen, testosterone, DHEA, etc. Abnormal levels can interfere with attempts to lose weight as well as cause poor energy + many undesirable symptoms like anxiety, heart palpitations, night sweats, and low sex drive.
Thyroid: crucial for all metabolic processes. Most physicians do not test adequately, therefore you may have been told your thyroid is fine when infant it is functioning sub-optimally. Ask for a full thyroid panel including TSH, T3, and T4 levels + antibodies. Strive for optimal test results: TSH: 3-2 or less, NOT what is on the lab requisition (.504.5). If you have symptoms of a low functioning thyroid, consider having a Functional/Integrative practitioner interpret your results.
Insulin: the hormone that is released when you eat carbohydrates (sugar + grains). It is vital for utilization of glucose for energy, but if too high, will lead to insulin resistance causing inflammation, low energy, and fat storage. Have this checked with blood sugar each year.
Thank you for participating in the 21-Day Challenge. For additional support and guidance contact: Kim Hemminger; R.N., B.S.N., Functional Health and Nutrition Counselor, Health & Wellness Manager of Wellness Works For You
makingwellnesswork.com
makingwellnesswork@gmail.com
(330) 714- 2465
As a participant in this challenge, I am available to you by email or phone for the next month, for guidance with your goals and making the changes you would like for yourself.
If you would like to arrange a health coaching session in person or via Zoom beyond a month, please visit this link on my website for pricing on sessions.
Lasting Healthy Change Is About Creating Sustainable Habits
Developing new habits is a process of small changes building on one another. Don’t worry about making huge changes. Set small goals and practice them until they are habits. With consistency, you will see the big changes in time. I promise.
Celebrate all the little changes that have become habits and continue to build on them.
Have an “add mentality”: always adding healthy foods to crowd out the problematic foods. Don’t focus on what you cannot have, but on what you can have!
