I get this question a lot. In fact, I’m sharing some guidelines with you that I myself use.  Most of us have some guidelines that we use to help guide our menu planning and daily eating. My guidelines extend beyond food, because although we are what we eat, our wellbeing is about more than just food.  So why these guidelines?

I follow these guidelines in order to balance:

• Hormones
• Neurotransmitters
• Gut Health
  • Food allergies
  • Infections
  • Heavy metals
• Organs and Systems

You may want to follow my guidelines in order to restore the balance in your body.

 My Guidelines

1. Eat 100% organic, Non-GMO, sustainably grown fruits and vegetables whenever possible, preferably 7-9 servings a day
2. Eat wild-caught, low mercury, high selenium, non-endangered fish such as Coho, Salmon or Slipjack (avoid whale, shark, swordfish) at least 3 times a week to increase Omega 3 fat.
3. Eat 100% grass-fed, Non-GMO unprocessed beef, pork, bison and game in order to increase conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) which help build muscle and reduces fat. Avoid processed meats.
4. When eating red meat, have a green vegetable with it to mitigate the potentially toxic effects of heme (part of the extra iron in meat that is mostly good but can predispose us to cancer depending upon how it is metabolized in the gut*)
5. Eat pastured poultry no more than 2 times a week (in order to cut down on Omega 6 fat).
6. Cook with organic, cold-pressed extra virgin coconut oil, ghee, duck fat, lard from grass-fed beef and grass-fed butter (preferably raw) as much as possible. Raw grass-fed butter has the perfect 1:1 ration of omega 6 to omega 3 fatty acids. Use organic olive oil on a limited basis (to cut down on Omega 6)
7. Drink or use in a recipe at least a cup of bone broth daily.
8. Drink 3 liters of spring water per day
9. Avoid grains and pseudo-grains. Grains contain toxic lectins that are associated with many diseases, not just autoimmune diseases, because they cause leaky gut. When it comes to healing a leaky gut, avoiding gluten is key.
   1. Grains to Avoid: Barley, corn, fonio, job, joborn, kamut, millet oats, rice, rye, sorghum, spelt, teff, triticale, wheat (all varieties including einkorn, durum, and semolina) and wild rice
   2. Pseudo-grains to Avoid: Amaranth, buckwheat, chia, quinoa
10. In addition to avoiding these grains and pseudo-grains, there are a number of other foods to avoid:
    1. High glycemic or simple carbs
    2. Sugar and artificial sweeteners (except Xylitol, coconut crystals/sugar or Norbu sugar)
    3. Mass-produced vegetable oils
    4. Processed proteins including deli meats and overheated products such as pasteurized dairy
    5. Lactose
    6. Unsafe additives and chemicals
    7. Alcohol
    8. Foods for which you have developed sensitivity or an allergy
    9. Soy based products
11. Get regular exercise that combines
12. Weight-bearing activities for muscle development, bone health and raising metabolic rate, 3 to 4 times/week
13. Low Intensity Sustained Training (LIST) if you want to improve cognitive functioning (no more than 30 minutes) 1 to 2 times/week
14. High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to lose or maintain ideal weight. No more than 20 minutes, 3 to 4 times/week.
15. Get plenty of rest. Do not use electronics in bed. Charge your phone in another room. Do not work in your bed. The bed should be for resting and sleeping. Sleep in a dark room. Cover any LED lights or get them out of your bedroom. Try to go to bed as much before midnight as possible (8 or 9 p.m.) and rise with the sun (5 or 6 a.m.)   As soon as you get up, expose yourself to bright light. It will help you fall asleep that night.
16. Relax
17. Practice some form of meditation or attend a religious service regularly
18. Take yoga classes or long leisurely walks
19. Laugh, a lot. If you need help, watch funny movies, go see a comedian or hang out with a little kid and do the things that they like to do.
20. Avoid Heavy metals:
    1. Mercury – Amalgams used by dentists and vaccinations are the most common sources
    2. Aluminum has been shown to be a neurotoxin leading to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s—sources include aluminum cookware, deodorants, antacids, and baking powder
    3. Cadmium can cause kidney damage. The main source is Teflon, some seafood, and cigarette smoke.

Finally, keep your teeth clean!  It is amazing how important clean teeth are to our overall health. Poor dental hygiene has been associated with heart attack, meningitis and many other seemingly unrelated conditions. I recommend flossing with a water pik and adding hydrogen peroxide to the water (do not use mouth wash, most of them have crap in them), using an electric toothbrush twice a day and swishing with coconut oil at least once a weak.

Happy Eating!

-Dr. Norton

#GetSunEatCleanBeWell

Dr. J. Renae Norton is a clinical psychologist, specializing in the outpatient treatment of eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder (BED), as well as obesity.

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Medical Advice Disclaimer: The information included on this site is for educational purposes only. It is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. The reader should always consult his or her healthcare provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for their own situation or if they have any questions regarding a medical condition or treatment plan. Reading the information on this website does not create a physician-patient relationship. This information is not necessarily the position of Dr. J. Renae Norton or The Norton Center for Eating Disorders and Obesity.

©2017, Dr. J. Renae Norton. This information is intellectual property of Dr. J. Renae Norton. Reproduction and distribution for educational purposes is permissible. Please credit ‘© 2017, Dr. J. Renae Norton. http://www.eatingdisorderpro.com/