How Do I Chose What to Drop and Add?

The idea behind Drop/Add is to assist you along the path of health.

The end goal is not to drop every single category in the Drop List, but for you to learn more about how your body reacts to certain toxins and food groups, and thus, be able to drop and add the best thing for your body.

The choice of what to Drop/Add is up to you. If you need some guidence, read on!

Drop

Drop soda first. Really. Soda is anti-health in liquid form. No matter what your goal - More energy, lose weight, healthy teeth, get a girlfriend, run a marathon, be the next American Ninja Warrior - the first step is to drop soda. Drinking soda more than once every few months is too much. If you find yourself with a soda in your hand a few times a week or more, chose to drop soda. You really can't continue on the path to health until soda has been eliminated.

If going 30 days without soda is not a challenge, consider dropping High Fructose Corn Syrup/ Artificial Dyes/Natural Flavors. It appears to be an intimidating category, but really all you have to do is read labels, avoid fast food, and make more food from scratch. If that sentence completely overwhelmed you, take a deep breath, lift up your chin, and drop High Fructose Corn Syrup/ Artificial Dyes/Natural Flavors. It will make a huge difference in your life. You can do this!

Dropping white flour is easy because it so easily replaced! Eat whole grain bread instead of white bread, brown rice instead of white rice, and whole grain tortillas instead of flour tortillas! Suddenly your world opens up: You can make recipes using quinoa, barley, steel cut oats and polenta. You realize the difference brown basmati makes in a recipe. Your calories are more filling, because whole grains are packed with are packed with protein, fiber, B vitamins, antioxidants, and trace minerals (iron, zinc, copper, and magnesium).

If you already avoid soda and processed foods, you are already miles ahead of those on the Standard American Diet. That's great! But let's keep going! You can feel so much better! Pick  meat, gluten or dairy to drop. Keep in mind you are only dropping it for 30 days to see how your body feels. If you like the changes, you can make it permanent. If you don't think the benefits are worth the changes, add it back in and drop something else. One women described how she could restrict calories, avoid processed foods, eat dark green vegetables and never indulge, but would lose weight at an excruciatingly slow pace. Once she dropped dairy, she lost weight faster and with a lot less effort.  The women she was talking to considered this, then said she was the same way, except with gluten instead of dairy. Both women had found the ideal category to drop for their unique body.

Sugar makes the biggest difference because it is in 80% of foods, The rewards make it worth it; clearer mind, more energy, and better memory just to name a few. Dropping sugar is one of the best health decisions you will ever make!

 Add

Green smoothies don't take a lot of time. They are easy to master and they taste delicious. It's a fast and tasty way to pack a lot dark green vegetables into your diet. Green Smoothies do need to be blended up to taste good (no one likes chunky pieces of kale in their smoothies!) so you do need a high-powered blender. think along the lines of Blendtech, Vitamix, Breville,  or Ninja. If you use a $20 blender from Wal-Mart you will not drink a green smoothie more than once.

Wanting more protein in your diet? Tired of feeling hungry all the time? Add dried beans.  Learning how to use dried beans will not only improve your health, but open up your recipe selection and save you money. The only equipment needed is a crockpot.

Adding vegetable centered meals will free you from your brainwashed notions about meals and open you up to more energy, clearer skin, improved immune system and overall a better way to live!

Kefir Grains are an incredible health secret. Both water kefir grains and milk kefir grains add probiotics to your diet. Probiotics are a vital part of health and can make the biggest difference when it comes to mood stability, anxiety, and overeating.

If you are looking for something super easy to add, turn to the ancient wisdom of our ancestors and add soaking.  Soaking all your grains, nuts, and beans  results in better nutrition, easy digestion, more energy and a clearer mind.

Sprouting is very simple and astonishingly good for you. It'sa simple way to connect you to with raw, living food that is bursting with nutrients.

Learning how to ferment foods will forever change the way you look and germs, sickness, and sauerkraut. The largest benefit of fermented food is probiotics; Probiotics make a big difference on the immune system, digestion, and anxiety.

Make your own sourdough starters! Did you know you can and should make bread without yeast? It's so much better for you! Pizza crusts, cinnamon rolls, breadsticks and toast all get a health boost when you make them without yeast from your own starter.