A Simple Guide to Resetting Your Health
- Bret McClellan
- Nov 13, 2016
- 6 min read
The most common question we get asked goes something like this: "I have [these symptoms] and have been diagnosed with [these conditions]. Can you help?" Yes, we can. And while everyone is a unique individual with differing genetics and health issues, we all have some baseline problems in common. The purpose of this blog post is to provide a simple, easy guide to those of you who are unfamiliar with the basics of reclaiming your health naturally. With this guide, you'll be able to quickly reset your immune system, forming a solid foundation of basic health. You'll start noticing improvement almost immediately, and once you've gone through the full reset period (about 21 to 30 days), we'll be able to further adjust your individual recommendations and move you towards a state of optimal health. Let's get started!
This guide is written in order of priority, but ALL recommendations are necessary to begin (and complete) your reset. If need be, you can start with point #1 and work day-by-day towards completion. However, you will notice more immediate improvement if you implement all of these baseline recommendations as soon as possible:
Eliminate all grains, and grain-containing products, from your diet. This is probably the hardest part of your reset, since most products in the standard modern diet contain grains. Go through your fridge and pantry, and either throw away or donate all foods that contain grains. This is the most important part of your reset. Why? Because grains contain lectins, which compromise gut health, and your gut is the very foundation of your immune system.
Eliminate all legumes from your diet. This part is not quite as difficult, but just as important, since legumes also contain lectins, plus they have saponins, which are anti-nutrients that promote inflammation and prevent your body from absorbing nutrients.
Avoid all dairy products. Don't worry - if you have a particular proclivity for cheese and ice cream (like me), or milk, we can handle it after the reset period. For the short term, however, you need to remove all dairy-containing products from your diet. Why? Because unless you have mainly northern European ancestry, you're likely lactose intolerant to some degree, and we need to eliminate all sources of potential problems during your reset. Plus, most dairy foods contain casein, a protein that acts similarly to lectins, compromising gut health.
Remove all industrialized vegetable oils from your diet. Like grains, these vegetable oils (canola, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, etc.) are ubiquitous in standard modern diets, so be sure to look at the ingredients of your foods. Why? Because these oils are extremely high in omega 6 fats, which can cause inflammation - the root of all evil. Stick with natural oils like coconut, avocado, macadamia nut, and butter for cooking. Even bacon fat is healthier for you than vegetable oils!
Reduce your carbohydrate intake to 150 grams or less per day. This means reducing your sugar intake, especially processed or pure, refined sugars. This is the only step in the process that requires tracking. Make sure to avoid foods and drinks with high sugar content (sodas, candy, etc.) and review or look up the carb content of the foods you typically eat. Stash your scale in the closet, and just track carbs. It's that simple!
Ok, so we've established what NOT to eat, during your initial "Reset" period. Implement the above 5 points (all together, mind you...) for a period of at least 21 days (I typically recommend 30). I know it sounds tough, but after your first week, it becomes MUCH easier as you get used to it. Now I'll recommend the following 6 additions to your new healthy lifestyle. These are to be implemented during your Reset, and likely thereafter.
Prebiotics and Probiotics: As mentioned above, your gut health is the very foundation of your immune system. Without a healthy digestive tract, your immune system does not function properly, and you become prone to illness. With the proper gut flora, you boost the effectiveness of your immune system and increase your odds of fighting off potential invaders. First, you need to establish a healthy environment for your gut microorganisms to thrive. We use and recommend Prescript-Assist daily for this purpose. Think of your digestive tract like a garden, and Prescript-Assist (or another reputable soil-based prebiotic/probiotic) is the nutrient-rich topsoil. Then, you need to plant the seeds for good bacteria to grow and flourish within that soil. The "seeds" are reputable probiotics like Primal Probiotics, which we also use daily and recommend to our clients. Improving your gut flora is perhaps the very most important supplementary recommendation that we can make for boosting your immune system.
Vitamin D/K2: Unless you get an adequate amount of sun daily, you're likely vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D's benefits to your health are too numerous to count in this post, so I'm providing a great link here. Also, vitamin K2 is probably the most underappreciated vitamin relating to your health. It's benefits are likewise too numerous to count, so you can read up on it in that same link. For just the vitamin D, we prefer the D3 variety offered in our store, or you can purchase the combination D3/K2 easily from other very reputable sources, just make sure the variety you choose is liposomal, since that will enhance your body's absorption of the vitamins.
Fish oil: With respect to Item #4 in the prior section above, omega 6 fats are a food epidemic in the standard modern diet. Too much omega 6, or too little balancing omega 3 (anti-inflammatory) fats, can cause an inflammatory response in your body. Balance out your omega 6 intake with an equivalent amount (about 1 to 3 grams per day) of a high quality, liposomal fish or krill oil. We prefer the Primal Omegas brand, but you can contact us for other recommended products as well, if those don't suit your fancy.
Magnesium: Unless you eat a lot of seafood, you're probably magnesium deficient. Magnesium is an essential element in your road to health, as it plays a very important role in over 300 metabolic processes in your body! We prefer the magnesium glycinate from Douglas Labs, but whichever product you choose, make sure to get a chelated version, which is more readily absorbed by your body.
Vitamin C: Here's an easy one to incorporate into your daily regimen. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant with many other protective benefits, and is therefore essential for good health. Virtually any reputable brand of vitamin C will be a welcome addition to your immune system.
Exercise: I don't believe this needs much explanation, as we all know that a good exercise program is a very well established health promoting tool everyone should have in their kit. It sounds easy enough, but please do not try to develop your own workout regimen on your own, unless you've been properly trained, or have at least contacted a professional. It's very easy to overdo it, causing chronic inflammation and even injury. Read one of my prior blog posts for some general recommendations, and contact us if you desire more individualized coaching.
The beautiful thing about the above 6 points is that none of the recommendations come with a big price tag. You can purchase the products we recommend or do your own experimentation (of course, with other reputable products) very inexpensively. So, contrary to visiting your doctor constantly, maximizing your health can be accomplished with minimal cost!
So, there you have it! Eleven key points to kick-starting your new, healthy life, naturally! It is from this baseline of health that we establish your existing conditions. The above points may not alleviate your symptoms entirely, but we have seen improvement of symptoms across the board with our clientele. Your body WANTS to achieve a state of optimal health, and implementation of the above points helps to eliminate the most common culprits, narrowing down the potential root causes of your conditions. Most of our clients require further recommendations to alleviate their maladies, and we specialize in generating highly individualized plans for additional, entirely natural lifestyle tweaks to improve your health and happiness. Don't settle for the usual 7-minute doctor visit followed by a prescription! We will give you as much time as you need to help you reclaim your health, naturally! Contact us now for your free initial consultation!
Bret McClellan
Certified Primal Health Coach #239
McClellan Natural Health, Wellness & Nutrition
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