New Year’s is a time for parties, celebrations…and resolutions. It’s the most common time of the year when I hear from people who want to change their habits and get healthy. If this is the year you want to ditch your unhealthy ways and become a Warrior for your brain health, start with your pantry. This time I would like to help you make it a life change instead of a yearly resolution.
Do a clean sweep and toss all the garbage and junk that’s been polluting your body and brain. Ditch the sweet stuff that spikes your blood sugar levels and leaves you with foggy thinking. Dump the Frankenstein foods that disrupt your hormones, slow your metabolism, and make you pack on the pounds. And trash the toxic “foodlike substances” that are linked to inflammation, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.
Here’s a partial list of what to toss:
- Processed foods that contain high-fructose corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, hydrogenated oils, and trans fats
- Vegetable oils (corn, safflower, canola, and soy)
- Fruit juice (even the 100% fruit kind)
- GMO foods
- Milk and dairy products
- Cookies, cakes, candies, and other sweets
- Condiments (ketchup, BBQ sauce, soy sauce, and mustard—unless it’s gluten-free and sugar-free)
- Jams, jellies, and syrup
Stock up on these Brain Warrior basics (organic and fresh whenever possible):
- Vegetables
- Small amounts of fruit
- Fish (wild salmon, tuna, and herring)
- Lean beef, chicken, turkey, and lamb
- Eggs
- Coconut wraps, zucchini wraps, and other bread replacements
- Raw, unsalted seeds and nuts
- Fresh and dried herbs and spices
- Healthy oils (coconut, almond, macadamia nut, olive)
Find a full list of what to toss and what to stock in The Brain Warrior’s Way Cookbookand look for free Brain Warrior recipes on this website. Also, read The Brain Warrior’s Way as part of your Life Change Plan. It will help you develop a strategy to change the way you think about your health forever!
