Now it is a New Year and this one will be better! You’ve made the deal with yourself to improve your lifestyle – eat better, sleep more, move more (some people call it exercise, I call it fun!) and getting your Acupuncture treatments every season change; just one treatment four times a year will keep you healthy! I’ve heard the same stories all year, “How everyone in the office got sick and I didn’t” or in my family, a group on a trip, etc.; folks, this stuff works!
We also have available injections for symptoms of colds etc. that we can use for prevention; it’s with a teeny tiny needle and costs only $25. If you are a patient you can come in for one, or even better, one a month until Spring and you don’t need to get an Acupuncture treatment. Also, remember we can email you the Nutritional Questionnaire. I will be happy to sit down with you and go over the results at no charge when you come in for your treatment. Allow us to go over your list of supplements and diet at no charge when you come in for your treatment; without a treatment, we charge $25-50. There’s been some negative talk about supplements and consider the source––this is nothing new, it happens every year.
I promise you I will still attend classes and continue to learn as much as I can in Acupuncture and Nutrition to help you “Get Healthy, Be Healthy and Stay Healthy”.
A Gift to Yourself
Now that it’s finally over again and you are asking yourself, “why do I push myself so hard?”, take a look at the following ideas for recuperation:
Yes, you promised yourself you wouldn’t overeat or sample everything that passed your way these last six weeks but you did and now it’s time to “fix” your body.
The best way to start the New Year is with a “fast” of some kind. Now I’m not in favor of the traditional fast of just water for three days or something radical. You still have to get up every day and do your life. There is a simple and healthy way to do it and the house will smell good when you come home at work (at least on the first day).
Check your pantry. Make a list (see recipe below), go to the store; easy so far, right?
Get out your Crockpot (that BIG bowl that’s attached to an electric cord in the back of the cupboard–you’ll recognize it). Wash the dust out, still easy.
Dump, okay pour, two bottles of low sodium vegetable juice (red juice with green cap).
Add one package of low sodium vegetable, chicken or beef broth. Now the veggies (remember them?) colorful stuff not made with flour, sugar or fat. Frozen is great (they are actually picked at the height of their season and frozen as soon as possible, sometimes that day). If you have access to good local winter veggies and/or organic, do it! Okay, back to the frozen veggies, add whatever you like and maybe one or two you haven’t tried or don’t really care for; it’s only for three days – GROW, STRETCH, CHANGE – it’s a NEW YEAR! Kale is inexpensive, sweet tasty and loaded with wonderful nutrients needed to get you through the winter months and is easy to find at the store raw. Squash comes frozen or cubed in your fresh veggie section. Add lots of onions, all colors. Garlic, try fresh. If not, the stuff in the jar will do – lots! Canned tomatoes, high in lycopene. Green beans, carrots, spinach; raw beets with this will help the “detox” procedure. I use Oregano for the flavor and for its health benefits; it also gives this soup an “Italian” flavor. You can add more broth or juice if you have a really big crockpot. Then plug it in; six hours later your home smells sooooooo good!
You want to eat nine cups a day for three days split this up into three to six “meals”. Feel free to also eat raw or cooked veggies, too. And yes you can eat soup for breakfast. If you have trouble getting started in the morning, eat one egg cooked any way you like without butter; and no bread! Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day. You might experience a headache; drink more water or do whatever you need to do to get rid of it, napping helps if you can.
After the third day, start by adding another egg and some chicken or fish with six servings of veggies and two servings of fruit, 14 nuts or ¼ cup of sunflower seeds. Notice what’s missing? That’s right; bread, cereals, pasta, rice and anything else that has flour or grains in it.
Okay, okay where’s the coffee? If you really, really have to, have one cup in the morning. Consider trying an herbal tea. Some have caffeine not a lot, but enough to keep you from major withdrawals. NO SODA! Take your vitamins as usual.
If you can stick to this plan for three weeks you will see a big difference in your energy levels and sleep. At any time you can make another batch of soup and eat that with or without your meals.
If you are under a doctor’s orders not to eat vegetables, allergic or diabetic, by all means, follow the doctor’s orders. Nutrition is simple and involved; you can start slow and make dramatic changes in your life and the lives of your loved ones.
It’s now a New Year, a New Day and you can have a New View on life. Make it your best!
Dr. Rusty