We need to eat for pleasure, and for health. Allowing our minds to simply choose what tastes good all the time, or our emotions to rule our gut, is not the best course to take for our longevity or vitality.

I know when you are really struggling with being incredibly poorly, it’s about survival, so honoring this and trusting that as you get through each stage you can do more in the area of diet is important. Don’t beat yourself up about not doing things perfectly or not being where you want to be. Just do what you can, when you can, and allow for your ability to build on things to evolve naturally.

At my worst times, I was eating fast food and microwave meals. I was only able to rely on getting help with good diet half of the time. Now, as I’m much more able, I can do this full time, spending a lot of time, cooking, blitzing, preparing, storing and researching etc.

Here’s my list of many things that have helped me feel good so far:

• A daily or twice daily smoothie
• Thinking ahead for lunch and dinner time
• Buy a nutri-bullet or smoothie maker and powerful food processor
• Excluding all stimulants, (coffee,tea,fizzy drinks)
• Eating regular protein throughout the day, (I.e nuts at breakfast, either fish/chicken/eggs/beans & lentils at lunch and dinner)
• Drink plenty of coconut water
• Eating plenty of veg, particularly green
• Eating a small amount of fruit, always combined with nut or veg
• Excluding wheat and gluten
• Reducing carbs, (potatoes infrequently, eating brown rice and brown rice pasta, sweet potatoes, wheat & gluten free bread)
• Do morning/evening oil pulling with coconut oil, (swilling and gargling for 15 mins).
• Excluding juices, (apart from occasional home squeezed fresh orange).
• Excluding sugar, (only having it 20%).
• Making natural sugar sweet treats and storing, (goodies containing, agave, coconut bliss, date syrup etc)
• Exclude alcohol
• Eating enough good fats, (fish, nuts, butter, advocados…)
• Protein snack an hour before bed
• Eating antioxidant foods like blueberries, green leafy, cherries etc
• Avoid diary
• Correct any vitamin or mineral deficiencies
• Use bee pollen in smoothies
• Not drinking any liquid half and hr before or after eating
• Eating seeds, including chia seeds!
• Add raw, unrefined cacao to sweet treats
• Adding turmeric, ginger and garlic to foods
• Drinking plenty of herbal teas, (peppermint and green tea are my favs).
• Add vitamin c powder to smoothies
• Use hemp, almond, soya and oat milks as dairy substitutes
• Drinking plenty of water, (at least 2 litres a day).

Do share this list, this blog, with people who are facing a health crisis, along with their carers and friends who may be able to help out too. Moreover share it with anyone who wants to enjoy a healthy lifestyle.