As a homeschooling parent, I know the importance of the 3 R’s – Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. But as a naturopath, I also realize that a well-rounded education is not just the academics. My children need to understand how their physical health will affect every other area of their life. We as parents need to be showing our children by example the importance of our health. If it is not important to us, it won’t be to our children. We are here to serve God; and without our health, it becomes very difficult. Below are 10 easy steps that will help you get started on a healthier lifestyle. Start today and your whole family WILL reap the benefits!

1. Eat Only When Hungry
Needing to eat and wanting to eat are two very different things. I want to eat all the time, but I actually need to eat about 3 times per day. When I feel the NEED for a chocolate covered doughnut. It’s not a need, it’s a want. : ) True hunger is a physical need for refueling. In true hunger, the vegetables and fruits will look and taste wonderful. Green beans may not be my children’s favorite food, but they will eat them if they are truly hungry.

2. Stop When You Are Full
We as a nation are guilty of two major crimes when it comes to healthy eating: a.. beginning to eat when not hungry b.. continuing to eat beyond fullness. It actually takes very little to feel full. Especially when you are eating live, whole food. Raw food is loaded with enzymes, vitamins and minerals. When you eat the whole food, the appetite shuts down very quickly. Learn to leave the table satisfied, not stuffed. Start listening to your body when you eat. Take a bite and put down your fork. Swallow. listen – ask yourself, ?Am I full?? Start concentrating on what full really feels like. The taste, smell, and feel of food will be very satisfying if you will do this.

3. Choose Whole Foods Often.
You can tell a whole food because it has only one ingredient—itself! It appears in nature just as it is. God made whole foods. People make partial foods, processed foods, devitalized foods, etc. A mere ?part? of a whole food is not truly a whole food. One example is sugar. Sugar cane and sugar beets are whole foods. The refined granulated white or brown sugar derived from them is definitely not whole. A fresh vegetable salad, on the other hand, is made from a combination of whole foods.

4. Limit Dead Food
This includes cooked foods, canned foods, and processed foods. If you must process the food in any way, you have destroyed most of the enzymes. Enzymes are necessary for chemical reactions in the body and many vitamins are destroyed during heating, milling, refining, etc. Cooked foods provide bulk and satisfaction, but they should be limited for health.

5. Eat Raw Foods At Every Meal
True health will never be achieved without raw, live foods. The body needs the living foods to survive in health. Raw foods have the necessary nutrients and enzymes to support your body in the healthiest way possible. It makes sense that live organisms need live foods.

6. Choose High Fiber Foods Often
There are two kinds of fiber: soluble and insoluble. Soluble fiber is found in foods like fruits and beans. Bran, the outer layer of grain,is a good source of insoluble fiber. We need both for good health. Fiber is essential for good colon health. If you frequently experience constipation, it could be that you need to drink a more water and include high-fiber foods in your diet.

7. Choose 1-3 Items Per Meal
Choosing fewer items means larger portions of the items you do choose. In addition to all this, the fewer kinds of food you eat at one time, the easier it is for your body to digest it.

8. Chew Food Thoroughly
The better you chew your food, the easier it is for the rest of your digestive system to do its job. Your food should be almost a liquid in your mouth before you swallow. Remember, you are NOT what you eat; you are what you absorb.

9. Eat Fruit Alone
Fresh raw fruits make a good breakfast and snack. Allow 2 hours after eating other foods before eating fruit, or wait 20 minutes after eating fruit before consuming other foods. You will digest those fruits much better by not combining them with other foods.

10. Decide What You Will Eat
YOU and your accumulated wisdom, not your body, should decide what you will eat. Desires can be somewhat determined by choices. The more I consistently choose to eat natural, whole foods, the more I like these foods. When I get off track and go back to that SAD diet. I start to crave the wrong foods. We must be willing to make good choices and sometimes say NO to what we want and yes to what we need. Choose wisely and watch your health flourish!
Cyndi Thomas owns the School of Natural Health. She is a homeschooling mom of seven and naturopath. Her school offers a comprehensive science/nutrition course on CD-ROM for high school level students. You can visit her site at: http://www.schoolofhealth.com or you can contact her at: cyndi@schoolofhealth.com The school also offers a free newsletter, BNHealth. Offering information on natural health, weight loss, and nutrition. Come by and sign up today!