Step #7: The Road Map for Your Best Health
Take three deep breaths. As you exhale, let everything go … let go of every thought and idea about where you are right now. Let every symptom fall away, just for this moment. Imagine that you’re a clean slate, starting fresh and new. Imagine yourself healthy, happy, and light. Remember, your body believes your mind, and with this practice, you’re creating your best health.
Your future well-being is created in each moment with every thought you think, and the good news is that you get to choose your thoughts. It may not always feel easy, though. Change can feel scary because it’s unknown territory, and your brain often fears what you don’t know.
Here’s the real secret: underneath all of the “problems” you carry around is just one belief: I am not good enough. When you believe you’re not good enough, there’s a kind of giving up that happens—a Why bother? attitude. It’s easy to assume that things won’t work out anyway.
“To create your best health, start with every thought you think and every bite you eat.”
— Louise
The truth is that you are good enough. Now, what if you truly believed that? Resting on this one belief, you could start to change every other thought that is limiting your health and happiness. Resting on this one belief, you could start to change the thoughts that are no longer serving you. And as your limiting thoughts, beliefs, and habits dissolve, your health and happiness can blossom. As Lao-tzu, the father of Taoism, once said: “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
In Taoism, an ancient philosophy about the way to live in balance with the universe, order and harmony is realized when humans align with nature.1 To align with nature, we cannot force things to happen; we must allow them. Think of a seed, for example: It starts in a dormant state, small and dry. Inside it is enough information to grow a whole plant, but it needs tender loving care to do so. A seed needs to sit in a foundation of nutrient-rich soil, with enough sunlight and water to realize its growth potential as a plant. While sciencists have studied and documented seed growth, there is still much of this process that is a mystery to them. Indeed, this mystery of growth is fascinating to us all. And it is something we can never rush or try to find a shortcut for.
One of the most fascinating things about plants is that once they grow, they become the basis for nourishment and healing for all beings on the planet. Here’s what Gary L. Wenk, a leading authority on brain health, has to say about plants in his book, Your Brain on Food: How Chemicals Control Your Thoughts and Feelings:
How is it possible that plants and humans use such similar chemicals for normal, everyday functions? Plants produce chemicals that are capable of affecting our brain because they share an evolutionary history with us on this planet. Even primitive one-celled organisms produce many of the same chemicals that are in our brains. Therefore, whether you choose to eat a bunch of broccoli or a large pile of amoeba, the chemicals they contain may alter how your neurons function and, therefore, how you feel or think.
Nature has given us everything we need to be healthy and happy. When we nourish ourselves with natural foods, we are aligning ourselves with nature and creating balance. We humans lost our way a bit when we embraced science with more zeal than we did nature. Illness and dis-ease do not happen because of some uncontrollable force. They happen because we are being invited, by our bodies, to come back to nature. To natural food that grows with the goal to nourish us all. To thoughts and beliefs that allow us, like the dormant seed, to blossom into our best selves. We are being invited to step out of practices that create stress and overwhelm, and settle into a lifestyle that gives us the nutrients we need to feel happy, energized, and strong.
In order to find a space where you have the nourishment you need to heal, you may be asked to slow down and honor your humanness—to find a pace that feels soothing and nurturing, and to eat, sleep, move, and think in ways that allow you to blossom.
If You Experience a Health Challenge, Life Is Inviting You to Love Yourself
In a society that has forgotten the healing qualities of nature, we can sometimes be swept up in stress and worry. It happens to all of us as we focus on putting food on the table, caring for our loved ones, and making ends meet. The thing is, the more we step away from nature, the more we step away from ourselves as human beings.
We begin to think and feel like we’re machines, capable of running nonstop to fulfill a to-do list, and we forget to honor ourselves. We think that if we’re human or not perfect, we’re not good enough, not worthy of love or acceptance. This is where things start to go wrong. This is where we rush through life, living and eating on the run—where we forget to love ourselves. Illness and dis-ease occur to remind us to come back to loving ourselves. Beneath all of the fears, doubts, and worry, we are encoded with the answers to blossom like the seed, if only we stop and listen.
As you learn to trust Life, love yourself, and listen to your body, you can come back into balance with what is natural for you. And you can build a life that nourishes and supports your health and happiness.
Every chapter in this book provides solutions to support you in doing this. Remember, it starts with learning to accept and love yourself. This is the rich soil in which everything can grow. From this place, you can begin to create habits that support you in blossoming.
Here is a summary of the 7 Steps to Eat, Think, and Love Yourself to Great Health:
— Step #1 is about creating a new perspective on health. Start the process of accepting and loving yourself—the mirror work and affirmations in Chapter 1 can support you in doing so. If change feels scary or uncomfortable, go back to the exercises in that chapter that focus on how to more easily move through change.
— Step #2 is about loving yourself and your body. The vision exercise at the end of Chapter 2 is a great way to create the blueprint for how you want your life and health to be. This is a powerful way to get clear about your goals and set yourself up for creating loving habits.
— Step #3 reminds you how your body works and why it needs nourishment from natural, whole foods in order to feel your best. Go back and look at why it’s important to fuel your body well, so that your blood-sugar levels are strong and you have the willpower you need to stick to your new, healthy habits. Remember that what goes in your gut affects your brain, including your moods, memory, quality of sleep, and decision making.
— Step #4 teaches you to listen to your body. Experts are fantastic, but the rubber meets the road deep inside your body. How you feel and what you’re being guided to do is just as (or more!) important as the guidance you get from others. Practice listening to your body and notice how much easier it is to trust yourself and to trust Life.
— Step #5 is about choosing thoughts and food that heal your body and mind. This is where you learn how to truly nourish yourself. Choosing healthy, whole foods may take some planning and adjustment, so give yourself the time and go at the pace that works for you. This is not about doing it all at once or becoming overwhelmed; rather, it’s about taking baby steps and trusting that each step brings beautiful rewards. The exercise at the end of Chapter 5 will support you in making these changes.
— Step #6 is about taking time to love your body with natural home remedies for any physical or emotional symptom you experience. Any change you make—be it with food or lifestyle—tends to shake things up, and symptoms may show up as you let go of what is no longer serving you. This is a natural part of any cleansing or transformation process, and it sometimes causes people to retreat back into old habits. Instead, we provide you with natural remedies to support your body through this transition and any other transition you have in the future. Remember to see symptoms as signs—a language your body uses to communicate with you. Use these signs to listen to your body and take loving actions to move in the direction that Life wants you to move. The remedies in Chapter 6 can help soothe your body as symptoms arise.
— Step #7 is about taking action to lovingly nourish your body. In the next section, you will be provided with some ideas to take one step at a time and go at your own pace. Keep in mind that small steps can bring big rewards!
Now What? Taking Action to Lovingly Nourish Your Body
We invite you to begin gently on this journey of eating healthy, whole foods. Here is an outline to help you take the next steps:
— If you’re brand-new to eating whole foods, start simply by adding one of the options below to your daily routine. It’s up to you whether you want to use that option to replace a meal, add to a meal, or eat as a snack. This simple step will allow your body and taste buds to slowly adjust to a new way of eating. (Note that all recipes for these three food options are in Chapter 10.)
— If you’re used to eating whole foods and want to dive a little deeper, but perhaps you’re busy and end up eating convenience foods more than you’d like, we have a solution for you. Chapter 10 is chock-full of meals that are fast and easy to make. Choose one new recipe and replace one of your convenience- or fast-food meals with this healthier option. Or perhaps you’re pretty good with meals, but need snack or dessert options. That’s a great place to start, too!
— If you have already jumped with both feet into a whole-foods way of eating, you may want to dive even deeper. Hooray! Again, the recipes in Chapter 10 will be very beneficial for you. Since you’re likely used to making a lot of healthy meals already, choose the ones that appeal to you and start there, or follow the sample menus we’ve provided in Chapter 9 for inspiration.
— Part II contains a sample menu; a shopping list; and recipes for meals, snacks, beverages, and desserts. Have fun with these new recipes! No matter what you’re shopping for, the Master Shopping List of foods to emphasize and those to avoid can help you at the grocery store. Make a copy of the list and take it with you, and you’ll be a label-reading wizard!
— Have fun in the kitchen! Some people love to cook—if you have friends or family members who do, invite them over to cook with you. Everyone can contribute ingredients, and you can make delicious foods that each person can take home. If you make a lot, you can store it in the freezer for easy thawing later on. Ahlea has her toddler prepare foods with her, and he loves to help! Louise, Heather, and Ahlea often organize kitchen days together or with other friends to make meals or learn new recipes. These experiences have brought great laughter, bonding, and new skills to everyone involved. Magic happens when friends gather in the kitchen.
Heather and her husband also started having culinary date nights, where they’d pick a type of food and learn to make it together. While this is a popular activity at cooking schools, you can also do this at home with free YouTube videos or other online resources. Whether you plan this with a loved one or several friends, it can be a great way to make healthy food preparation fun!
— Continue to listen to your body! Remember how wonderful it feels to have a friend or loved one just listen to you with no judgment? And how incredible it is to feel loved and accepted? You are the only one who knows what you need the most. Listen to your thoughts, and listen to your body. The more you do, the more you’ll understand what you need.
Along the way, continue to encourage yourself with mirror work and affirmations. You are tilling the soil you live in—creating a rich, fertile place so that you can blossom. This is how you love yourself. This is how you give yourself what you need to grow into your best self.
This Is Your Greatest Love Story
In this, your greatest love story, we invite you to love yourself a little more each day. That is the first place to start. Small, simple acts of love can go a long way toward creating habits that sustain your health for a lifetime.
You are not in a race with the people around you. No, this is your opportunity to write your love story your own way. To go at the pace that feels good to you. To listen to your body when it’s time to take action or when it’s time to rest. Nature teaches us to plant a seed, nourish it, and allow it to grow at its own pace, and this is what we invite you to do.
♥
We’d like to close Part I of this book with an affirmation treatment for your greatest love story. To get started, place one hand on the center of your chest and the other on your abdomen. Breathe deeply, in and out, and say the following words:
This is my love story. I only choose thoughts that create a wonderful future, and I move into it now. My heart is opening wider and wider. Love flows from and to me in ever-increasing amounts. Unconditional love and acceptance are the greatest gifts I can give and receive—and I give them to myself now. I am learning the secrets of Life. It is actually all very simple: The more I love myself, the more I feel Life loving me. The more I love myself, the healthier I am. The more I love myself, the more enjoyable my life gets.
I give myself the green light to go ahead, and I joyously embrace my new, loving habits of food and thoughts. The more I nourish myself, the more I am grateful to be alive. It is my joy and pleasure to live another wonderful day. Every person on this planet is interconnected with love, and it starts with me loving myself. I send loving thoughts to all. Love and forgiveness heals me and it heals us all. My life is balanced, and my immunity is strong. I am healthy, whole, and healed. I love Life, and Life loves me.
And so it is!
♥ ♥