Dear Friends,

If you think you will lose weight by not eating, or skipping meals, you are fooling yourself. Everybody wants to lose weight but actually doing it falls by the wayside. It’s your husband’s fault for wanting to eat the wrong foods, your teenager who wants to eat fast food, no time to cook , too busy working,or ” I don’t know what to eat” or “I’ll just eat a salad”-I get the confusion. With a culture so primed for immediate results, it can be frustrating and even daunting. However, the truth is that the daily deposits of self-care, the process of right thinking and doing, are what will bring results.
The science behind inflammation and its relationship to all major diseases is sound. Metabolic health, lowered inflammation, gut health, good sleep, exercise, stress-reducing habits like meditation, tai chi, Qi Gong, yoga, breathing, are all the ingredients for vitality.
As we approach the New Year let’s approach this with the right mindset- daily habits that will lead to results.

Here are several easy ones you can adapt into your lifestyle. It used to be that genetics determined disease outcome, but now it’s ” lifestyle,” and 95 % says the Mayo Clinic. That means you have control of the outcome.

1. Chew your food very slowly. Studies have shown that eating food slowly can help mitigate inflammation. Chew til the food is like mushed baby food. Hard to do with a phone at the table, eating in a car, or standing up ( a death wish, my teacher used to say).
2. Eliminate white flour- white bread, white rice, white pasta , wheat. These are called ” simple carbs” which will spike your glucose. Replace with complex carbs that are whole grain, such as quinoa, millet, and brown rice. Simple carbs convert to sugar, which is stored in your body as fat.
3. Don’t eat after the sun goes down. The ancient Ayurvedic texts promoted intermittent fasting by saying to eat your largest meal at lunch and have a lighter dinner by 6 pm, so you’re not trying to digest a heavy meal at night.
4. Aim for a balanced meal of 30% protein, 40% carbs, and 30% fats. This formula comes from sound nutritional advice and research. The way to calculate this is to use an app like Cronometer. Yes, you’ll have to track your food and calories, but guess what? I found most women don’t eat enough, including myself. Amazing what you discover when you see the numbers. I lost 15 pounds over one year with this method, and now I don’t need to track.It makes a huge difference whn you are honestly seeing what you eat daily.
5. In the book ” Waking the Warrior Goddess” by Dr. Christine Horner ( breast cancer surgeon), she promotes a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and “adequate” protein!
   Having five servings of fruits and vegetables a day will easily “detox” your body. Fiber is key for cleansing. We just don’t get enough of it, she says.
6. With the holidays approaching, do the ” three bite” process. If you want to eat a rich dessert, aim for three bites. Maybe even ” before the meal’ as Ayurveda suggests, so you get the sweet taste out of the way. It’s actually satiating and comforting this way.
7. Aim for at least thirty minutes of exercise daily. A daily walk is perfect as well as including some resistance training into your regime- bands, weights, squats.

Remember there is NO fad diet, including keto, that is long-lasting. It’s daily self care, patience, consistency, portion size, colorful foods that will ultimately be antiaging. Eating what grows and eliminating ultraprocessed foods like bars, chips, crackers, and processed cheeses is key to an antiinflammatory lifestyle.

here’s a simple detox tea recipe to drink daily- 2-3 cups
Cumin seeds,
Coriander seeds
Fennel seeds

Mix equal amounts 1/2 tsp each in 1-2 cups boiling water. boil for about five minutes then strain.
This tea reduces bloating, aids digestion, supports detoxification.

You may also want to include 2-3 cups of green tea daily as it has chemicals in it that support fat loss.

If you didn’t fulfill your weight loss goal in 2025 it’s not because you failed but from my perspective having the right mindset about food, enjoying your meals and keeping good company is paramount to a healthy lifestyle.