particular way. There are certainly times when it’ s perfectly fine to feel tired, as after a vigorous hike or a football game. But when the feeling is“ this is not OK,” it’ s time to investigate. And that is the clue to accessing our body’ s information system. We can actually approach our body as if it were a computer, which works on a 0-1, on-off, or yes-no binary response range. And we can begin by using the responses we most easily identify, namely,“ ok” and“ not ok.” Very often we cannot tell what we feel, or describe it in words; but we can almost invariably tell whether it feels good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant, right or wrong. Those sets of yes / no feelings are an excellent compass by which to chart our course of action, not only with regard to food but in all areas of our lives. You can get in touch with these feelings most easily in the following manner: Relax for afew minutes with eyes closed; send a question down to your solar plexus, just as if you were beaming a sonar wave to the bottom of the ocean. The question should demand only a yes / no or an OK / not-OK answer. For example, ask yourself,“ Is this food( or diet) good for me?” not“ What should I eat?” A distinct feeling will well up:“ Yes, mmm, it’ s OK,” or“ No, wrong, no good, danger.” Regardless of how“ good” the food you want to change to is, how sensible the theory behind it, or how desperate you are, heed your gut feelings. If it doesn’ t feel right, look elsewhere, try something else. To paraphrase Pascal, the body has its reasons that reason knows nothing of.( Watch out, however: If most foods feel“ not OK,” you may be anorexic. In that case, please seek help until you find a wellrounded variety of foods that you can eat.) There is another crucial detail to keep in mind here:“ OK” feelings about food are not to be confused with“ delicious.” Ice cream may be delicious but will not necessarily evoke an“ OK” feeling. If you’ re starting on a new healing regime, you may balk at some new foods, such as seaweed or beans, yet your inner guide will probably whisper,“ OK.” * Besides the yes / no response, you may of course draw a blank: The sonar wave does not bounce back, or you cannot interpret what it means. In that case, first rephrase the question, putting some thought into it. Or ask for help, consult the experts, get a second opinion. The answers and recommendations that you get you can then subject to the same treatment:“ Is this approach OK for me?” In our quest for healing ourselves with food, only individually can each of us decide what makes us feel better and what not, and when. Listening to your inner guide, then, simply means heeding yes / no signals from your body. With just a little practice, it’ s a skill available to you and will guide you not only in what to do but also in whose advice to follow. How Fast? Next, there are two obvious ways in which to go about changing your diet: slowly or suddenly. A slow change is easy, but undramatic. You finish the old foods you still have in the cupboard or fridge and replace them with the new foods little by little. You change items in your meals one by one, stop using old favorites, add some new and strange things. Slowly, you move into a new eating style; if it’ s the right one, you love it. And because the change was gradual, there’ s a good chance that you’ ll stay with it, because you’ ve had the opportunity to adjust to the food, as well as to adapt the food to your needs. In a gradual change, health improvements are often not clearly noticed; at times they are attributed to something other than the food. Therefore, it may be handy to have an evaluation of your health and your diet both before and six months after the change. It’ s often surprising how much we can forget. A sudden, drastic change can be just what is needed in cases of extreme stuckness, so as to initiate motion. It’ s also the style that may suit some personalities best. If you are one of these, you will throw out all your old groceries in one afternoon and bring in the new ones, become very strict very quickly, and admonish all your friends and relatives to do the same. You will probably feel dramatic improvements very clearly related to the change in your food habits. The drawback here is the pendulum effect: The drastic change is a strong swing out and could easily be followed by a strong swing in. It also could be brought back gently, thereby keeping a comfortable balance; this takes some work, however. If the swing back flies free with no constraints, we have the possibility of eventual mad binges on“ forbidden” foods. The swing back could occur anywhere from a few days to a few years after the original change. The more rigid and regimented the new diet was, the more violent the swing back could be— so please be cautious. Which Way? There are many combinations and changeovers possible among the diets delineated in chapters Four and Five. Let’ s look at those switchovers that are most common and helpful. IF YOU’ VE BEEN EATING ITS GOOD TO SWITCH TO
Vegetarian Raw food( for a while) S. A. D. Fortified Natural Foods Diet( if needed) Raw foods
Macrobiotic Health-Supportive