8 Tips to Improve Your Diet

by JB Berns, author of DO IT OR AGE QUICKLY: 60-Second Practices to Live Better, Stronger, and Longer

These simple rules will help shed excess weight, aid digestion, and improve nutrient absorption:

When you wake up, have a glass of warm water with half of a lemon. Lemons are great detoxifiers, rich in vitamin C (so they boost your immune system), aid in digestion, and benefit the gastrointestinal tract. It’s a great way to start the day!

No white flour or foods from sealed cans. Fresh foods are much healthier for you and will give you more energy. Stay away from white flour foods such as donuts and other sweets. Eat natural unprocessed foods like fruit, vegetables, and unsalted nuts.

Before swallowing, chew your solids until they become liquid. Digestion begins in the mouth. By chewing foods well your digestion and assimilation of nutrients should improve. As Ghandi said, “Drink your food and chew your beverages.” In other words, chew until your food is liquefied and drink liquids as slowly as solid food. This applies especially to carbohydrates, which require contact with the alkaline ptyalin enzyme in saliva to begin proper digestion. This also allows the sensation of fullness to develop so you won’t overeat.

Try not to drink liquids during meals. Drinking liquids during your meals does not allow you to chew your food thoroughly and may wash down nutrients prematurely. When you eat a starchy food, for example, if you don’t allow the enzyme ptyalin in your saliva to do its work, digestion will not begin properly.

Eat sparingly to live a long, healthy life. Taoist principles teach that you should only eat until you are 70 to 80% full. The human body is not designed to handle large quantities and the complex combinations of the modern diet. Numerous studies have suggested that calorie restriction (without restricting nutrition) may elongate one’s lifespan.

Eat like a king for breakfast, a queen for lunch, and a prince for dinner. Minimize your intake at meals as the day proceeds. A classic pattern of the overweight is to do the opposite: to eat very little during the day and then binge in the evening (because they’re so ravenously hungry!) Having a large dinner before bed will not allow for good rest and enough time for proper digestion.

Avoid extreme hot and cold temperatures in food and beverages. This can irritate the lining of your tender digestive tract and disrupt efficient digestion.

Try not to consume food three hours before bed. You’ll get a better night’s rest on an empty stomach rather than a full belly.

JB Berns was declared one of the top ten personal trainers in America by Fitness Magazine. Consumer Reports named his low-impact Urban Rebounder one of the 100 top products – there’s over a million in homes and gyms across the country! With a belief that any person at any age can look and feel invincible, Berns offers fitness training instruction and an extensive collection of workout videos including The Perfect Martial Arts Workout. He is currently working on custom routines with Mary J. Blige and LL Cool J!

Chic Galleria is pleased to be giving away a copy of DO IT OR AGE QUICKLY to one (1) lucky Chic Galleria reader. Just leave a comment on this article and have you tried any of these ideas? The winner will be chosen at random from those who leave a comment and the winner will be announced February 24, 2010.

Congratulations Becky!