Vegetables: All vegetables-fresh, steamed, or frozen (including sea vegetables). At least 4, preferably 6, servings per day.

Legumes: All beans, peas, and lentils

Fruit: Fresh, frozen, fresh juiced, water packed in own juice (unsweetened). Consume organic fruits. At least 3 servings per day.

Grains: Whole rice, quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, teff, millet, and oats

Low-Fat Meat, Fish, and Poultry: Consume hormone-free, mercury-free, and heavy metal-free organic meats when possible. Chicken, turkey (rarely), lamb, salmon, cod, halibut, mackerel, trout, tuna (fresh or water packed), orange roughy, and other cold water fish. Eat a serving only the size of your palm per day.

Eggs: Egg replacer (potato starch), arrowroot starch, and tapioca

Nuts/Seeds: Almonds, filberts, cashews, walnuts, pecans, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, undyed pistachios. Nut/seed butters made from above nuts/seeds.

Dairy: Rice milk (calcium and Vit. D fortified), soy milk (calcium and Vit. D fortified), almond or cashew milk

Fats: Organic cold processed oils such as olive, flax, walnut, pumpkin, sesame, hempnut, and fish oils

Fluids: Plenty of filtered or fresh non-chlorinated, non-fluoridated, pure water, herbal teas, fresh vegetable juices

Seasonings: Celtic sea salt, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, MSG-free soy sauce, umeboshi vinegar

Fruits: All citrus fruits (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, tangerine), fruit drinks, ades, cocktails, strawberries. Sulfites.

Meats: Beef, processed meats (bologna, sausage, canned meats, hot dogs)

Eggs: Eggs, eggsubstitute (egg white), mayonnaise

Nuts/Seeds: Peanuts, peanut butter, red (dyed) pistachios

Dairy: All dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, cream, non-dairy creamers, cottage cheese)

Fats: Margarine, shortening, butter, canola oil, refined oils, salad dressings, and spreads. Avoid any food with transfats, hydrogenated, or partially hydrogenated fats.

Fluids: Coffee,black/green tea, cocoa, postum, alcohol, soda pop, citrus drinks, sweetened beverages, milk, distilled water

Sweeteners: White sugar, brown sugar, turbinado sugar, honey, maple syrup, fructose, corn syrup

Seasonings: Refined table salt, white vinegar, MSG

Water and More Water!!

Chemically Water is comprised of Hydrogen and Oxygen and is essential for human life (obviously). All human Cells are comprised of 75% to 85% Water. Your total body weight should be in the neighborhood of 70% water. Not coffee, not soda, not tea or anything else you crave or even simply love! If your body is less than 70% water, you have a problem, or should I say you eventually will have a problem!

The right water in the right amounts can change your life and the lack thereof can and will do the same, but in the wrong direction.

So here goes...

2% dehydration at the cellular level can result in 20% loss of energy. So many people are looking for something to give them more energy, more endurance and yet typically the very thing they need is the thing they go for last! It's so easy to go for the quick boost of caffeine and sugar and yet, those are the things that will dehydrate you even more!

99% of all chemical reactions in your body are facilitated by water. You are a chemical factory whether you realize it or not! Your body has to talk to itself! Don't shut communication down by not putting the right fuel in the tank!

The rule of thumb is this - drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day! If you weigh 200 pounds, drink 100 ounces of water per day!

I heard someone say a long time ago! If you spend your time doing the do's, you won't have time to do the don'ts. I have found over and over, if you are drinking the right amount of water throughout the day, cravings for the other liquids just disappear! And so will your waste line! Yee Haa...

And just so you know what you might be doing to yourself by not drinking enough water, I'm going to list a few of the harmful side effects of H2O deficiency!

Continued water deficiency is a contributing factor in some cases of Hypertension. Water or lack thereof can be the root cause of constipation and water can alleviate Constipation (drink a glass of warm Water first thing in the morning).

Water irrigates and cleanses the Kidneys and acts as a carrier vehicle for the Kidneys' excretion of Toxins from the body. So if you feel and smell like a toxic waster dump, maybe you are, drink more water!

Kidney Stones are said to be preventable by drinking sufficient Water (enough to produce 2 - 3 quarts of urine per day). Water is also the vehicle for the elimination of excessive Uric Acid from the body. So if you have gout, arthritis or anything in that arena, drink water, it can only help!

High consumption of Water decreases the risk of Colon Cancer. Remember, disease is opportunistic, don't give it opportunity, drink water!

Drinking 6-8 glasses of Water per day is said to alleviate Psoriasis and general health of the skin! In fact, water enhances the elasticity of the skin and therefore wards off the formation of wrinkles! (All women dashing out for gallons and gallons and gallons of water, and I'm at the front of the line)

Ya know, I am only scratching the surface in my efforts to show you the value of drinking water! It's health lesson #1...

It is truly everything from decreasing cravings to reducing your waste line to increasing your health!