Paleo, Mediterranean, DASH, Blood Type, HCG, Atkins, Vegan, Raw, Master Cleanse, Water Fasting...

Certainly they all have benefits and apply to specific populations, but life doesn't have to be so hard!

In naturopathic medicine our first goal is to 'remove barriers to health' by teaching patients to address all aspects of one's life and, diet is typically one of the biggest barriers.  I think the most successful approach to seeing a real change in eating habits is to provide them a template rather than stringent rules.

Here are some simple tools to a healthy life:

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables

Eat Whole Foods (nothing extra added to the food)

Eliminate Highly Processed Foods (this includes sodas, candy,fast food, and chips)

Drinks LOTS of water

Increase your protein intake (includes Spirulina, Organic Grass Fed Meat, Wild Fish) and decrease your grain consumption.

Exercise for at least 30 minutes a day.

Sweat! this is the best way to detoxify your body.

Listen to your body ( Do you feel better or worse after eating something?)

Do your best but don't strive for perfection.

"Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced everyday..." Jim Rohn