Diet Change takes time to have an effect. One study found a 50% improvement took between 4 and 16 weeks of starting the Rotation Diet: “At 16 weeks, patents reported a 50% decline in symptom severity for 5 of the 6 symptom categories assessed and for all categories combined.” Gastrointestinal symptoms showed improvement already at 4 week assessment.
Here are tips to start and keep you going :
- TIP: KISS(Keep it simple for success). Rotating foods simplifies your meal choices : Meal Planning, shopping, and cooking are simpler, there is less clutter in your fridge, fewer leftovers, less wasted food, breakfast, lunch and dinner are CLEAR. At the beginning, start your 4-Day Meal Planner with only ONE recipe for dinner on any Day (ie. chicken) even though fish or pork or turkey may also be possible onthat Day. Then stick with that same (ie. chicken) recipe for the first 2-3 Rotations. Later on you can be creative with variations of chicken recipes, as well as add the fish or pork recipes. But at the start, reduce the anxiety that naturally goes with any change, and especially diet change. The answer for the first 2-3 Rotations… is the exact same roast chicken on ie. Day 3.
- TIP: ONE STEP AT A TIME. Commit to re-learning to “reach for an apple” : simple whole foods. Processed foods with all their complicated and hidden ingredients, cross-contamination, questionable nutritional value…) will just hold you back from wellness.
- TIP: don’t expect yourself to be perfect. Every improvement to diet moves you forward. Try to eat reasonable portions, but remember that getting the food rotation is the single most important factor at first.
- TIP: at first, refer to your 4-Day Recipe Planner for every snack and meal : keep a hard copy of your 4- Day Recipe Planner diet with you for work, shopping, and in the kitchen for easy reference. It reduces anxiety about “what CAN I eat right now” .
- TIP: at the beginning, you may be too anxious to eat only 3 meals, so go ahead and add 2 snacks, so you never find yourself hungry and tempted. Moderate your portion sizes, but never skip a meal or snack at first.
- TIP: if possible, eat at the same times each Day : ie. Breakfast (7 am), snack (10:30 am), lunch (12:00 noon), snack (3:00 pm), dinner (5:00 pm). You may notice your stomach starts to remind you at the right times, suggesting that your digestive juices are prepared to do their job well. Somehow our society signals that it OK to eat anything, anywhere, anytime, which is not a good thing for our digestion.
- TIP: Drop the snacks when you decide you are comfortable, allowing your digestion to fully “rest” (process) between eating.
- TIP: Chew every bite til liquid in your mouth. Enzymes start their work in the mouth.
- TIP: include small % of protein (ie. meat, cheese, several nuts, seeds) each time you eat, and especially, if balancing blood sugar is a concern. Also if blood sugar is a concern, eating 5 times a day may be helpful, at least at the beginning.
- TIP: Eat in calm surroundings to allow digestive juices to do their best work. Preferably less talking AND thinking, except about the food.
- TIP: Animal protein might best always be a side dish portion, with a wide variety of coloured vegetables making up most of the meal.
- TIP: Reduce sugar and white flours. As much as possible, use fruits as your sweets (dry fruits may be fine on a 4-day rotation).
The Rotation Diet Plus©Software helps to manage complex diets. Consult a qualified health professional for any dietary change.