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Journaling is very important in determining the best foods for you and the ones that may be giving you problems. Many of you say that there are too many choices out there and I agree wholeheartedly. Whether you follow a blood-type diet, Glycemic index diet, one of the many other diets out there, or a combination of many, it can be really confusing. What you must realize first and foremost is that each of us is uniquely individual and that the diet that works for one may not for someone else. Using the pharmaceutical method of assuming that we are all sick with the same illness for the same reason is absurd. As you all know I believe diet is key in determining your problems.
So... what do I mean by journaling? It is very simple. Use a notebook that is dedicated to this application and make sure you label it "Food Journal for person's name" and include the date you are starting the journal.
The categories you need to indicate are simple. Write the date and day of the week, the time, the food you have eaten - listing as many ingredients as possible, then add the emotional feeling at the time and the level of severity of the symptom you are concerned about. This will easier distinguish patterns that may become obvious. You may add additional categories that you may deem important but try to keep it simple and easy so that the journaling process does not become a dreaded chore.
Example journal entries might look like this:
 
If you were to look at a journal entry like the one above you might see that a 3PM slump forces consumption of chocolate which is for this person an allergen. You begin to develop a pattern easily seen as a connection two hours after eating chocolate makes symptoms severe. If you recognized this pattern several times over a period of a week or two, you might try and convince your client to stop eating the chocolate.
Some of the specific foods to watch could be grains (bread, cereal, pasta, pancakes), nightshade vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, peppers and mushrooms), the third category that is a common problem is dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt and ice cream). Simply tracking these three areas will often lead you to food sensitivities.
The amount of a food is often as important as the food itself. Sometimes a little is OK but a couple of servings daily are too much. It is very common to overeat carbohydrates. Remember, these are foods that break down into sugars and include foods like the grains mentioned above, dairy products, fruits (especially dried) and starchy vegetables like peas, corn and potatoes. It is very common to have subluxation in the mid thoracic vertebras. If I lost you, that means if hurts on your back at the spinal area around the heart level (under where a bra strap crosses the spine). If you find yourself twisting to“crack” your back, or possibly needing to visiting the chiropractor a bit more often than you think normal, try cutting the carbs. Keep a food journal for a couple weeks and see if it helps.
I suggest that you look for patterns and when you find one, omit that food for at least two weeks to evaluate a possible connection. It won’t work every time but is really the least expensive, least invasive way to monitor food sensitivities. If you do find a particular food issue then you may wish to try adding a digestive enzyme to help digest that food. An example would be the enzyme lactase to help digest that occasional bowl of ice cream.
I strongly suggest that if you are a Wellness Consultant you encourage your potential clients to do this for at least 2 weeks before seeing you. If you are monitoring your own health I suggest doing this at least once a year just to check on the balance of your diet. Remember, a good diet suggests two fresh fruit daily, five vegetables daily, two servings of carbohydrates, and somewhere around 50 grams of protein daily. If this doesn’t sound familiar please go to the archived articles and read about each of these areas again.
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