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The LOST Diet:
Overview and Story Submission
(Click
here to go directly to the form to submit your
story.)
Thank you so much for accepting my invitation to play with your food! As you
know, I am currently working on a book called Rediscovering the LOST Diet®
(working title),
and I have every confidence that your
participation will help people reclaim the four missing essential
"vitamins" that have been missing from our diet and lifestyle,
enabling people to have more fulfilling lives, lives which are in better
balance, full of love, joy, and full-fill-ment.
Anybody can do this, regardless of current state of health, current state of
mind, current weight, current health and wellness goals—even families with
children or people who rely on fast food for sustenance can do this. It’s
meant to be fun, simple, and illuminating. You’ll frequently hear me say to my
clients, "approach your life with curiosity and wonder," and I invite
you to approach this experiment the very same way.
Please review the concepts which I’ve briefly explained below. Then choose
one (or more) of the principles, experiment with the activities, then share your
experiences with me so that they can possibly be included in the book. I will
have more activities in the book; I just wanted to give you something to get
started. You are welcome to make up your own activities!
I’ve provided a "story template" at the end of this explanation,
so you can have guidelines for telling your story. Feel free to "color
outside the lines," and, if you do expound on your life-changing
experience, please keep it relatively brief. It is important that I get
your story back as soon as you can do it, as there is a lot of narrative for the
book that is based on the stories.
Thank you for being willing to play with me. I am excited and encouraged by
your responses, and I am truly grateful! Have fun.
To learn more about the LOST Diet and to see others' stories,
Please subscribe to my
"mostly-monthly"
e-newsletter:
What is The LOST diet?
Simply put, The LOST Diet is what’s missing from your life. The LOST Diet
will be the last diet you ever need. Once you reclaim the missing four essential
vitamins of The LOST Diet, the nutrition you get from what you consume will be
much greater and you’ll find yourself in better balance, enjoying your food
more, getting more nutrition from your food, and more energy in your life! Just
remember to include the four essential vitamins in your daily life:
Vitamin L (Love)
Love should be the first ingredient in every recipe, for every dish, all the
time. Cook with a more positive, loving attitude to get the most from your food.
Be cognizant of the environment and emotional states/stress levels of the people
who prepare your food. Bless your food, whatever that means to you, so that you
can receive it lovingly. Think nice thoughts towards the people who prepare your
food. Give thanks that someone cares enough to prepare a meal for you.
Have you ever had a disagreement during a meal and lost your appetite? How
was that particular meal prepared? Who prepared it? What was his/her state of
mind during the preparation of it? Think about the quality difference between a
fast food restaurant and the Ritz Carlton. The major difference (besides the
price!) is in the attitudes of the people preparing the food.
When you are the one who is cooking (even if that means opening a box and
pressing some buttons), consciously add the ingredient of love into your
preparation. Think happy thoughts! Imagine that there is "pixie dust"
in the food (organic, of course!), and keep anxiety and negativity OUT of the
food that you prepare.
Suggested Activities:
Put more love in your food. How? These activities are as powerful as your
intention is to "put love in the food."
1. Choose a recipe you frequently make. As you prepare the food,
consciously measure, stir, and cook repeating the word "love" to
yourself. Notice the effect of the food on yourself and on those with whom you
share your meal.
2. Bless your food, whatever that means to you. Before you eat a meal,
pause for a moment to say thank you for the food that was grown, for the
people who harvested the food, the people at the factories where the food may
have been processed, and those who have prepared the meal (even when it is
yourself). Notice how you feel before you eat, during the meal, after the
meal.
3. Bless once, eat twice. Have the same meal twice. At one meal, bless the
food. At another meal, do not bless the food. Notice any differences in taste,
texture, your digestive system, your state of mind, etc.
Vitamin O (Oxygen)
Breathe! The body cannot effectively digest food under stress. In order to
maximize your digestion, as well as the enjoyment of your food, breathe before
you eat. Activate your parasympathetic nervous system through breathing
exercises, so that your body will receive and process food appropriately.
Suggested Activities
1. Do a relaxation exercise before entering the food area (at home or while
sitting in a restaurant waiting to be served). Imagine the smells, sights, and
tastes of the food you are about to eat.
2. Take 5 deep breaths before taking your first bite. This works well on
the road when you’re engaging in "dashboard dining."
3. The body experiences stress a number of ways. Here are two Ayurvedic
breathing exercises to bring your body to a calmer state before eating.
This is called Alternate Nostril Breathing. It
is a gentle breathing technique used to balance both sides of your brain and
reduce cortisol (stress hormone), for high anxiety and shortness of breath:
Using your right hand, fold your index finger
into the palm of your hand.
Place your right thumb alongside your right
nostril so it is closed, and place your right middle finger near your left
nostril.
Exhale easily through your left nostril.
Switch fingers so that your right middle finger
closes your left nostril, and your thumb moves away from the right nostril to
allow the flow of air into the right nostril as you inhale.
Switch again as you exhale through the left
nostril.
Switch to inhale right.
Repeat this sequence one more time (exhale
left, inhale right).
Now do it the other way! Keep your
fingers where they are and exhale through the right nostril.
Switch and inhale through the left.
Repeat: exhale right, inhale left.
Last time: exhale right, inhale left.
o Cooling breath, for a hot temper,
anger, or frustration:
This is a simple inhale/exhale
which you’ll do repeatedly for about one minute. Remember how you cool
something hot that’s already on your tongue? You breathe in to cool it down,
right? That’s exactly what you’ll do here, too. This time, though, it will
be a rapid exchange of inhale and exhale. You should do about four
breaths/second (in/out/in/out = 1 second).
Purse your lips as if wrapping them around a
straw.
Inhale and exhale rapidly, about 4 breaths per
second.
Continue this for about one minute.
If you’re going to eat right away, take three
slow deep breaths immediately following this exercise.
Vitamin S (Simplify)
What does the phrase, "the good old days" conjure up for you? A
slower, simpler time? A time when, for whatever reason, things weren’t so
complicated? There are many ways to apply this to food. Stick with simple
recipes. You can make delicious meals that require simple preparation, a few
simple ingredients, and a few simple pieces of kitchen equipment (cutting board,
knife, and your hands). Stick with the basics: sauté, steam, simmer, stir fry.
And for summer, go for raw salads using your favorite salad greens but mix it up
with various dressings and nuts. For real simplicity, buy the "salad in a
bag" from your grocery store. The chopping and combining of greens is
already done for you.
Suggested activities:
The same food prepared different ways creates different tastes. Chicken and
broccoli. Try the same dish baked, steamed, or stir fried. Take note of how you
feel when the same dishes are prepared different ways.
1. Make the same basic meal twice but choose different spices or condiments
each time. Perhaps you can have grains and greens, and one time use olive oil,
balsamic vinegar, rosemary, thyme, and parmesan cheese. The next time, use
salt, pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice, and some nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts,
pine nuts). No limits! Play with your food, and keep it simple!
2. How simply can you make your own food? Experiment
with recipes from the following website:
www.integrativenutrition.com/recipes.asp
My favorites: Hazelnut Pesto, Element Dressing, Lime Mahi, Morning Kasha.
You can use any grain to substitute for the kasha (buckwheat).
3. Try a one-pot meal: add fresh, chopped
vegetables to the same pot as your grains. If you are using frozen vegetables,
use slightly less than the recommended amount of liquid to allow for the
liquid in the frozen food. Use vegetable or chicken broth to add some flavor
to the grains. Add some dried spices before boiling to keep it really simple.
Cook grains as directed. When finished add a condiment or two. I like a little
grated cheese and soy or tamari sauce. Simple! And only one pot to clean
afterwards! Try your own variations on this theme. (one pot, grains, veggies,
condiments)
T (Take your Time)
Remember candlelight dinners? Setting the table with good china and linens?
Choosing just the right music? Didn’t your meal taste better when the whole
environment and atmosphere was "a food event?" Here are some ways to
recapture the joy of eating.
Smell the aromas.
Delight in the nourishment you are offering your body. Set your table as for a
fancy meal. If you must rush through a meal, take fewer bites and chew them
completely so you can thoroughly and mindfully enjoy the food you do have time
to eat. Put the rest away for later. You'll get more nourishment from several
savored bites than you will from wolfing down an entire sandwich and not tasting
it on the way. Your digestive system will thank you, and so will your adrenal
glands!
Take time to slow down, enjoy and chew your food. Smell the aromas. Savor
the nourishment you are offering your body. Set your table. If you must rush
through a meal, take fewer bites, chew them completely, and enjoy the food you
do have time to eat. Put the rest away for later. You’ll get more
nourishment from several savored bites than you will from wolfing down an
entire sandwich and not tasting it on the way.
Suggested activities:
1. Sacred eating®: This is one of my favorites and is great
for exercising portion control and practicing living in the moment. Whether
you’re eating at home or out, by yourself or with your family, take a few
minutes to eat in complete silence. No TV, no radio, no music, no reading.
Just you and the food. Notice what you notice!
Make this a sensual experience. In other words, use all your senses. What
does the food look like (colors)? How does it smell? Take a bite and keep it
on your tongue for a moment. What are the textures you feel? What do you
hear? Can you hear yourself chewing? Can you hear the crunch or the "smoosh"
of your food? What about other sounds? People around you. Your breathing.
Notice what you notice: When do you stop eating? Do you eat more or less
than usual? When do you feel "full?"
2.
Here's something to try as you're sitting
around the Thanksgiving table and the relatives are talking about football.
Chew! Chew each bite a minimum of 30 times. Some bites will be easier than
others, depending on the texture of the food. The turkey will be easier to
chew longer than the cranberry sauce. Chewing water can be a challenge!
Notice how the taste changes. Notice how much you eat (or don't eat!.
Is this a change from your usual portions? How do you feel after slowing
down and taking your time? What are you hungry for?
3. Dinner à la different: This can be really fun when you compare the
same meal done in a rush and done as an event. Set your table with a nice
tablecloth, linen napkins, candlelight, china, silver; you decide how formal
and decked out you want to go. Choose soothing music to play in the
background. Get "dressed" for your meal and make it an event. You
may want to do this one twice!
Variations:
o same meal with and without the
"atmosphere" (done twice within a few days of one another)
o "casual" food (soup and
sandwich, a salad, PB&J) by candlelight
o leftovers with an attitude
4. Dashboard dining: If you do have to eat in your car, prepare a little
space in your car that’s safe to eat. Try pulling over to a parking lot
and eating while sitting on the passenger side. What difference does that
make in your experience of eating on the run (assuming you’re not trying
to drive your car from the passenger side…!)? How do you feel? Do
you feel more or less nourished? More or less "full"? More or less
in touch with your food? How does this compare to eating and driving at the
same time?
To be considered for inclusion in "The LOST Diet"…
ü Follow the principles of The LOST
Diet.
ü Keep in mind that there is no
"right" exact method or eating plan for implementing The LOST
Diet.
ü Share your story. Describe how The
LOST Diet has had an impact on your life. Be sure to address the following:
§ Describe a current situation,
circumstance, or issue you want to change
§ What do you want to change? What is
the outcome you desire? What different result do you want to experience?
Will it be something you see, hear, smell, taste, feel? How might this
experiment affect others around you?
§ What was the principle? L, O, S, or
T? Similar meal using one principle one time, another principle the second
time? A combination?
§ How did you apply the principle?
What actions did you take? How did you use that particular principle to help
you?
§ What was the outcome of the
situation? How did employing this principle affect you? How is using this
principle different from your previous behavior, habit, or attitude?
§ Will you use this in the future?
How do you see that it will benefit you? How might this affect your health?
Your work-life balance? Time management? Relationships? Spirituality?
ü Send your response to me.
ü I will send you a "permission
to use" or Legal Waiver after receiving your story.
I am truly looking forward to hearing from you!
Here is a cheat sheet to help you remember The LOST Diet principles: You
may do more than one, but please do one at a time for greater clarity. Combine
and experiment later, and let me know how it goes!
Love – Think happy thoughts!
Oxygen – Breathe!
Simplicity – One pot meals
Time – Have a food event
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The LOST Diet Story Submission
Form
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