12 Steps to Whole Foods

Introduction
Why Should I Document My Health in 12 Steps Journal
Entries?
As I have observed people making changes in their lives, it goes like this: on Jan. 1, we start exercising and
eating right. We feel great and we know that exercise and diet were the reasons. But what change, specifically,
led to what positive health benefit? That’s hard to know when multiple changes happened at once, which is so
often the case when you go on a “health kick.” My goal in helping you, in writing this book, is not to help you
get on another health kick. Or lose a few pounds (again). It’s to change your life.
Thus, one of the advantages to this 12-step program, besides that it’s easier to do piecemeal, is that you have
the rare opportunity to document each step’s individual effect on your health. Writing those effects down helps
you become very analytical about your health, and you will notice smaller effects on your health (for instance,
sounder sleep or fingernails no longer being brittle) in addition to those one or two big ones that have you
motivated right now to make a change (like reducing high blood pressure or losing weight).
May I recommend, to make your personal experiments in nutrition as pure as possible, that you do one thing at
a time? If you are not exercising, for instance, you may want to tackle that for a little while before making the
first nutritional change. Although this book is not about exercise, I love breaking a sweat every day, with the
accompanying endorphins, as much as I love good nutrition. I recommend that you move your body six days a
week, doing (a) aerobic exercise such as walking or running, (b) anaerobic exercise such as weight lifting or
isometric exercises, and (c) Pilates or yoga for energy, strengthening, and mind-body tuning.
I also recommend you undertake this year of exciting changes with your own scientific case study by using the
journal entry sections in this manual, found at the end of each step. Years from now, you may want to look back
and recall how you felt before you made some of the most significant changes of your life. That will help you
continue your commitment to honoring your body by giving it the very best fuel available.
Change can be scary, as you know. But after so many changes we’ve made in our lives, we look back and
wonder why we didn’t do it sooner. Making the transition to whole foods is just such a change: daunting at
first, but so worth the investment of time to learn how. So remember, change is good! This is not about denying
yourself foods you love: it’s about learning some positive new habits you’ll never want to be without.
Whenever you’re in your kitchen preparing food, that’s when you’re thinking about food, so it’s the perfect
time to jot down a few notes about changes you notice in your health as you adopt the monthly goal. So keep
this manual/journal and a pen handy in a kitchen drawer.
Start by articulating your goals for the year. Writing them down will help you be accountable to you. What,
specifically, would you like to change in your health, weight, or appearance? Don’t be afraid to say, “I want
pretty skin and hair” or “I want to be at my ideal weight of 140 lbs. by the end of the year.”
Begin documenting the differences you see as you improve your nutrition. Do you have more energy? Do you
notice your digestion changing? (Don’t be afraid to be graphic—your only audience is you!) Do you lose
weight without suffering, feeling deprived, and counting calories? Do your skin and hair look and feel
different? Do chronic conditions (heartburn, allergies, blood sugar problems, for instance) lessen or disappear?
What changes do you notice in your children’s behavior? Date and document changes you notice—and you
will definitely notice changes! If you find yourself tackling projects you’ve always meant to do, with newfound
energy, write it down.
22 12 Steps to Whole Foods
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw