How to Deal With Conflicting Dietary Advice

I did an interview with Mickey Trescott of Autoimmune Wellness last week for one of my coaching programs and I asked her the question, “How do you deal with all of the conflicting information out there with dietary fads and differing theories?”

>> Watch the exclusive full interview here >>

I asked her this because it’s something that comes up with every single one of my coaching clients, and it's something I’ve grappled with myself.

Maybe you have an inkling that your diet might be affecting whether you have a chronic illness or not? Or you’ve begun to dive into the research, have tried a few things and bought a million supplements and have come up overwhelmed and confused?

There's SO much information out there, which is great. But depending on what you read and who you speak to, you'll get a different answer for how to improve your symptoms and feel better. So how do you know what’s best?

The short answer: listen to your body.

“Listen to your body” might be an annoying phrase that you can’t quite wrap your head around. It’s in the same family as, “reduce your stress” or “self-care” or other phrases that sound so nice and simple, but can be hard to pin down when you’re actually trying to achieve them.

Listening to our bodies has become a vague and somewhat challenging task because we've gotten so used to looking outside of ourselves for information and guidance on how to feel better.

Instead of constantly searching and looking outside of ourselves for the answers, I want to talk about how to look within as the only way to really figure out what works best for you and your beautiful body.

Watch the short video below to learn what Mickey Trescott and I spoke about and how you can cut through the overwhelm and conflicting theories and begin to feel calm and confident!

Here are three ways to start this process of tuning in:

1. 5 second body scans before meals to ask yourself these questions:

   1. How am I feeling?

   2. Where am I holding tension?

   3. What are my symptoms?

   4. What is my energy level?

2. Getting quiet. Silence isn’t empty. It's full of answers. Breathing and meditating allows us to clear mental clutter so we can more fully listen to the signs and signals our bodies are trying to give us. I like the apps Calm or Insight for introductory meditation, or I practice my favorite 4-7-8 breathing technique.

3. Complete a 5-day food/symptom journal to start the process of noticing how what you put in your body makes you feel. You can download it by clicking here >>

This is a process and it's like strengthening a muscle, so be patient with yourself! Let me know in the comments where you're at with this process of tuning in. What do you notice right now if you do a 5 second body scan? What comes up? If you complete your 5-day food journal and come up with some interesting insights, let me know!

Download my free 5-Day Food Journal to begin the process of tuning in to your body by clicking the button below.

In Health, 

Christina Tidwell, MN, RN, CHC