Old habits/New habits, Bad habits/Good habits
Apparently it takes approximately 2 weeks to form a new habit. I would not want people to set themselves up for failure. It took our family quite a while to convert over to what we eat today. It was a gradual change. We substituted things. So, instead of thinking of “cutting things out”, we thought of it as “replacing with”. I didn’t drink soft drink, but my brother did sometimes, so we “replaced” soft drink with water. If that is too drastic, you could start with Mineral Water and then graduate on to water.
Take your time with this. It is for life, not something that is for 5 minutes. If you do it gradually, you are more likely to stick with it and set yourself up for success and not failure. If you “stuff up” and eat or drink something that is not good for you, so what!!! Don’t think of it as a “stuff up”. It does not matter!!!! Do NOT feel guilty. Just remember that it is important for your health and that you are striving to honour God with your body and baby steps are the way to go. Just remember, everything is permissible, but if possible try to choose what is best for your body and health.
Replace old habits with healthier options
As in the above example, just cutting out soft drink and juice will dramatically reduce calorie intake. These are EMPTY calories and do not contribute towards your nutrient intake. By the way….drinking juice is NOT good for you unless it is fresh squeezed. Also, it is not the best way of taking fruit/vegetables. God gave us fruit and vegetables in the form that they are in for a reason. If you juice something, you may require say, 4-5 oranges to get a glass of juice. However, it is very unlikely that you would EAT 4-5 oranges. By juicing the oranges you are removing the fibre that prevents you from overeating and the insoluble fibre that conditions your bowel.
It is best to try and eat as close to the natural as possible….God knew what He was doing!!!!
Gas
Some people have problems with gas if they start eating high fibre foods too quickly. Start slowly and gradually build up. You can do this by introducing more fruit and vegetables into your diet and gradually weaning out the less nutritious food. Your gut bacteria will love you and you won’t have any embarrassing gas problems.