And that’s the kicker – variety. Personally I only drink black coffee, green tea, rooibos or other herbal teas, seltzer and wine. Of those, only wine has calories. I was a HEAVY diet Coke drinker for 20 years and quit cold turkey about 4 years ago. Now it tastes like acid, and seltzer takes care of my soda needs.

It’s a tough thing to do, but usually if you can stick with extreme shifts like this long enough to feel a benefit, it can be life-changing. Good luck!

Steve

Don’t drink anything for at least 15 minutes before and 30 minutes after your meals. That’s right, no drinking during the meal either. You’d be amazed at how much more you taste your food when you’re not immediately washing it all down. As a result, you’re likely to enjoy what you eat more yet consume smaller quantities.

This was not an easy habit to develop, but I truly do think you digest food better and more more efficient use of what you eat by not flushing out your stomach with fluids during mealtimes.

The other thing I did at that same time was to go mostly decaf. I still enjoy a cup (sometimes two) of coffee in the mornings, but it’s always decaf. And I’ve switched my wife over to decaf as well. This was easy enough to do because I simply started mixing Folgers regular & decaf and adjusted the ratios over the course of about a month. You’ll never notice the difference in taste. Honestly, my wife didn’t even know I had weaned her off of caffeinated coffee until she was already off for several weeks!

The one source of caffeine that I haven’t cut loose of yet is iced tea. I drink a glass or two a day – sometimes a little more when I’m outside a lot during these triple-digit Summer days. I’ve tried substituting green tea, but it just has no flavor at all. Yuck!

As for milk, I disagree with cutting it. Now, I don’t drink it anymore, but I do use about 3/4 a cup or so in oatmeal most mornings. The protein kick it provides far outweighs the carbs. Soy milk isn’t bad tasting, but does a number on my stomach and it’s not any higher in protein, so it’s not worth it to switch off of whole milk.

I love juice but the high sugar content slams the heck outta my stomach, so I only drink very small quantities every once & awhile. I’ve been sipping on a blueberry/pomegranate blend lately that has no corn syrup or added sugars. Very high in antioxidents!

Along with cutting out high fructose corn syrup (which is in SO many things), I have cut out bleached white flour, bleached white sugar, and red meat. And I ADDED water, whole grains, soy, turkey meat, organic products, etc.

BTW – Kashi & Clif products are fanatasic (kashi.com & clifbar.com)!

This was mostly in an effort to get my overall health and fitness level higher. But, I have found that I no longer have to suffer from and take medications for my allergies, asthma, and depression. I also run and lift weights at least 3 times a week. I have increased my self-confidence, have more energy than I did 10 years ago, and just feel much better all-around. It’s awesome and well worth all the effort!

Milk is not inherantly bad for you, although I drink soy milk. I was allergic to cow milk, but I have gotten so used to soy milk and actually prefer the taste now that I won’t go back to cow milk. Soy milke also has a ton of protein, very low fat, and NO cholesterol.

Last point on milk – do a google seach on “Monsanto milk hormone”. You’ll be surprised at the nasty stuff you may be putting in your body!