Swimming against the tide of our synthetic contemporary culture—which, by the way, can include your friends, family and co-workers—is not always easy. But the best things in life are rarely easy to attain. Nevertheless, if I and millions of others can thrive in a natural lifestyle, so can you. Change can be intimidating or a bit scary, but by simply shopping at a natural foods store instead of at a conventional grocery store you’re taking a huge step towards your goals. It’s relatively easy, and once you’ve made the switch, everything else will follow. By applying the principles of this book, you will be able to lose (or gain) weight, improve your energy, help prevent or reverse degenerative disease, increase your energy level, enhance your sense of well being and attain vibrant health. So, let’s get started. Simply follow the steps listed in this overview to reach your health goals:

1. WATER: Make It Pure
Drinking pure water is essential to good health. As you learned in Chapter 1, most of our municipal water supplies include the harmful chemicals chlorine and fluoride, among other pollutants. Your best defense is to drink bottled water or use a high quality water filter that removes these toxins. The key is to ensure that chlorine and fluoride is removed, since most filters only remove chlorine. Reverse osmosis filters are high-end, but make sure the one you choose removes fluoride. My favorite filter is made by Custom Pure, and you can find their products at www.custompure.com. Also, consider using a chlorine filter on your showerhead, since we absorb more chlorine through the skin than we do through drinking water. The use of both filters will significantly reduce your exposure to harmful chemicals that have been proven to cause health problems.

2. FOOD: Friend & Foe
Most of our food supply is polluted with toxic chemicals and processed in ways that strip out much of the essential nutrition. In my opinion, the number one cause of degenerative disease is eating a constant diet of such non-nutritive food. The bottom line is that our bodies were designed to eat pure, “nature-made” food, not man-made synthetic food. We don’t need to eat less food to lose weight (“dieting”); rather, we need to eat pure food (and we need to exercise) to lose weight. Most Americans overeat, and yet are malnourished. When we are malnourished, it’s only natural to eat and eat and eat to try to get nutrition. Thus, stocking your home with only organic food is truly the way to go, no matter what the cost. Eating a variety of live, whole, organic foods on a regular basis is an essential step to follow if you want vibrant health. Organically grown food tastes better, is better for you and better for the environment; so give it a try and see what you think. I have an entire organic shopping list with suggested meal plans in the Appendix that you can use as a starting guide.

3. GROCERY SHOPPING: The Natural Way
There are thousands of companies that specialize in creating natural products; they endeavor to provide us with goods that are as close to nature as possible (e.g. still in their original state). These products cost more because, typically, they are more expensive to produce and expire more quickly. Yet, these products are often superior to their synthetic, chemically derived counterparts. Some conventional grocery stores carry natural products in special sections; natural foods stores generally carry these products exclusively. Consider going “all the way” and converting your entire household! That includes food, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies and products made from recycled resources, such as bath tissue and paper towels. When you make this commitment, you, your family, pets and your home itself benefit from using non-toxic products.

4. SUPPLEMENTS: Daily For Vibrant Health
It would be great to get all our nutritional requirements from food. Unfortunately, even eating 100% organically grown food (which isn’t easy to do) is unlikely to provide us with all our nutritional requirements because most soil is depleted of essential minerals. Thus, using whole food, nutrient-dense supplements on a daily basis is a great way to make up the difference. I suggest taking a super green food—such as spirulina, chlorella or Klamath Lake Algae—and probiotics, enzymes, flax oil and organic apple cider vinegar every day. Don’t forget to try the seaweeds (such as dulce) which also have high concentrations of minerals from the sea salt (which can be found in the macrobiotic section). This daily mix will help fulfill your nutritional requirements. As you learn more, try other available options.

5. DETOX: Cleansing Is Essential
Detoxifying your body of harmful chemicals and biological pathogens is absolutely essential if you want optimum health. I can’t stress this enough. Toxins that accumulate in the colon will at some point in time be moved to other parts of the body, and when that happens, the beginning stages of degenerative disease occur. Therefore, cleaning the colon on a regular basis is mandatory if you want to prevent or reverse degenerative disease. Cleansing the colon also improves digestion and assimilation of nutrients. Cleaning your colon is the first step to detoxifying your body, along with other modalities I’ve mentioned (such as drinking wheat grass juice) to remove toxins at a cellular level. I do a moderate three-day cleanse every three months and a full five-day cleanse twice a year. It’s made all the difference in my life. You can follow the guidelines I give in Chapter 7, and/or consult a qualified health care professional such as a naturopathic doctor or a colon hydrotherapist. Again, detoxing your body is absolutely essential if you desire vibrant health—once you do it, you’ll understand what I mean and you’ll want to do it on a regular basis.

6. EXERCISE: For Confidence & Health
I started exercising four years ago and I wish I’d started 15 or 20 years ago. Regular exercise makes a huge difference in the way we feel and look. Every book I’ve read on financial success has included exercise as a necessary component. I believe it now. When I really push myself at the gym I feel more confident, have more energy and accomplish more during the day. The endorphins released during exercise really make a difference in my outlook, especially when facing multiple challenges. Exercising vigorously for at least 20 minutes a day is the minimum we need to make a difference. This is where your will power comes into play—you have to will yourself to find a gym (or outdoor exercise), and then get into an exercise routine. Trust me, you’ll be much happier once you begin this routine. Not only will you feel better, but your health will improve, too. I belong to 24 Hour Fitness, and I like the way their program is set up. I’ve heard great things about Curves for Women, and women may want to consider that club. In any event, the most important thing is to find an exercise routine and stick to it, because the benefits are too important to skip.

7. CHI ENERGY: Develop Your Personal Power
Developing your chi energy means developing your personal power. Your personal power is the part of you that is grounded, graceful and determined, especially when under pressure. When you are in touch with your personal power, you are less likely to react with fear and emotional outbursts when confronted with challenging words or actions. Instead, you’ll be centered and graceful—yet determined—which will give you much greater respect among your family, friends, coworkers and peers. Yoga, tai chi and Aikido are great options for women; Kung Fu is an excellent choice for men. Although there are numerous health benefits associated with building your chi, I feel that the development of your personal power is probably the most important reason to pursue a chi building discipline.

8. DENTISTRY: Holistic, For A Safe Smile
It’s amazing to me that one of the most poisonous metals in the world is used to fill cavities in our mouths. There is conclusive evidence that mercury vapor is released from amalgams fillings, and that some of the vapor is transmitted to and stored within cells. Simply put, that’s low-level mercury poisoning, which can cause a host of health problems. In many states it is illegal for a dentist to tell clients this fact and the dentist can lose licensure for informing them (so much for the First Amendment guaranteeing free speech). The removal of this metal has improved the lives of many. Even though non-holistic dentists mean well, they are educated by an industry that promotes mercury amalgam fillings, and focuses on symptom management instead of on the holistic ecology of the mouth. By visiting a holistic dentist you improve your chances of regaining not only the health of your gums and teeth, but your whole body as well. Thus, for optimum health, visit a dentist who practices “mercury free” or “amalgam free” dentistry.

9. MEDICINE & HEALING: Battle Or Harmony
Perhaps the greatest tragedy in our modern times is that American culture has adopted a model of health care based on a reactionary system of disease management, rather than on one of preventive care and natural cure. Disease management with drugs and surgery is highly profitable; prevention of disease through education, and the reversing of disease through the use of highly effective natural, non-toxic medicine is not. Thus, we find a disturbing pattern of suppression of the knowledge of natural medicine within the allopathic (conventional) medical establishment, as well as the media. This needs to change if we are ever to regain our collective health. What’s needed is a synthesis of the two modalities—allopathic and natural medicine—because allopathic medicine has amazing diagnostic tests to help uncover underlying conditions, and natural medicine gives us the understanding of how to correct those conditions. The bottom line is that natural medicine works. If you want to attain vibrant health, consider visiting a holistic doctor—such as a naturopathic physician—even if you feel great. Following the advice of a natural doctor will help ensure that you not only improve your health, but also prevent disease before it has a chance to begin.

10. VEGETARIANISM: High Fiber, Low Fat
Eating a strictly plant-based diet isn’t that big a deal—except for people who eat meat. As a 14-year “veteran” vegan vegetarian,[i] the only comments I’ve heard about how I need to be concerned about my diet (or made fun of because of my diet choices) have been from meat eaters. Most such comments are just reiterations of meat and dairy industry propaganda rather than substantiated facts from their independent research into the topic. Despite the numerous comments I’ve heard from meat eaters, I’m a living testimonial—as are millions of other people—that eating a plant-based diet is a healthy option. So, if you feel that switching to a plant-based diet is right for you, then by all means, try it out. Just remember that all the rules of natural eating still apply: eat a variety of whole, live organic grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits on a regular basis. Some cities have local support groups, including the non-profit EarthSave foundation (www.earthsave.com), created by John Robbins. And if you feel that vegetarianism isn’t for you, I encourage you to seriously consider eating only organic meat and dairy, so as to avoid pesticides, herbicides, artificial growth hormones, tranquilizers, antibiotics, preservatives and a host of harmful microorganisms. Organic dairy products made from goats’ milk are much better for you and your family than dairy products made from cows’ milk, as the protein profile of goat milk is similar to that of human milk.

11. My Shopping List & Meal Ideas
Following my shopping list and meal plans in the Appendix (download here) is a great way to get a jump-start into natural living. Perhaps the fastest and easiest way to take the next step is to start with a clean slate. If your budget allows it, throw away all your conventional foods, body care products and cleaning supplies and replace them with the products I include on my shopping list. Once you get the hang of buying natural products and making the meals I’ve outlined, you can experiment with the wide variety of high quality natural products offered today. Check my Web site for the DVD video I’ll be producing which will take you on a step-by-step tour of exactly what to do to live the natural lifestyle. You’ll catch on in no time, and I betcha dollars to doughnuts, you’ll love it!

12. EDUCATION: Learn as you go
The Beginner’s Guide to Natural Living is your starting point to natural living, and there is plenty more to learn to get firmly rooted in the natural living lifestyle. My Bibliography is an excellent reference for you because I have read some of the best books available on the subject. Another great place to continue your education is by browsing the book section of your local natural food store, and taking any of the classes offered at the store. My two all-time favorite books (for beginner’s) are:  The Food Revolution by John Robbins and Cleanse and Purify Thyself by Dr. Richard Anderson. Either book will help greatly as you move forward on the natural living path!

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