Do you go by gut feeling? Do you trust it?

This is part 2 of 6 in my blog series on the 6 basic principles for a healthy lifestyle - the following articles are also included in the series: Introduction (1/6), Sleep (3/6), Positive thinking (4/6), Movement and Breathing Techniques (5/6) and Discussion (6/6).

Diet and hydration can dramatically affect your energy levels and biochemical composition, which in turn affects your emotional and mental reality. When our diet is deficient, there is simply not enough energy or focused thought activity to initiate or sustain the changes needed for us to take good care of ourselves. My recommendations based on my own experiences are to vary and rotate the diet, to use only "real" food and to make it as simple as possible so that it works in real life, to eat 5 times a day and to always eat as much as you need.

We sit in the kitchen and eat our breakfast as a family. Before my 8-year-old daughter starts eating, she lines up everything on the table. I ask her what she is doing and she says, as if it is a matter of course, that she puts the packages in order according to how much sugar each product contains. On the far left is the unsweetened almond milk and on the far right is Dad's orange juice...

I wish for time.

Time is like an endangered flower, an endangered species. At least if you are a parent and especially if you are the parent of a baby. Being there for a new little person all the time is absolutely wonderful, but at the same time so incredibly time-consuming and binding. In my case, I am available 24 hours a day, and should I have the occasional time to do something else, then I'll also have the energy to do those things I dream about when I'm with my baby all the time, like taking a shower in peace, going shopping, sitting down undisturbed and drinking a cup of tea or, like tonight, getting a whole 2 hours to produce something (writing and working on my website gives me energy, as long as I don't make it a must).

A ship arrives loaded - with helpful people and cheerful shouts!

A week ago I came back home to California after spending a month of my summer in Sweden with family and friends. I don't know if it's like Sweden is going through a big change and/or if it's just me that has changed. This article was written in 2015.

Day 2 is over. It started off badly, with a really disappointing breakfast and then ended with a super good dinner. My stomach has been extremely bloated during the day and was really sore after lunch. I know I'm sensitive to coconut products, but have decided to keep these in my diet for at least the first week. If my stomach continues to fuss, I will remove these products as well. I don't usually have stomach pain, but I do have other symptoms of a leaky gut which I will describe in more detail in a separate blog post.

It has been an interesting day. Going from snacking on Christmas food and cookies/candy to strictly following a diet, which includes only the best nutritious and anti-inflammatory ingredients. The transition is sure to take a few days to accept, even as I have prepared myself mentally for several weeks. This change also includes really planning the food, shopping and preparing. Throwing something random together half an hour before food is expected to be on the table will not work. But that doesn't mean that food will take a very long time to prepare, it just requires a little extra planning compared to before.