4-step program on how to eat healthy

Have you made eating healthy a New Year's resolution for years and for some reason couldn't live up to it? Perhaps you need a more realistic and sustainable program on how to eat better such as Dr. Rico David's 4-step program.

In a virtual press con titled 'Sekaya Prescribing Nature Series: Transforming your Life with Food,' Dr. Rico David or Dok Bok, a Functional and Integrative Medicine Practitioner, revealed that he had personal struggles with his own health in the past, which led him to start taking steps to transition into a healthier lifestyle.

“It was really hard for me to eat vegetables. I grew up not eating vegetables, to be honest.

“I ate a lot of junk and processed and highly sugary foods.”

“Well, it's really hard to start. Actually, when I started eating whole foods, I started with an apple. 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away.' I literally did that.”

According to Dok Bok, from that tiny step of eating one fruit a day his eating habit has slowly improved and he is now in a more intense healthy eating program.

He emphasized that the key to successfully transitioning into a healthier lifestyle is not by doing anything drastic, but rather taking baby steps that you can consistently do and won't feel like a daunting task for you.

Dok Bok then shared the 4-step program which worked for him and believes it is easy enough for those who want to start eating healthy to try.

Smoothies

Adding smoothies into your diet is a great way to start. Dok Bok said, if you're not sure if you can incorporate veggies or fruits into your meals for the day, at least try to take a healthy smoothie.

Count colors

Many people opt to count calories in the food they take, but Dok Bok underlined that it is actually more important to count colors on your plate.

You have to make sure that you see the colors of the rainbow on your plate by adding green leafy veggies, and other fruits and veggies that will complete the ROYGBIV.

Dok Bok also advised that if you can't complete the rainbow colors right away, at least try to put as much veggies as you can. you can't complete the rainbow colors right away, at least try to put as much veggies as you can. Having four to five colors is a good start.

9 cups of vegetables

This is actually part of the intense program that Dok Bok is currently in called 'The Wahls Protocol,' which involves eating three cups of three different kinds of veggies (total of nine).

But since this is too extreme for a non-healthy eater to undertake, he advises to at least try adding one cup of veggies a day.

Teas

Another great way to adapt to a healthier lifestyle is to consume nutritious drinks such as a tea that is made from natural ingredients. Dok Bok also suggests that you incorporate herbs like mint, basil, rosemary, and arugula into your tea.

There you have it. Hopefully, you found this 4-step program inspiring and helpful. Just keep in mind that being healthy is not just about achieving great and drastic results right away.

Keep in mind that being healthy should be a lifelong goal and not an overnight thing, so there's really no need to rush.

It's more important to create a sustainable healthy lifestyle than do an extreme program that you cannot maintain.

Remember that when it comes to being healthy, just like the old saying goes, slow and steady wins the race.

For more lifestyle content, head out to GMA's Lifestyle page.

You might also want to read about the blood type diet.