The UltraMind Solution (114 page)

Second, toxins in our digestive tract may make us feel ill if we don’t eliminate them. That is why it is important to address and prevent constipation if this is a problem for you.

The last major cause of symptoms is caffeine withdrawal (which you will be dealing with in this preparation phase). This may cause a predictable headache, fatigue, and an achy feeling the afternoon after you give it up.

If you experience any of these symptoms either during the preparation week or during the six-week program, I provide a specific set of recommendations
that will ease your withdrawal symptoms, and make your transitions into the UltraMind Solution much easier.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the space to publish those recommendations here.

However, I give all the details in
The UltraMind Solution Companion Guide
. If you suffer from withdrawal symptoms, or are concerned about this possibility before you begin, I strongly encourage you to go to
www.ultramind.com/guide
and download the companion guide to this book.

It’s a big help on your road to an UltraMind.

Once you have completed your preparation week, it is time to begin the six-week program. In the next chapter I will explain how the program works and give you all the tools you need to make it as simple and enjoyable as possible.

Boosting Your Brain Power for Life

——————

The six-week program is designed to remove all the processed, high-sugar foods from your diet as well as the two main allergens (gluten and dairy) that lead to your “broken brain” and replace them with an unprocessed, real, natural, whole-foods diet. The foods you need to avoid are outlined in detail in
chapter 14
.

Instead of these toxic and inflammatory foods, you will eat the foods outlined in chapter 14 that are rich in healthy fats; slowly released, lowglycemic load, high-fiber carbohydrates; plant proteins; and minimal lean animal products; as well as disease-and weight-fighting anti-inflammatory, detoxifying, and antioxidant chemicals and phytonutrients. These foods give your body and brain the raw materials they need to heal and function optimally.

No restriction is put on the
amount
of food you eat, because counting calories, carbs, or fat grams is not necessary. If you eat whole fresh foods, your body self-regulates. The emphasis is on cleansing, renewal, revitalization, and optimizing your body and your brain so they work as originally designed.

Over the course of the diet pay attention to how your body and brain feel to find out what works for you. You may be more like the Greenland Inuit and feel satisfied with more healthful fats in your diet, or perhaps you are more like the Pima Indians and find that more fiber-rich carbohydrates work better for you. The same result can be obtained as long as you follow the basic nutritional wisdom that is the foundation of
The UltraMind Solution.

By committing to this diet for six weeks, these principles will become second nature to you. The foods on this program will speak to your genes in new ways and your genes will say
yes!

Once your genes begin to say
yes
, you will be on your way to a lifetime
of UltraWellness and the improvements you have experienced in your mind and mood will become permanent.

After the six weeks are over, you can begin to reintroduce gluten and dairy if you choose to. I will teach you how to do that systematically so you find out if you are allergic to them (in the next chapter).

But remember, it is only by eliminating gluten and dairy in the first place that you can tune back into your body and develop a realistic picture of how they have been affecting your health and your brain.

Before you even begin the program I
strongly
encourage you to get the free
UltraMind Solution Companion Guide
(download at
www.ultramind.com
/guide), where I have included a six-week eating program, shopping lists, foods to enjoy, and foods to avoid, as well as many delicious recipes and other resources to guide you through the program.

In addition to the dietary changes you will experience during the UltraMind Solution, taking the basic supplement regimen I outlined in chapter 15, exercising, relaxing, and doing brain exercises are all critical parts of the program.

In the checklist at the end of this chapter I have outlined when you should integrate exercise, relaxation, and brain exercises into your day. I have also explained when to take your supplements.

Remember, you should at minimum walk for thirty minutes a day, every day, on the program. If you can manage it, it’s even better to do vigorous aerobic exercise four to five times a week (an interval training program where you regularly vary your heart rate is ideal). You can also include a strength-training regimen two to three times a week if you wish, but this is not absolutely necessary. See
The UltraMind Solution Companion Guide
(
www.ultramind.com/guide
) for specific suggestions on how to exercise.

You should also practice active relaxation as I explained in chapter 16. I recommend you do the softbelly breathing exercise immediately when you wake up, before each of your meals, and before you go to sleep. It’s a simple, quick way to initiate the relaxation response, so don’t forget it.

In addition, I recommend you try one more relaxation exercise of your choosing (my favorite is the UltraBath) in the evening before you go to bed. This is a wonderful way to end your day and sets the stage for excellent sleep at the same time.

Don’t
underestimate the power of relaxation. Give yourself this gift for six weeks and watch how your life is transformed.

Finally I suggest you engage in some of the brain exercises outlined in chapter 16 every day you are on the program if possible. If you can’t manage that, do a brain exercise of some kind two to three times a week. It’s fun, and it will work out your mind in new and interesting ways.

In terms of daily supplements—they are daily, and you should take them every day for the rest of your life. I have given you reminders in the checklist at the end of the chapter as to when to take your supplements. However, you will find you remember naturally after a few days of doing it.

In
The UltraMind Solution Companion Guide
I have provided a simple supplement chart to help you know what, when, and how to take your basic supplements as well as any additional supplements you may need based on the imbalances in any of the keys which you will learn about in Part IV. Download the guide at
www.ultramind.com/guide
.

I also encourage you to incorporate the recommendations for living clean and green in
chapter 17
during the six-week program. Every one of us is affected by environmental toxins, and they impact brain and body health in serious ways. Give yourself a break from this toxic exposure. You may find it becomes a way of life for you—one that not only makes you healthier but heals our planet as well.

To make the UltraMind Solution simple, I recommend you stick to a ritualized daily schedule as much as you can. This means doing the same things (like waking up, eating, exercising, relaxing, and sleeping) at the same times every day. You don’t
have
to do this. But it makes the program easier and has several biological advantages like balancing your blood-sugar levels and reestablishing normal sleep rhythms.

The schedule outlined in the checklist below is what I recommend you do every day on the program. Just follow the steps on the checklist every day, keep to the foods-to-eat and foods-to-avoid lists, and use the allergy-free brain food recipes found in
The UltraMind Solution Companion Guide
at
www.ultramind.com/guide
and you will automatically stay on the program.
The UltraMetabolism Cookbook
also contains many gluten and dairy-free whole-foods recipes.