Lesson 1: Practice techniques, such as prayer, meditation or EFT, to control anxiety and stress, eliminate self-doubt and negativity, and instill self-control and peace of mind.

There is no greater enemy to your physical health than a negative self-image or high stress. Many people initially succeed at implementing a diet -- whether it is to lose weight, heal a disease, or strengthen their body against sickness -- but then fall back into  old habits... and therefore, the "old" body. Why? Because the emotional barriers were never overcome in the first place.

To truly succeed at this nutrition plan, I highly recommend you work on overcoming your emotional barriers, whether they're based on life's anxiety-factors or emotional traumas.

There are a host of techniques to instill positive emotions and thoughts and create a sense of inner-peace, and the best rule is to find the one that works for you, whether it is considered traditional or "alternative," and keep on using it.

In my clinical practice, I have tried a variety of methods, and have been exposed to many more (both traditional and alternative) through my medical background, but none have come close to the success rate I have experienced with the "Emotional Freedom Technique," or EFT.

I highly recommend you at least give EFT a try. EFT is a form of psychological acupressure that, while it appears a bit unusual to some at first, can almost seem miraculous in its ability to erase negative emotions and instill positive ones.

With EFT, while mentally focusing on the psychological/emotional issues in a positive manner through the use of affirmations, pressure is applied to the same energy points used for thousands of years in acupuncture (these energy points are finally even being recognized as legitimate by the pharmacy- and surgery-addicted American medical establishment.)

These energy points are only tapped, though, not punctured as in acupuncture, as it has been shown that pressure on these points is all that is necessary to activate your body's bioenergy. This combination of positive mental focus on the issue(s) and physical stimulus to your body's biochemistry is amazingly effective at eliminating the issue -- be it stress, cravings, trauma, etc. -- quickly.

EFT is routinely used in my practice and I highly recommend it for your optimal emotional health. Although it is still often overlooked, emotional health is absolutely essential to your physical health and healing -- no matter how devoted you are to the proper diet and lifestyle, you will not achieve your body's ideal healing and preventative powers if emotional barriers stand in your way.

EFT is very easy to learn, and will help you:

• Remove negative emotions
• Reduce food cravings
• Reduce or eliminate pain
• Implement positive goals

You can learn how to start using EFT on yourself and those close to you right now with my free online EFT Manual.

NOTE: This is the only lesson that will be repeated in each phase of my nutrition program, as it is crucial to long-term success.

For more information on how your emotions can aid or hinder your physical healing, please review the following articles:

• Scientific Proof that Your Childhood Traumas are a MAJOR Factor in Your All Your Illnesses
• Why Traumas Can Haunt and Sabotage Your Health for Years
• Child Emotional Care Influences Genetic Expression
• Did You Know Healing Could be So Simple?
• How Your Thoughts Can Cause or Cure Cancer
• You Will Never Guess the Surprising Cause of Most Heart Attacks

Lesson 2: Control your eating habits.

• Vary your foods. It is important to avoid regularly having the same food every day of the week. However, if the food is uncooked and is good to consume for your metabolic type, this concept is not as critical.

• Eat every two hours. Most of us eat large amounts of grains and sugars that cause us to have large amounts of insulin circulating in our blood. When you stop eating grains your body will take several days to lower your insulin levels. In the meantime the high insulin levels will cause you to have many symptoms such as dizziness, confusion, headaches, and generally feeling miserable.

If you eat every two hours for the first few days of your transition you will be able to avoid this temporary side effect. You will need to eat some protein, such as an egg, piece of chicken, turkey or fish, or some seeds, along with a vegetable such as a piece of celery, cucumber or red pepper. This will help to prevent hypoglycemia and stabilize your blood sugar.

• Eat more often during the day, rather than less often. Even after your system has adjusted, it will be wise to eat four to six meals a day. Eating more frequently has been shown to normalize cholesterol levels. It will also help your adrenal glands better regulate cortisol levels.

Lesson 3: Make sure you always get a good night's sleep.

To get a good night's sleep, it's important to sleep in complete darkness. I suggest:

• Get between seven to nine hours of sleep every night.
• Avoid before-bed snacks, particularly grains and sugars.
• Sleep in complete darkness or as close as possible.
• No TV right before bed.
• Avoid using loud alarm clocks.
• Keep the temperature in your bedroom no higher than 70 percent.
• Get to bed as early as possible. Your systems, particularly your adrenals, do a majority of their recharging or recovering during the hours of 11PM and 1AM.

For more information on these and other sleep suggestions, see my Guide to a Good Night's Sleep.

Lesson 4: Start exercising, especially if you need to lose weight.

At a bare minimum, everyone should exercise for 30 minutes per day. If you need to lose weight, it is important to exercise at least 60 minutes every day. Also note that, if you are diabetic, you will not be able to control your diabetes without exercise as part of your regime. If you are just beginning exercise, work up to 60 minutes slowly; you can combine several shorter exercise periods to reach your daily 60 minutes. There is a synergy with proper diet and exercise that is incredible. You will not be able to control diabetes without exercise.

Swimming is one of the best exercises on the planet, but if you are like most people your only option is swimming in a chlorinated pool. I strongly advise avoiding this since you will absorb more chlorine by swimming in a chlorinated pool than you would by drinking tap water for one week. Swimming in a lake, ocean or other natural water body is recommended. Peroxide (not bromine) is also an alternative for chlorine in your pool, and a product called Baquacil is available at most pool stores.

See Exercise to Improve Your Body and Your Brain for much more on my exercise recommendations, and to access an exercise table to plan and chart your progress. I also recommend you explore the following articles:

• Short Periods of Exercise Add Up -- Includes my general recommendations
• Aerobic Exercise Better to Reduce Blood Pressure
• Exercise Can Increase Your HDL
• Routine Exercise Snuffs Out Common Colds
• Exercise Good for Depression
• Exercise Lowers Women's Breast Cancer Risk
• Sugar and No Exercise Increase Pancreatic Cancer
• Exercise and Cancer
• Exercise Reduces Ovarian Cancer Risk
• Exercise Decreases Death From All Causes
• How to Go From Sedentary to Running in Just Five Steps
• An Hour of Exercise, Five Times a Week, is the Only Way to Lose Weight
• Want to Burn More Fat During Exercise? Take a Break

Lesson 5: If you're smoking, don't quit now.

I know, this sounds unusual. This is generally the first thing most health professionals ask you to do. What you may not know is that sugar is a far more dangerous influence to your health than cigarettes.

It is more important to stop eating sugar before you stop smoking. If you try to do both at once you will most likely fail. I want you to start feeling better before you even think about stopping smoking. I do recommend that everyone should stop smoking, but taking on the task of quitting should only be done once you have an optimal diet in place and you are already feeling good.

Lesson 6: Minimize drugs.

Minimize the unnecessary use of drugs, and seek safe and effective alternatives when possible. Especially troublesome are antibiotics, anti-ulcer drugs, birth control pills or estrogen for menopause unless you are having hot flashes. If you take Tylenol regularly, you should be on N-acetyl cysteine to prevent organ damage.

Further Reading:

• Eating More Frequently May Lower Your Cholesterol
• Proof For Assertion that Sugar is More Dangerous Than Smoking
• Mercury Exposure as Potent as Smoking to Heart Disease Risk
• How Many of These Ridiculous "Disorders" Do YOU Suffer From?
• 8 Drugs Doctors Would Never Take
• The Terrifying Side Effects of Prescription Drugs
• 7 Ills That Don't Need Pills
• Aspirin, Like All Other Drugs, Can Be a Poison
• Antibiotics in Poultry
• 70% of All Antibiotic Use Is In Agriculture