When it comes to diet and nutrition there are so many options: Keto, Paleo, Whole 30, Carnivore, Atkins, vegan, etc….. I literally could write about this subject for days. Trying to decide which diet to go on, figuring out what works best for your body can be overwhelming and difficult. We all want instant gratification and a quick fix. It is frustrating trying to figure out which diet will work. Most of us pick the one that sales the best- gives us the solution to whatever problem we are trying to fix at the time. First of all, diets can be complicated. Many of us suffer from food sensitivities and those can be hard to uncover. Today, I want to keep it simple! Give you simple guidelines to follow that can be applied to any of the diets you choose except for one, which I try to avoid at all cost! The SAD diet, the Standard American Diet which looks like anything processed from a factory that you buy in a box or pick up from any convenient drive through!
Everything that you read today, you have probably heard before. Keep it simple, eat whole foods, eat in season, local and organic whenever possible. Eat the Rainbow. When shopping for produce look for variety, shop for in-season, colorful foods. Eat whole foods. Whole foods are foods that still look as they did growing in nature. Apples, oranges, berries, kale, broccoli, lettuce and potatoes are all examples of whole foods. It is important to eat Whole Foods because our bodies are able to recognize the "whole food" as fuel, efficiently use the food for energy and to easily extract key nutrients from the food in order for our bodies to use it properly.
Food is Energy. Food is Information. Food is Connection. Food is Medicine
Food is Energy. It is fuel for our body. Food powers our systems and provides energy for us to complete our daily tasks. It is the gas for our internal motor. Food is Information. We interpret information from different colors and types of food. If we do not provide our bodies with good information, then it will have a hard time working efficiently for us. Foods of color are a good example. You have heard that carrots are good for eyesight because of the beta-carotene and purple grapes have resveratrol which promotes healthy aging and reduces inflammation. It is important to eat colorful phytonutrient foods because each of them has important information for our bodies to receive in order to maintain our health and immunity. Food is Connection, we connect with our friends and families over meals. What your friend is eating can alter your decision on what you eat. Mealtimes can also trigger emotions and cravings so being mindful and having awareness around these moments can help you better support your decision as to which food is best for you. Food is Medicine, food can be the most powerful medicine or the slowest form of poison. Over-processed and packaged foods are laced with toxins that can damage and send incorrect information to our bodies which overtime can cause diabetes, heart disease, chronic inflammation, gastrointestinal disorders and many more complications.
So, when considering how to best fuel your body – keep it simple, eat whole foods, eat the rainbow and keep in mind that food is fueling and providing information to your body! Keep your plate balanced with protein, carbohydrates and fats. We can take a deeper dive into proper rations and which foods are more beneficial in the days to come but for now keep it simple. Protein should be the size of your palm, vegetables should be the size of your fist and a serving of fat should be about the size of your thumb. Eat grass feed, grass finished meats including beef, pork, chicken and fresh wild caught fish. These are excellent sources of protein. Cook with coconut or avocado oil and grass-fed Ghee. Use olive oils for your salad dressing and dipping sauces. Try to avoid all of the inflammatory processed oils: canola, soybean, corn, grapeseed, safflower, sunflower, and cottonseed. The ingredient list on the back of any packaging should be minimal and readable. Meaning you should be able to identify and pronounce all ingredients. Keeping a balanced diet with mostly organic fruits & vegetables as well as good sourced meats and fish fuels your body properly giving you the opportunity to live your best life!
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