If there is one thing I absolutely love its simplifying nutrition and everything else related to health! And it really is this simple once you get your head around it!
We just over complicate things by focusing on all the little details that aren’t really necessary for general health and this tends to confuse people (obviously if you’re an elite athlete you’ll need to go deeper).
Beware of Clever Marketing
Of course, clever marketers take advantage of this to sell us all kinds of ‘health foods’ but at the end of the day, if it’s been processed from its natural state it’s not ultimately healthy for you (that doesn’t include if it’s been cooked, blended or crushed, I’m talking about adding and removing parts of the food and turning it into something completely different).
Stick to natural wholefoods that grow in nature, then listen to how your body responds to certain foods and adjust accordingly. If it makes you feel energetic and vital, keep eating it. If not, don’t. (Though there is a difference between feeling bad from food that doesn’t agree with your body and detox symptoms from starting out with healthy eating).
We’ve all been evolving alongside these natural foods for millions of years and they are specifically designed for our bodies. I’m all for scientific progress and maybe one day we’ll be able to replicate natures brilliance. But for now all you need to do is look at the current state of society’s health and decide for yourself whether they’re working or not. The answer is pretty obvious.
Wholefoods: The Key to Simplifying Nutrition
So what do I mean when I say wholefoods? I mean natural REAL (ideally organic) foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, grains, legumes and organic humanely raised meat that has been fed it’s natural diet. Foods that haven’t been processed in a factory. Foods that have been grown organically. Foods without a label. Foods that aren’t trying to sell you in their packaging saying ‘I’m healthy, gluten-free, sugar-free, fat-free’ or whatever other BS claim they’re trying to make to sell you an unnatural food that isn’t designed for your body while they take advantage of current health trends and selective research. A brilliant unbiased documentary that I highly recommend which dives deeply into this topic is ‘In Defense of Food’ by Michael Pollan.
It’s All About Balance
Now I’m not saying you can’t still enjoy these foods, just know what they are and what they’re doing to your body so that you can take steps to counter any ill effects they may have. It’s the conscious educated choice that matters, everyone has total freedom to do what they want with their bodies. I just hate seeing people making terrible choices day by day because they don’t know any better because they’re being bombarded by marketing campaigns with no regard for their long-term health.
Personally, I love my pizza or a good burger as much as anyone and I don’t like to restrict myself from enjoying these foods every now and then. But I know that if I eat these foods I need to balance them out with a lot of quality wholefoods for the majority of my diet as well as an organic alkaline green drink which helps provide the body with an abundance of high quality nutrients. This assists your body in balancing out any negative effects from processed and unhealthy foods. This also really helps to top up your diet if you’re not eating only locally grown organic foods.
Avoiding Dogmatic Gurus and Philosophies
Another pitfall that many fall into is following a certain dietary dogma or guru who is claiming to have all the answers.
Unfortunately, most people are looking for someone who has ‘the answer’ to all their problems. Then when they’re presented with a cookie cutter approach from a person with a lot of authority and confidence they blindly follow their advice, sometime to their own peril. This can be particularly dangerous if they’re telling you to cut out or have an abundance of certain foods that do not agree with what your unique body and circumstances require.
What you need to realise is that many of these experts are just people who have simply tried a diet that worked perfectly for them and then have run with the idea that it’s the one and only true philosophy for everyone in all situations at all times.
Different philosophies are not all bad though. They can be used as amazing guide posts to know where you stand and to help make sense of things, however they should never be treated as a religion that you do not question if they are relevant to you. You can always find a tonne of scientific evidence to support any stance and its exact opposite especially when it comes to health. So always remember to listen to your body above all else, no matter how convincing the philosophy may be.
And yes, I’m aware of the irony that I’m writing an article giving nutrition advice while telling you not to blindly follow anyones advice haha. But I don’t want you to blindly follow anything I write either, I want you to rationally think about what you read and how it relates to you. Then go test it and apply it in any way that works for you. Experience is the only way to truly know anything, and we all need to take responsibility for our own health.
Moving Forward
If you’d like to go deeper into these topics then I highly recommend checking out the other articles below, the Resources Page where I’ve put together some of the most helpful videos, documentaries and books I’ve ever found.
I hope this helps with you journey to better health and if you need any assistance please don’t hesitate to contact me in the comments below.
