You want to eat healthy. That is a given. But how do you eat healthy? Figuring that out can feel like an endless maze of opinions and contradicting science. The China Study spouts the benefits of vegetarian eating and the death risks of meat. On the other hand, the Paleo rage has you convinced that grains are destroying your health and a vegetable/meat diet is the answer to all your woes. The government and your doctor are telling you to stay away from saturated fat, but you keep reading about the wonders of coconut oil. The chaos continues to mount from there. What is an educated, health-seeking person supposed to do with all of that? The prevailing theories change every few years, so if we aren’t very careful, our diet becomes a constant rollercoaster ride of popular opinion and nutrition trends.
I was convinced there had to be a way to get to the truth that never changes, once and for all. Fifteen years ago I jumped head-first into all the nutritional controversy in an effort to take control of my own health. When it comes to special diets, I’ve pretty much done it all. I read, studied and experimented. I took my love of chemistry and my passion for searching for patterns and worked until I found clarity in the chaos. Here is what I learned.
- There is no single, perfect human diet. The human body is too complex. We come from too many different backgrounds and have too many varying needs. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something (usually a book about the perfect diet).
- There are, however, foundational principles that are true for everyone. I have found 4 of them that are true in any place, time, situation, or culture. These give us a solid foundation to sort through all the conflicting information and see clearly the truth about food.
- Each of us need to understand, for ourselves, what food does inside our body. Don’t just sit by and take anyone’s word that _____ is bad for you, or _____ is good for you. Your body is a complicated, but predictable machine. YOU need to understand the basics of biochemistry for your decisions to be confident and consistent amid all the changing advice your will hear. For example, we all know refined sugar is not really good for us, but what should we use instead? Demerra? Coconut Sugar? Agave? You will hear all of the above. But to find the answer, you need to know what sugar does inside your liver. That knowledge changes everything, I promise. Suddenly you know how to make brownies so that they work with your body instead of against it. Knowledge of how the different puzzle pieces of your body work together gives you immense personal power and lets you live above the fads.
- We all need to listen to and trust our own bodies. Our culture has taught us to ignore our bodies, and even drug them into silence. But your amazing body was designed to tell you exactly what it needs. Every illness and craving is talking to you. We just have to relearn the language of listening. When you add this skill to your understanding of the universal principles and basic biochemistry, you will know exactly what YOUR body needs to eat to achieve its ultimate health!
If you would love some help to embrace this approach and learn what YOUR body needs to thrive, click on the program page to learn more about the Simply Divine Eating 6 month online program. It will give you all the tools you need to take one step at a time toward the health you have always dreamed of!
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