How To Be Healthy Without An Education, Part I
In this first part, I will discuss my views on believing everything you read about nutrition and how it can affect your view on reaching your goals; the second part of the post (coming soon), will touch on my personal diet, how I decide what to eat and when, and tips for those looking to “clean up” and simplify their diet. (NOTE: “diet” does not always mean the connotation of a plan to eat less, etc., it’s simply a noun for a person’s nutrition).
When it comes to nutrition and what you need to eat to “meet your goals”, it seems as if there is a large gray area and people are continuously misguided.
“Eat More, Weigh Less”
“10 Foods to Avoid if You Want to Shed Fat”
“Could ______ Be Making You Gain Weight?”
I believe that the reason people fall into believing these headlines/articles because it’s in print, so it has to be true, correct? Why would they advertise that if it’s not true, right? Wrong. I’m here to tell you that no one food will make you fat; no single food should be avoided at all costs to reach your health goals (exception: if you have a food allergy); the secret isn’t to eat “less”. In fact, there IS no secret. There is no hidden cheat. There is no quick fix that you haven’t read about. If you want to reach your health and nutrition goals, simply educate yourself about quality nutrition, balance, and your individual body and what works for YOU. Yes- IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU! I bet you're happy to continue reading now. You don’t need to become certified in nutrition or have two letters of accreditation behind your name to reach your goals. What you need is to learn about your own body through experience, through trial and error, and through your sensual desires of what foods you actually enjoy eating. What works for you may not work for the next person.
For example, let’s look at my own experience with nutrition and my body. I have gone through multiple phases of liking certain foods for months at a time, as well as tiring of them. When I was prepping for my show last summer, I was eating a large amount of broccoli every day because it was a lot of volume, it kept me full, and not only is it low in carbs, but it provides Vitamin A, C, and B-6. However, after about six weeks of eating it twice per day every day, I found that my stomach just didn’t agree with broccoli, and the stems were very hard for my digestive system to break down, causing bloating and general discomfort. So I switched to green beans and haven’t had the same issue since. In this process, I learned something about my body that differed from other people who eat broccoli daily without a problem, and I adjusted my vegetable intake thereafter.
Now, I’m also a creature of habit, routine, and planning. I eat (typically) the same foods for breakfast, lunch, and my pre-workout snack every week day, given that I consistently work the same 40 hours/week, Monday through Friday, and hit the gym after work. Am I suggesting that you have to do the same? Absolutely not. It’s what works for ME, the food that I enjoy eating on my schedule, and makes meal planning a breeze, thus staying on track with my nutrition, and further, my goals. I definitely switch it up on the weekends and have more “interesting” foods and treats because I have more time and am home more often.
This post is broad and vague, but the fact of the matter is that there really are no “rules” to dieting and reaching your nutrition goals, as some may be led to believe. Every person and their body is different from the next, and the only way to know for certain about what will benefit you and your body is through experience and (I hesitantly say this) a balance of nutrient-dense foods with foods you enjoy that may not be so nutrient-dense from time to time.
Why do we hear one day that “bananas are too high in sugar”, and the next is “bananas are the key to reaching your weight loss goals”? Because science isn’t set in stone- I cannot stress this enough. Hypotheses and theories are developed, tested, and conclusions are then drawn from those experiments. Bananas do have a higher sugar content than, say, a blueberry, but that doesn’t mean you should throw them out of your diet just because you read that in a health magazine.
Sure, it would be recommended that you have a good source of protein (chicken, egg whites, tuna, etc.) with each meal, along with a side of veggies for vitamins and fiber, and maybe some whole grains to keep you satiated. But if you are running late, and can only grab a quick snack, you’re not any less healthy than your neighbor. You’re human. Oh, how often we forget that.
-Thanks for reading!
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