What Should I Eat?
People ask me fairly often, “What should I eat?” Some ask for a “diet” or meal plan. I hesitate to plan meals for individuals, but I do have some simple guidelines, and I do mean simple, that I would like to share.
It is very important to your health and/or recovery what you choose to eat. The foods we eat contain the building blocks of joint repair, detoxification, hormone production, energy production, etc., etc.
My philosophy of health and life is “simple and natural,” and that certainly applies to food choices. When you get ready to eat you lunch, stop and look at your plate or bowl and ask, “How close to nature is this food?” How many steps from tree, field, plant or ground has this food taken? If you are eating pre-packaged foods, you will need to read the labels to know this for sure. If you read a list of complicated names you are not familiar with, you are probably breaking rule number one:
Almost NEVER eat poison!
Are you familiar with the old rule or saying, “Never use absolutes!” This is as close as I come to using an absolute…never, always, forever. And, there are studies that suggest that (in healthy individuals) a bit of poison in the diet actually increases longevity.
I include anything chemically manufactured to be considered as a poison. That includes chemically manufactured fats (margarine and hydrogenated oils), sweeteners and flavorings (Splenda, Aspartame, etc.), colors, smells, preservatives, etc., etc. All those long complicated names should be listed under “poison,” whether or not it has yet been proven dangerous. I would include the products that you put on you as well, soaps, shampoos, lotions, toothpaste.
So, what have we eliminated at this point? NOTHING! Except “brands” that are produced by corporate giants who are concerned with stock options and bottom lines, NOT you and your health.
You can still eat chips, cookies, crackers, donuts, etc. by a different brand name, purchased from a health(y) grocery store. There is a limit to everything, however, and that is my second rule:
Eat Carbohydrates in accordance to your activity level!
This is a LAW of Physics and Chemistry that cannot be broken! If you do, you will stress your body’s ability to process sugar and you will break down.
So, now what have we eliminated? NOTHING! If you are active enough, you can eat all the breads, cereals, fruit, grains, beans, potatoes that you want. It is your choice to make regarding the carbohydrate intake that is right for you. If you are a desk jockey, and never exercise, you may be eligible for one piece of bread or fruit per day. One serving and that’s it, or you push sugar metabolism into stress. Now, if you never exercise, you will lose function of your physical body over time, so I don’t recommend this, but, conceivably, you could regulate blood sugar and be pretty inactive.
A rather significant asterisk on carbohydrate intake is that you need to choose whole grains if you choose to eat grains. The package must say “Whole” specifically. You have to read the label again, since manufacturers like to indicate “whole” on the front of the package, and the label actually lists “whole” grains as the second, third or fourth ingredient. I wouldn’t make it a habit of eating these carbohydrate foods.
The reason is that processed, refined grains are stripped of their nutrients (B vitamins and minerals), so if you eat them, or sugar, you get the glucose, but none of the nutrients to convert glucose into energy. (All carbs become glucose by the time it reaches your blood) Those types of carbs are called empty calories because they are devoid of nutrition, and will starve your body of essential B vitamins and minerals over time. And that doesn’t “feel good” if your desire is to feel good!
This is my first give and take opportunity. Although not ideal, when I go for pizza or have cookies, I take an extra multivitamin and mineral supplement.
Once you have begun reducing poisons, refined and processed carbs, and are eating carbs in accordance to your activity level…
Begin to eat intuitively!
If you are not on a cycle of sugar highs and lows, or serotonin highs and lows, or addicted to a rush that a chemical food additive gives you…EAT WHAT YOU WANT TO EAT!
If you feel like having a cheeseburger, have one. Just have a whole grain bun, or if you aren’t exercising enough to process the carbs, skip the bun altogether. Note also, that if you choose to eat animal products, choose organic and local or you will be eating poison once again…synthetic hormones, antibiotics, and the pesticides and herbicides sprayed on whatever they feed the animals.
In the search for health and longevity, we need to listen to the feedback our bodies give us. It is not normal to fall asleep after a meal, or feel bloated, gassy, or otherwise feel miserable. Listen to you…you should feel good, energized, if you are eating foods that are right for you.
Be curious and listen. “I wonder how I would feel if I ate all those high fat foods that I’ve been conditioned to fear.” “I wonder how I would feel if I ate red meat (choose organic) all week long?”
You will eventually notice, if you follow these simple guidelines, that you seem to want a salad, or feel like having some broccoli, or think some eggs and bacon sounds good today. If you are not being “duped” by chemical addictions or fear based conditioning, you will probably choose well and feel well.
There are several good meal planning / cookbooks already available. I think the challenge for most is discovering recipes for including vegetables in all meals (beyond boiled peas and green beans).
In our home, we have Sally Fallon’s Cookbook, which is based upon the research of Weston Price (see links under Patient Information). He taught that animal products were a basis of traditional diets that were protective of chronic disease and how to incorporate healthy animal proteins and fats into your diet (Plus lots of veggies).
We also have Mercola’s Total Health Program which has plenty of ideas for grain free dining.
We have a copy of the Vegetarian Times cookbook for meat free meals.
If you need meal planning ideas, these are a few of the resources I would recommend.
It’s just that simple and natural!
Don’t be overwhelmed and don’t make life complicated. Eat food the way nature prepares it (plus some cooking in most cases). If you seem allergic or sensitive to bunches of foods, or whole food groups (like fat), then your digestive and/or health balance is upset. That is a diagnostic quandary, and should be treated to problem solving.
“And that is all I have to say about that!” -Forest Gump
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