My "Boring" Nutrition Philosophy
What's my nutrition philosophy? Talk about a loaded question…
Like many people, my nutrition philosophy continues to shape-shift as I learn more, read more, and gather more personal and one-on-one experience. You might think that after so many years studying nutrition, I would have a solid grasp on what's "right" and "wrong," but if anything, the opposite is true.
As a teen, my nutrition philosophy focused on eating as few calories as possible, what I would refer to as my "baby eating disorder phase." Once I hit my 20s, I became "vegan," which was really just an excuse for me to restrict my food intake even further – this I would refer to as my "full-on eating disorder phase."
Recovering from the severe restriction of my early 20s, I began introducing a wider array of foods (sort of) and played around with the paleo diet, I dipped a toe in keto, tried strictly avoiding all forms of sugar, and on and on the experiment went.
Even in grad school for nutrition, as I was learning the ins and outs of the human body's need for nutrients, I continued to play the diet game. And with diets come dogma - a dangerous and very limiting state of mind.
Eventually, with enough trial and error and reading a considerable amount of research, the one thing I've come to believe firmly regarding nutrition is this; we simply don't know enough to have dogmatic views.
People ask me all the time what my nutrition philosophy is. Do I eat grains? What about meat? Do I avoid sugar? Is dairy okay?
While I would have had an emphatic answer to all of their questions in the past, today, I know better.
And by knowing "better," I mean that I know enough to know that we, as an industry and science, do not know enough.
I've been working in the nutrition field for over a decade, and I've spent the last five years writing for health and wellness companies, researching every single diet out there up and down, and not one has stood out as the end-all-be-all diet for every person. Yes, avoiding grains can be a life-changer for one person, but it could cause serious imbalances for another. The same is true for the vegan, vegetarian, keto, carnivore, and any other tailored diet out there.
So, I like to call my nutrition philosophy boring because, truly, what I'm about to share is nothing mind-blowing. It's mostly common sense, with a touch of self-empowerment.
My Nutrition Philosophy:
#1. Eat as many whole, real foods as possible (including fruit, vegetables, grains, meat, fish, dairy, nuts, seeds, and eggs).
#2. Avoid foods you may be sensitive to or have an allergy to. Don't avoid foods your friend has a sensitivity or allergy to – their body is not your body.
#3. Limit the amount of processed foods that you include in your diet. This includes most forms of packaged foods. Disclaimer: I did not say completely avoid all packaged foods; many food manufacturers are creating convenient and healthy options that come in a package -- just keep an eye on those ingredients (if you can't pronounce it or don't know what it is, it's probably not something you should eat.)
#4. Make sure that you treat yourself every now and then. If you love brownies, then brownies should never be completely off-limits. You can play around and look for recipes for "healthy" brownies, or you can just indulge in the real thing – just make it a special occasion instead of the norm.
#5. Listen to your body. When it comes to nutrition, your body is much wiser than your mind. Your mind can rationalize all day why you should or shouldn't eat this or that, but at the end of the day, it's your body paying the bill – so listen to what it has to say to you.
#6. Choose organic foods as much as possible, along with free-range and grass-fed animal products. There's plenty of sound research out there showing the detriments of added hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides. When possible, choose foods that are grown and raised naturally.
#7. Be cautious of the fish you eat. Sadly, our oceans are incredibly polluted, and even farmed fish can contain toxic elements.
#8. When you eat, try to do so in a relaxed state. Regardless of what you eat, you will digest and absorb the nutrients better if you're relaxed and present with your meal. So yes, that means I would rather see you mindfully eat a piece of pizza and enjoy every bite than take down a salad like a vulture.
So there you have it. Everyone's body is different, which means that everyone's diet should be different. Should you eat dairy? It depends. Should you eat grains? It depends. Should you eat gluten? It depends.
Perhaps someday, we'll nail down the ideal diet that works for everyone. Until then, I remain wary of any black-and-white views on nutrition, and I sincerely recommend that you do as well.
In part two of this blog, I'll cover how Ayurveda fits into my nutrition philosophy and why I firmly believe that how and when we eat should hold just as much weight as what we eat. Stay tuned.