Moving into a Healthier Diet

Most people decide at one stage in their life that they want to eat healthier. It just makes sense that a healthier diet will result in being healthier both short term and long term.

But what is a healthier diet? There are so many different opinions out there, each specialist backing his or her views by countless research and evidence. And for most opinions you can find the exact opposite opinion, too!

Take supplements, don’t take any supplements; eat 3 meals a day and nothing in between, eat small quantities throughout the day; eat more of this, reduce the consumption of that.

It’s good to read and listen to all the experts, however, at the end of the day, each of us is different and changes in one’s diet should take into account that we all relate differently to food – physically mentally and emotionally.

There are 2 principles, though, that seem to be widely accepted:

1 – Everything in moderation. In other words, don’t exaggerate with anything.

2 – Unprocessed food is generally better than processed food.

The first concept is very easy for me to understand. I can imagine how overeating anything – no matter how potentially healthy – can create some damage. And even though I am aware of it, I must admit, I do overeat very often. Overeating, as I see it, is eating food when I’m not hungry. So I reach for food just because I’m cold, or stressed, or lonely. I reach for that second and third serving meal just because it tastes good, even though I’m already full.

Some people will say that this phenomenon of overeating is a result of my body missing some building block it needs (either because I’m not eating the right kind of nutrients, or because for some reason my body is not digesting the nutrients to utilise them properly). Some people will say this is merely a habit and a strong willpower is all it takes to stop overeating…

I do notice that when I’m calm and relaxed it’s easier for me to eat in moderation, however there are no exact rules governing when I’m overeating and when I’m not.

So how to stop overeating then? It’s a damn good question! I’m going to leave this one open for your suggestions. I’m willing to learn and experiment.

The second concept is easier for me to follow.

The way I define processed food, is any food that you don’t know exactly what its ingredients are. This includes packaged foods that have all those funny numbers and names (E297 for example, or Fumaric Acid – do you have any clue what it is? If not, why would you eat it? If yes, and you feel comfortable putting it in your mouth – go ahead and eat it!)

For me, usually this concept would also include eating in restaurants and especially fast food outlets, unless I know I can trust the cooks that work there. Sometimes even Chefs do not have enough knowledge about the food that they are serving!

I remember one day a friend of mine – a trainee Chef in a known café in Sydney – told me very proudly that they have a variety of gluten free options on their menu. He mentioned they are using Seitan to create some of these beautiful so called Gluten-Free meals… Now if you know anything about Seitan, you probably already know that Seitan is in fact made out of wheat gluten!

This is not to say that I never eat packaged food or never go out for dinner. I do, however, try to prepare my own food from scratch as much as possible, and when I do eat out, I am very careful of my choices in regards to where I’m eating and what I select from the menu.

I believe that if we do our best to incorporate these two principles into our lives (eat in moderation, eat unprocessed food), we will already be on the path to optimal health.

All the other food questions: (Should I eat fish? Should I eat dairy products? Should I have green smoothies? Should I have vegetable juices? Should I eat a big breakfast? Should I eat Spirulina? Should I take vitamin supplements? Should I only eat raw food? Should I eat salt? Should I eat brown sugar? Etc), are questions that you need to answer for yourself, according to your own physical needs, spiritual believes, moral values, social preferences and also mental state. The answers to these questions will probably even change throughout the course of your lifetime when you realise all of a sudden you want to include or omit a component from your diet.

How do you see yourself applying these principles in your life? Is it easy for you?

Are there any struggles?

Let’s create some support for one another by sharing stories, tips, and whenever we can also share some yummy healthy meals together! What do you say?

Comments

[John Gardner]

It is not too late for now to switch or adapt a healthy diet. I recommend it to all.