think

My thoughts on nutrition.  In case you care..

I truly believe, and the Integrative Institute solidifies this, that there are many facets to nutrition.  Nutrition is not only about WHAT we put into our yappers, although that is a very large part, but also WHY we eat.   My definition of nutrition includes our relationship to the food itself, why do we eat what we eat. Is that mac-n-cheese  so tantalizing because of taste alone or are we lacking nourishment in other areas of our life that mac-n-cheese seems to fill in that moment? Either way, nutrition, is a complicated beast and after years of trying every diet on the market, it has occurred to me that no one diet is right for everybody and even if you find a diet that does work there are aspects of  that diet that do not work for or with you.  While I do believe “diets” are not a great idea, I do believe that eating in a way that makes you the best version of yourself is worth trying to figure out.  Food is fuel and it also something worthy of enjoyment just because it tastes so darn good and maybe that is just the “nutrition” your body needs at that time.  Maybe!?

Having tried every diet on the market.  I mean every diet!  I have been vegan, raw, vegetarian.  I dabbled in macrobiotics for a few weeks.  I have done cleanses, Weight Watchers, The Perfect 10 diet, The South Beach Diet and most recently I gave the Paleo/ Primal diet a whirl.  Every diet has their pros and cons and some of them vastly contradict one another, which always gave me a literal and figurative headache.  I so desperately longed  for one of these diets to be “my” diet, but with every last one of them I cheated or made my own adjustments and I would feel the weight of guilt and failure for not following the “rules.” It has only been rather recently that I decided to let perfect strangers stop telling me how to eat and create my  food “rules.”  I could really only think of one good rule:  listen to your body.  I know this rule allows for a lot of ambiguity especially for those physically addicted to not-so-healthy foods, but with a little guidance, experimenting and patience, I think everybody can figure out what their body is really telling them.  As for guidance, here is a list of guidelines I find work the best for me.  Remember these are just guidelines (my guidelines-at that) and that I am not a certifiable nutritionist or doctor.  Furthermore, please do not be surprised to see this list ever-changing.   You’ve been warned.  Without further ado:

• eat oodles of organic veggies
• eat a decent amount of organic fruit
• cook at home as much as possible and love every second of it
• if eating meat, know the source (local farm & grass-fed)- I am still not sure how I feel about meat.  I think meat has a lot of health benefits, but it REALLY grosses me out.
• Eat only organic,  fuller fat dairy and only organic eggs
• eat minimal amounts of  soy, sugar, legumes and grains.  Ideally I would like to avoid completely, but  I know that will not happen
• don’t drink too much alcohol or coffee
• eat oodles of good fat (ie coco oil, evoo, nuts & nut butters)
• don’t overuse stevia
• if eating processed food recognize the ingredients.  good luck!
• absolutely no soda. This is the only hard & fast rule I have.
• eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full. This one is going to take time
• chew your food. Again, this one is going to take time.
• pay attention to and savor  your food. This one is ironic because I spend so much time thinking about food, but when I am actually eating it, I am in front of the TV or computer.  hmmmm…