Eating for Health Made Simple (Seriously!)

"What some call health, if purchased by perpetual anxiety about diet, isn't much better than tedious disease."  George Dennison Prentice


I believe health is simple, therefore eating for health is simple. 

I mentioned this to a patient the other day, and got a "yeah right" and a "you've got to be joking" look.  This is a completely understandable reaction.  There are hundreds of diets out there that recommend completely different things:  low fat vs. low carb, vegetarian vs. Paleo, diabetic friendly vs. the cookie diet (I thought this had to be a joke for years.. it's not)...  then you've got your "free" diets..  gluten-free, dairy-free, fat-free...  and so on.
And to top it all off, we've got a medical establishment full of experts that tell you all of these diets are horrible fad diets.  What's recommended?  The FDA's food pyramid- a base of grains, 5 servings of fruit/vegetables, some protein, and low in fats/sugars.  On top of this- you need to count every calorie you take in everyday to maintain your current weight or to lose weight.  It's all your fault if you're fat, right?

This is what I thought for years.  I calorie counted (which is a horrible curse), ate according to the food pyramid, and obsessed over eating everything because it might make me fat.  Unfortunately- the majority of North Americans only watch their diet to lose weight.  Most people don't eat primarily for health or energy.

Newsflash:  We should be eating to keep our bodies sharp and healthy.  That is the purpose of eating.

We should enjoy eating because it keeps us alive.

You should be eating in accordance with how you want to live.  If you want to live well (and for a long time), you need to eat for wellness.

I have 4 simple rules for eating:

Rule #1: Eat real food.  (and drink real water).

If you can't pronounce it, or have never heard of it growing from the Earth- it's not food.

Drink lots of water- we are over 75% water and are constantly losing it.  You need to rehydrate your body on a consistent basis.

Rule #2:  Eat mostly non-starchy vegetables.

Every popular diet supports this.  Mostly means over half of everything you eat.  Non-starchy vegetables exclude corn and potatoes.  (So many people consider these vegetables- we should have a new food group called Starches because they spike blood sugar more like grains than their non-starchy friends do).  A diet over 50% of things like leafy greens is a diet very high in plenty of nutrients and antioxidants.  Salad and steamed vegetables are your best friends, even if you don't know it yet.

Rule #3:  Eat clean protein.

I won't tell you that you have to eat meat if morally you're against it.  Doing something against your beliefs is incredibly damaging to your body.  You do need protein- a fair bit of it.

Clean protein examples are: organic free range chicken and eggs, sustainable fish (like wild Pacific salmon), free range beef, beans (black and kidney are amazing), clean nuts and seeds, humanely raised turkey...  those are my favorites.  Organic and local are always best if possible. 

(Side note on organics:  everything is organic- it's just what we do to the food when it's growing or after we harvest it that's nasty..  and it is nasty.)

Rule #4: Don't fear fat.

Dietary fat is incredibly important.  Your cells are surrounded by fat- if you don't get enough high quality fat, your cells will not be healthy.  If your cells aren't healthy, you aren't healthy.  Extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, clean fish oil, avocado, nuts/seeds..  they're all lovable.  Eat them and be happy (fat makes you satiated or full and releases a lot of happy neurotransmitters).

These 4 Rules are simple and easy to follow.  Unfortunately, I think they might be a bit incomplete for our society for a couple reasons.  1) A lot of us have unknowingly really screwed up our bodies, and 2) Our society doesn't make it easy to eat this way all the time.

My last two suggestions:

Extra Tip #1)  Find out your deficiencies and take supplements.  Three very important supplements that most of us are deficient in are Vitamin D, probiotics, and an omega 3 supplement.  These things are difficult to get in the right quantities, and very important. 

Extra Tip #2)  Eating perfectly all the time is insane, and might drive you crazy.  5-10% of your diet can be things that don't fit into the 4 Rules.  It's best if they're real food, but sometimes they won't be.  In our society of processed foods, you've probably got an addiction to something not-that-great for you.  Eat it once in a while, but here's the biggest take away:  Make sure you savour and enjoy it. 

I'll be completely honest:  I ate 4 cookies and had a coffee when I sat down to write this- and they were so good.  But I don't do it all the time. 

The biggest takeaway message I can share is this:

Food is meant to nourish and sustain you.  Let it do that.  We're lucky enough to live in a society that makes is very easy to live well, healthy, and prosperously.

Enjoy your food and you will enjoy your life.