WHAT SHOULD I EAT?

The million dollar question!!!

Hello again, everyone! Hope you are all well and thank you so much for all your awesome feedback. I will always welcome any advice and constructive criticism.

I have often been asked what I eat and what we all are supposed to eat, and I am afraid there is no short answer. Should, would, could, none of those work for me. The question should rather read, “what can I eat to nourish my body?” Anyway, the whole thing is so very complicated and complex and difficult to understand and often so very frustrating! My own diet (eating plan) is forever evolving, changing and being modified, and I really am enjoying the ongoing learning process. The   positive outcome is now I truly feel confident that I have the knowledge to help others on their path too.

internet, I started looking for people who have done scientific research on the science of food and eating, and for people who were able to develop evidence based nutrition. There are gazillions of studies out there, but so many are funded by huge corporations who somehow often manage to manipulate the results to their advantage. Then I stumbled across Dr Michael Greger, an American physician, author and professional speaker He takes basic research in nutrition and together with his army of co-workers, shifts through it all and separates the wheat from the chaff and the result is authentic evidence-based facts.  He advocates the huge benefits of a whole-food, plant-based diet. As with all the nutrition gurus that I follow, I take from their teachings that which resonates and sits well with me.

Anyway. Back to Dr Greger and his authentic science. He has developed a wonderful checklist of all the foods divided into food groups that he tries to fit into his daily routine. I think his list is really great! It’s a very useful guide for me, and it has become one of the tools in my nutrition toolbox.

Below is a diaphragmatic representation of Dr Greger’s “The Daily Dozen”.

 

 

Some footnotes.

Dr Greger is a vegan, so his protein choices differ from mine. I do eat beans, but I mostly eat chicken and fish.

The tablespoon of flaxseed is so easy. The ground version of this (apparently the best) is so easy to sprinkle on a smoothie or a bowl of oats.

The cruciferous veg, the greens and vegetables can get a little confusing, so let me know if I can help you with this. Also, very useful to use Google to find out about these.

The fruit is easy, and the nuts, too.

I do not necessarily agree with his exercise regime. For my optimal health, I have found that combining various forms of exercise works so well for me.

The whole water story and the amount that one should drink and where we should source it, is an ongoing debate. I like a recent article I read, where, they had a formula, dividing your weight in kilograms by 30 and this should then be your daily intake in litres, e.g. 60 divided by 30 equals 2 litres.

This all aside, of vital importance, is the fact that we are all totally, utterly and completely different in so many ways. So, the take home from this checklist is that it gives us an idea and a good baseline and starting point for us to use, as we discover exactly what works and what does not work for our bodies from a nutritional perspective.

Our differences are numerous and varied, our likes and dislikes, our heritage, where we were born and  where we live, our past and present medical history and any health issues we may have, our emotional state, our metabolic rate, the foods that we enjoy, etc, etc… for these reasons and many more, our bodies react, absorb and utilise the food that we eat in so many varied ways.

So, remember, one size does not fit all and can never do so. We need to eat for our own individual needs and requirements and enjoyment.  If you are interested in having a comprehensive and thorough assessment in order to establish how best you should nourish your body, please give me a call and we can set up an appointment to assess you and your requirements. Your eating plan is about what works for you, what nourishes you, what makes those many amazing biochemical pathways work at their optimum for you and what gives you the best health and wellness you can experience in this awesome life that we are all privileged to have.

I had written a whole bunch of tips and helpful hints that I have discovered which are helping me on my journey but decided these are for another day. I think Dr Greger’s Daily Dozen is enough to digest and absorb for this week.

What I do need to share with you, is my belief that nutritive eating has to be combined with the other pillars that are so important for our health and vitality.

We really need to make certain that we are resting properly and get those necessary seven to eight hours of sleep a day. We need to be exercising in the way that suits us best most days. We need to let go of self-judgement, guilt and self-criticism and learn to embrace and love ourselves unconditionally. Once all these pillars are in place, the eating plan and management will come so much more easily. Of course, there will be days and sometimes a week where it all goes pear, but it will, and does, get easier. I can vouch for that.

So, please let me know if I can help you, and thank you again for reading my blog I am going to end this with the words written by Dr Libby, another of the amazing people whose studies and work I follow, written in her book: “What am I supposed to eat?”

“What I wish for us all is that our relationship with food and our bodies is based around the deepest self-care imaginable, and the belief that food choices stem from wanting to take care of yourself and to have amazing health.”

My eighth tip

It is all about choices. We are privileged to have choices. My desire for you all is that you can mostly make the right ones for you and your body when you decide what to eat. It’s as simple as that. So, good luck with this. See you next week.