Nutrition is one of those keys that can seem just too daunting to tackle and certainly that is part of the reason why there are so many “simple” and “easy” or even “magic” dietary plans to follow. Yet, as we all know, the way to accomplish a project that seems overwhelming is to break it into manageable tasks. The added challenge when it comes to nutrition is that the end goal is not obvious. Should you eat a low fat diet? Does it make sense for you to make your meals mostly plant based? Can you count carbonated water as your water intake? And do you really need to be drinking 64 ounces of water a day? Seriously, this list could just go on and on with science supporting and refuting nearly every answer.
One of the reasons that the science isn’t clear is that humans aren’t the same. Starting with the way we digest, there are variances in our ability to break down foods and the mechanisms of motility. Then the variability of the microbiota in our intestines plays such an immense role that research is continuing to find never before imagined connections with our health. And all of that happens before the absorbed nutrients get a chance to make it to our cells where things like the difference in mitochondria (7 types have been found in humans) may provide differences in how we get energy from the food. Check out The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Out Genetic Ancestry if you want to explore more on the topic of mitochondria. To simplify, we are all different and our lifestyle choices create even more differences among us.
Just trying to determine the right nutrition for an individual is complicated, but in our modern society that is also not seen as enough because we are inundated with how our food industry is not doing right by us nor the earth. Really?! Is there no end to the negatives associated with this basic need for our survival? It is almost as if money is to be made confusing and shaming us. And, along those lines, there is research demonstrating that foods which we are designed to crave when stressed actually don’t satiate us but exacerbate the craving- the opposite of other primates- and the researchers speculate that is due to our belief that the “bad” food is causing us harm, and thus, is increasing our stress.
Rather than hide your head in the sand only coming up for fast food, I encourage you to set some small steps. Start tracking the foods you eat and how they make you feel, decide that you will increase your water intake, or maybe watch the documentary Kiss the Ground (https://kisstheground.com/). There are so many small actionable steps that you can take that will give you more control, and while the ideal magic miracle foods are appealing, they are not the path of you using your ownership to take the best care of yourself.
As always, let me know how I can help.
Adam
One of the reasons that the science isn’t clear is that humans aren’t the same. Starting with the way we digest, there are variances in our ability to break down foods and the mechanisms of motility. Then the variability of the microbiota in our intestines plays such an immense role that research is continuing to find never before imagined connections with our health. And all of that happens before the absorbed nutrients get a chance to make it to our cells where things like the difference in mitochondria (7 types have been found in humans) may provide differences in how we get energy from the food. Check out The Seven Daughters of Eve: The Science That Reveals Out Genetic Ancestry if you want to explore more on the topic of mitochondria. To simplify, we are all different and our lifestyle choices create even more differences among us.
Just trying to determine the right nutrition for an individual is complicated, but in our modern society that is also not seen as enough because we are inundated with how our food industry is not doing right by us nor the earth. Really?! Is there no end to the negatives associated with this basic need for our survival? It is almost as if money is to be made confusing and shaming us. And, along those lines, there is research demonstrating that foods which we are designed to crave when stressed actually don’t satiate us but exacerbate the craving- the opposite of other primates- and the researchers speculate that is due to our belief that the “bad” food is causing us harm, and thus, is increasing our stress.
Rather than hide your head in the sand only coming up for fast food, I encourage you to set some small steps. Start tracking the foods you eat and how they make you feel, decide that you will increase your water intake, or maybe watch the documentary Kiss the Ground (https://kisstheground.com/). There are so many small actionable steps that you can take that will give you more control, and while the ideal magic miracle foods are appealing, they are not the path of you using your ownership to take the best care of yourself.
As always, let me know how I can help.
Adam
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