I read a lot of books about nutrition and food. When my Dad and I get on the phone, we talk most of the time about what we’ve been eating. Recently, I read Skinny Bitch which was hilarious and very informative. I am also reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma which is fascinating. I thought the part on organic food production was really informative…
Anyway, I’ve been through a lot of gyrations with my food philosophy over the years. I’ve been a vegetarian, a pescatarian, a full-on meat eater, I’ve eaten low-fat, I’ve done Weight Watchers, and of course, recently, I did an eliminationn diet to determine food intolerances (which I could write a whole, ranting post about, but I won’t).
Honestly, I think I have a pretty balanced approach to eating and food, given our culture’s myriad issues around food. I truly believe any mindfulness-based practice (Yoga, meditation, Thai chi, etc.) helps us access our body’s wisdom about our unique nutritional needs. But I think some things are just basic to everyone. (Of course, I am not a nutritionist, I am providing this as my personal philosophy…)
Food Basics:
-Focus on locally produced, organic fruits and veggies (I shoot for 7-9 servings a day).
-Think variety with your fruits and veggies.
-Eat seasonally- warm foods in winter (soup, root veggies), cooling foods in summer (salads).
-Eat whole grains like millet, brown rice, quinoa, barley, polenta, oats, etc. There are so many delicious options besides bread!
-Drink your water- 64 ounces a day, okay?
-Minimize (or eliminate) soda, juice, alcohol, and coffee.
-Eliminate (or minimize) artifical sweeteners and high fructose corn syrup.
-Minimize processed foods. Look at the ingredient list. Do you recognize the ingredients as food??
-Focus on a plant-based diet. If you eat meats, eat grass fed, free-range meats in moderation. -If you eat fish, buy wild-caught, being mindful to avoid fish with high mercury levels.
-If you or your children eat dairy, buy organic, hormone-free dairy products.
-Chew. Your. Food. Digestion starts in your mouth.
-Eat to satisfaction, not fullness or stuffed-ness. Give you stomach some room to breathe, so to speak.
Personally, I have found:
*I am lactose intolerant, so I avoid dairy products.
*I avoid refined sugar, it makes me crazy. That being said, I will eat a yummy dessert when I’m out. If I make desserts at home, I use rapadura sugar, honey, or agave syrup.
*I also don’t drink alcohol at all. I have many reasons to abstain, which also could encompass an entire post.
My guiding principle with food, as in Yoga, is to listen to my body. Some people thrive on a vegetarian diet, others thrive on meats. The most important thing is to pay attention to how ingesting certain things makes you feel. Sometimes, it’s not possible to determine how something makes you feel until you get it out of your system for a period of time. In particular, I would encourage everyone to get rid of processed foods and sugar and sugar substitutes for a period of time to see how you feel.
But if this sounds overwhelming and you eat a lot of fast food or processed foods, start with increasing fruits and veggies and see if making one small change encourages you to make more changes. Food is a way to support your life, choose the ones that give you clarity and energy.
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I think you would really enjoy Michael Pollan’s new book too, ‘In Defense of Food’. He expands on many of the ideas he talked about in ‘Omnivores Dilemma’. Another book I really enjoyed was ‘French Women Don’t Get Fat’. I went into it skeptical, but she really has some good things to say and the recipes are neat (I’ve started making my own yogurt at home – yum!)
I love this post! You know me, I’m all about the food…
For me, it was, in recent years, about losing those last 5-10 pregnancy pounds. I’d tried many, many different diets. None of them worked. And I was sick. A lot.
And then, you and I crossed paths, and I started to learn a tremendous amount about food from you. Much of what you write about above, I’ve now adapted. And although I’m cautious about putting a label on it, because labels to me usually conjure up extremes, and then it’s all over for me, I will say that the biggest change for me came after I finished reading “Skinny Bitch.” I’d been toying with the idea of giving up meat and poultry for some time now, but didn’t have the information I needed to really push me over the edge. Until I read the book. And now? I’d say it’s been about 4 or 5 weeks without any meat or poultry, a small amount of fish here and there, and no more milk (although still a little cheese as a treat – I am not crazy!). I have never, ever, in my life felt better than I do right now. A lot of stressors in my life, and you know what? With the exception of the cake incident of two nights ago, I’m in control and not craving sugar and best of all? I’ve not been sick in forever!
It turns out that while I knew a lot about nutrition, I didn’t know a lot about FOOD, as in how it heals you, how it makes you ill, etc. I think that your philosophy is spot on and although I’m not perfect, I try my hardest because it makes me feel my best.
Sorry, I could go on for hours about this one. It’s so fascinating to me how we are programmed to think of food, three squares, etc. It’s like you said, break it back down to it’s basics…
Oh, and the weight? It’s slowly but steadily melting off of me – without any effort.
Thanks for the insight!
Food is a whole ‘nother topic for me, too! We have four people in our house and four different diets (due to choice – mine, I am vegetarian and food sensitivities – my son and me). I cook wheat-, soy-, dairy-, corn-, refined sugar- and meat-free. For the most part, I find no problem at all following my diet. I feel so light and vibrant now that I have eliminated my food sensitivities. I think when we focus on who we feel, and begin craving feeling vibrant, things begin to fall into place more effortlessly…
Have you read “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle” by Barbara Kingsolver? Another wonderful book. It is turning me into a “locavore!”
That’s funny – I was just about to ask you about sweeteners you use. Do you know if the sweeteners you mentioned above are safe for nursing moms? Do you stay away from all low-cal sweeteners like Splenda? By the way – we tried your kale chips and they were fantastic!!
P.S. Sorry I have been slacking on your PIF gift…But I promise I haven’t forgotten!!
P.S. While earning a BS in Nutrition – this is exactly the lifestyle and way of eating we were taught to promote!
PPS – And I struggle every day to live it! It’s hard!
Thanks for the insightful post.
I think our relationship with food is especially important if we have daughters. I am now very careful not to complain about my poochy post-pregnancy belly (which drives me crazy) in front of my 3 year-old. I feel like she is already learning lessons about body image and I need to be a positive role model for her.
Great post, Nona! I’ve started trying some recipes with frozen, concentrated fruit juices instead of sugar. So far, so good!
I have a question. I would like to do an elimination with my husband. He has some digestion problems and I believe he is sensitive to something he is eating. It’ either that or stress but I thought food would be the easiest to test. Do you recommend a book or something I could follow to make sure we do this properly? If you wouldn’t mind giving me some suggestions that would be wonderful! You can leave me a comment on my blog or email me at the above. If you do email me let me know, I never check this email account. Thanks!
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