Balanced Nutrition Guide

Are you eating a SAD diet?

The Standard American Diet (SAD) consists of packaged foods and beverages that are convenient and tasty, but low in vital nutrients. Most packaged food and beverages go through a gauntlet of heating and processing before making their way to store shelves. During this process, many if not all nutrients have been lost. Synthetic vitamins may be added back to the food. However, metabolizing a single synthetic vitamin is different than metabolizing an array natural vitamins in whole foods. In fact, digesting nutrient depleted foods or beverages requires the use of precious nutrients your body may be lacking.

Eat 80% for nutrition and 20% for taste.

This is important! Food is fuel. How we fuel our bodies determines our energy levels, health and vitality. Would you put corn syrup in your luxury car’s gas tank? Not unless you want a really expensive repair bill. You are the food you eat, literally! So, don’t be fast, cheap or easy. Make sure you fuel your body like a high-end fine-precision machine. Because you are one!

Only eat when you are hungry.

Ever notice it’s hard to over indulge on fresh whole, nutrient dense foods. Our bodies understand how to process and metabolize real food and signal when it’s had enough. Putting down a bag of chips, well that’s a different story. Packaged and highly processed foods may contain MSG’s and other chemicals to enhance the flavor. When you consume foods that are to pleasing to your taste receptors, your brain can get a little confused. Especially when the body is craving vital nutrients. Some studies indicate the brain will signal hunger cues when the body is deficient in vital nutrients, even after you have consumed enough calories.

Count nutrients instead of calories.

There’s a lot more to food than calories. A body will metabolize a 240 calorie fresh avocado different than a 234 calorie Mars candy bar. An avocado, full of fiber and nourishing vitamins like A, B, C, E & K is excellent fuel. A candy bar full of processed ingredients has little nutritional value. The candy bar will leave you with a nutritionally depleted sugar crash. An avocado will leave you with 42% of your daily vitamin B5.

Sugar, not as sweet as it tastes.

Why does sugar taste so good? From a survival stand point, simple glucose is fast energy the body can use. This quick energy release also triggers a release of dopamine, the ‘feel-good hormone’. Our bodies can quickly burn glucose during a highly active period. However, when the body consumes more glucose than it can burn right away, hormones like insulin must signal the cells to convert it to glycogen and store it as fat for later use. When this goes on day after day, extra weight accumulates. Over time, the pancreas, liver, kidneys and other organs weaken. This weakening can lead to diabetes and cellular dysfunction.

Fat and cholesterol are not our enemies.

Do you know what surrounds a cell? Phospholipids (fat) and cholesterol. Our bodies need fat and cholesterol for several reasons including cellular building and repair. It is true that cholesterol can accumulate in arteries when repairing damage. The question we need to ask: what is causing the damage? Poor diet and toxic exposures can lead to an increase in cholesterol levels in the blood and arteries. As we age, cholesterol levels do often increase as the body repairs and regenerates age related cellular damage. However, it’s important to understand that only about 15% of free cholesterol comes from the diet, the liver makes the other 85%. Why does the liver make so much cholesterol? The human brain is roughly 25% cholesterol. Yeah, cholesterol is important! Think about it, after a heavy push by the USDA for a low-fat diet we see an aggressive increase in Alzheimer’s disease, is that a mere coincidence? Studies are suggesting no. Fats and cholesterol, including saturated fats have many functions in the body including neurotransmitter communication. So, ditch the sugar and keep a the healthy fats.

Water and hydration.

The human body is around 60-70% water. Water is a primal lifeforce that is necessary for cell growth, balance and repair. Electrolytes are also needed for water to properly absorb into cells. Electrolytes consists of salt (sodium chloride), potassium, magnesium and other trace minerals. These minerals are what give the cells their ‘spark’ of electrical charge. A low sodium diet can decrease that spark and cause dehydration. A good quality salt like Celtic sea salt or Himalayan pink salt will help keep cells hydrated. A clean source of drinking water is as important. The best option I have found is reverse osmosis (RO). However, hydrogen water and structured water do have significant research backing their health benefits. Both can be more readily absorbed into cells. The big NO. Avoid tap and bottled waters. Bottle waters from plastic and aluminum contain small particulates of plastic and aluminum that build up in the system, overtime they can cause an array of negative health effects.

Eat Seasonally.

For millennia humans have hunted, farmed and foraged the land for food. While food preservation has been employed for some time; before the 20th century it was limited. Most foods consumed were fresh, local and in season. This seasonal rotation helped our ancestors obtain a variety of nutrients throughout the year. This also helped balance their diet and nutrient intake.

Restraint and moderation.

Who is in charge, YOU or your impulses? We all have cravings, vices and emotional attachments that can be really hard to pass up. But moderation is essential for healthy living. Restraint from unhealthy practices like smoking, and moderation when it comes to sweet treats and indulgences allows you to enjoy life with greater satisfaction.