It’s great to see so much interest in the Food Log. It’s clear that the message of the importance of good nutrition is getting through. However, some of the dietary choices have been, well, interesting and I wonder if it’s down to personal choice or not knowing that something is not that great a food choice?
Rather than make too many individual comments on the Facebook page, I thought I would re-post this article on some of my views on healthy nutrition. Give it a read, see what you think. If there are specific questions you want answered, post up in comments and I’ll see if I can help. If I don’t know the answer, no bullshit, I’ll find someone who does!
There is one thing that we should all expect from food: it should help you to stay alive. Unfortunately, the opposite has become the norm in Western society. There seems to be a constant battle with obesity, heart disease, joint issues and a hundred other ailments which in large part can be blamed on our diets. Take into account all the emotional stress of trying to lose ‘weight’, look the right way and cope with all the diseases of society then it’s apparent our relationship with food is pretty messed up.
Everyone’s nutritional journey is going to be different and dependent on things such as current health, future goals, likes and dislikes, money etc. There is no one-size fits all nutritional plan. That being said I think the Paleo approach to nutrition offers an excellent starting point for your journey. The Paleo approach to nutrition is based on eating foods that our bodies have evolved to eat i.e. what we have been eating since the Paleolithic era. The general recommendations are:
- No processed food
- No sugar
- No grains or legumes
- No dairy
- Eat natural, unprocessed produce
- Eat meat, fish, eggs, veggies, fruit, some nuts & seeds, healthy fats & oils
It can be tough to make the transition. I like the all out approach suggested by Robb Wolf, author of The Paleo Solution. Eat Paleo for one-month, reset the system to eat natural foods. Dial this baseline in. Compare how you look, feel and perform to your old self. This maybe all you need to rediscover your healthy, happy relationship with food and never eat a doughnut again! Others might still need some convincing. So with the baseline in place start to reintroduce certain foods to see the affect they have, this is the experimental phase. Based on the impacts each food has on you, you can decide to stick or twist on that particular food. Be wary of the experimentation though as not everything will have an apparent or immediate impact on you. With certain foods you just need to trust that the experts know best!
Before I get hammered with questions, I’d like to recommend a book by Loren Cordain, The Paleo Answer. An excellent resource for all the whys that are bound to arise.
For me the Paleo approach makes sense and feels right. I’m no Paleo Nazi, I love food and eating is one of my favourite sports! I eat a fair few things that aren’t considered Paleo, but I am able to weigh up the cost/benefit of what I eat as I know, by and large, what affect foods will have on me. This is a great position to be in, know your body and get control over what you eat.
Here’s a little video on the basics of the Paleo diet:
