Some Hard Truth to Swallow

Let’s talk straight about the importance of good nutrition as an act of responsibility, and an act of love.

When people learn you’re conscientious about nutrition, they begin to give you all their reasons why they’re not. I used to feel a little guilty that my food choices made others feel self-conscious about theirs. I don’t anymore because I started carefully listening to their reasons for eating poorly. There wasn’t a single one with real validity. I know how harsh that sounds. I'd be totally understanding and compassionate if someone told me they couldn’t afford fruits and vegetables, or that they worked two jobs and their caffeine consumption allowed them to work enough to keep food on the table for their families. That’s not the reasons I hear. What I hear are excuses.

There is no more saddening excuse for not eating well than too little time. I can’t think of anything more precious, more preserved by eating well than time. Want to know what really steals time: diabetes, heart disease, migraine head aches, and more. These health problems are just a few directly linked to diet. 

Good nutrition is at the center point of wellness. No one looks at their children and wishes for more cheeseburgers. You see their smiles and wish for the energy to chase them around the yard. Sure, you can say that work has been tough and the hours long and that's why your energy to enjoy them is lagging; but the truth behind those excuses is that how we take care of ourselves in the face of those hurdles defines our energy levels, not the hurdles themselves.

The human being has five essential dimensions: Mind, Body, Spirit, Emotion, and Environment. None of those five can be ignored. The joyful human needs them all to peaceful and whole. This is our design, our creation, and we cannot change our make-up.We should embrace it.

It makes me sad when I hear people at a salad bar groan like martyrs as they load their plate. We feel we have to make excuses for our salad: “I’m watching my weight,” “My doctor says I need to eat better,” “Swimsuit season is coming.” Before them is an incredible assortment of fresh delights, and they’re totally bumming out!

Don’t look at a salad like a punishment. It’s a privilege. Don’t believe me? The world is filled with too many people who haven’t been able to afford fresh vegetables in a long time. The difference between seeing a salad bar as a blessing and it being penance is an attitude of gratitude. Before you is a bowl full of vital nutrients and sustained energy. In that little bowl is the energy you need to chase your kids around the yard after work. 

 

We look at our loved ones, and in the quiet of our hearts we say we’d do anything for them. I believe you mean every word. Harness that emotion into making better choices about your lifestyle: eat well, manage stress levels, and exercise regularly. These are acts of love. They are actions of responsible, caring people. Give those you love the very best you that you can offer them.

My hopes and expectations for you are not elaborate or demanding. I want you to start small, because I want this to be a first step towards a long term change. Look at your diet, and ask yourself a few questions:

- Do I eat foods that increase my stress levels (caffeine, processed sugars, heavy fats) 

  or decrease them (fruits, nuts, dark chocolate)?

- Are my energy levels reduced by the meals I consume (fast food, fried foods, white breads and pastas) or increased by them (whole grains, lean protein, assorted vegetables)?

- What are 5 foods/food products I consume regularly that I know are not good for my health?

Please take time to answer these questions for yourself. Look at your diet from a whole new angle. Ask yourself honestly if what you eat is negatively affecting one of your five human elements: mind, body, spirit, emotion, and environment. 

I'll give you examples based on caffeine:

Mind - caffeine is a great morning high, but it comes with an awful morning crash. You work productively until the crash comes and then your mind tells you it's time for more caffeine. Your mind is addicted. 

Body - caffeine constricts blood vessels, that means its slowing them down or partially blocking them. In some people, caffeine gives them slight tremors or jitters. Your dentist can tell you about the effect of caffeinated beverages on your teeth; because a coffee and soda smile is a dead give away.

Emotion - caffeine is an upper, which means it comes with a down swing. Have you ever been unkind or short with someone you love because you "haven't had your coffee yet" or snapped at someone random because its the middle of the afternoon and you haven't gotten a diet soda break?

Spirit - What is something you've longed to do but finances hold you back? What adventure do you crave but don't have the energy for? Quality coffee averages $8 a pound to make at home. Purchased at a coffeehouse it ranges from $1.79-$2.99 a cup. The average coffee drinker consumes two cups a day. How much money would you have to let your spirit run free if you didn't pay for coffee?

Environment - Paper coffee cups on the side of the road, soda cans in the park, energy drink bottles lying in the parking lot. Trash is everyone's problem.

You can do this same intellectual exercise with any food choice: alcohol, fast food, candy bars, etc. 

I don't expect you to read this and become a strict vegetarian like me. On the contrary, I want you to eat in a healthy, sustainable way that works for you. I'm a vegetarian, because like many of you I began having health issues directly linked to my diet and exercise. I had to swallow the same hard truth I'm serving to you, and I began with the 3 questions you see written above. One of the foods I was regularly consuming that was detrimental to my health was animal meat. My body no longer had the ability to process it and my GI system was constantly in distress. I took a hard look at my diet and simply stopped eating meat all together. 

Making changes great or small in your attitude towards wellness takes dedication and will power. I've made some pretty big changes myself and I'm aware of the challenge. You have my empathy and my support. I hope this web page is an encouragement to you as you begin making better choices about food and diet. You owe it to yourself, and the people who love you to take the very best care of yourself that you can. Be responsible with the greatest, and most precious resource you have: your life.

I'm always open to your thoughts and feedback. If there is more you want to see here, please let me know and I'll work hard to bring you the tools, recipes, and resources for a life lived well under the Eden Tree.