Since my mom was diagnosed with Liver Cancer in 2012, I went on a quest to learn more about cancer. I learned how much diet plays a role not only in prevention and controlling cancer, but also reversing it – under the appropriate guidance. I also realized how specific nutrients aid in the restoration of damaged cells. After reading numerous books, articles, and blogs about nutrition, I started to connect the dots of understanding how the body works. Not to mention similarities of what the authors of these books, articles, and blogs had to say. Take note that I researched the credibility of the authors to make sure they were on the up and up. I found out that some; maybe even most, doctors know little about nutrition. That’s why they hire nutritionists. I started to notice a trend was taking place as I studied specific nutrients, how they work and what they do for the body. For example, Vitamin A, E, D and K are fat-soluble vitamins. They need fat in order to be absorbed into the body. – (http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-QuickFacts/) What? I thought fat was bad. So if you are on a “low fat” diet trend you might be wasting your money unless you eat a little natural healthy fats that can be found in most vegetables, nuts, and fish, for example. However, if you are obese, your body fat binds to the Vitamin D preventing it to be absorbed. So what is a person supposed to do? Jump on a diet trend that is specific to your needs? No. I have the answer. It’s called Common Sense.
I believe the biggest tragedy we face today is the lack of common sense. I would ask all Doctors and Nutritionists out there: What is wrong with just eating real whole foods? Think about this a minute, common sense tells me that if I eat junk food, or too much junk food, I will get fat and be unhealthy. My body tells me that if I eat too much food, healthy or not, I will feel like crap because I ate too much. And common sense tells me I can eat pretty much anything in moderation without causing too much damage to my body. I should know. I’ve done it. But heaven forbid if I gain weight . . . Well, there’s a solution for that. We now have the “Paleo Diet” the “Keto Diet”, the “Atkins Diet” and the list goes on and on. Don’t eat this. Don’t eat that. Here’s how to make junk food healthier. What is wrong with just using common sense in your diet? Do you honestly think the cavemen were sitting around the fire analyzing their eating habits and how to “Healthify” their food? If you want to learn more about what our historic diet consisted of, research Paleontology.
The body is a lot smarter than we think. The problem is that we think, or over think. Dr. T.Colin Campbell, author of the China Study, Whole, and co-author of Forks Over Knives, explains how the body takes the nutrients it needs and discards the rest. However, the body can not break down the food properly if nutrients are missing from the digestion process. Like an assembly line, the food gets broken down, and the nutrients are directed to the proper “department”, if you will, in the body to do its job. As I mentioned earlier, Vitamin A, E, D and K need fat in order to be absorbed into the body. So why not eat real whole foods that contain all the nutrients the body needs to function properly. Not only that, they contain the correct combination of nutrients for the body to easily break down the food and absorb the nutrients it needs. Plus, a person does not have to think about what they are eating. It’s not the calories, not the carbs, and it’s definitely not rocket science; it’s the quality and the quantity of what we eat. Occasionally eating a plate of homemade pasta in moderation will not make you gain excess weight. Eating 2 plates or more, or eating pasta 3 or more times a week will most likely result in excessive weight gain. Try eating when you are hungry instead of eating at specific times of the day. Stop eating when you are full, or limit your portion size. Stop thinking and listen to your body. For optimal health, eat real whole food. Now that’s common sense.
I believe the biggest tragedy we face today is the lack of common sense. I would ask all Doctors and Nutritionists out there: What is wrong with just eating real whole foods? Think about this a minute, common sense tells me that if I eat junk food, or too much junk food, I will get fat and be unhealthy. My body tells me that if I eat too much food, healthy or not, I will feel like crap because I ate too much.