“Eat Food – Not Too Much – Mostly Plants” – Michael Pollan
As he says in his book, “In Defense of Food”, Michael Pollan notes that if you align your food intake with the above 7 words your health would improve considerably. If reading is not your ‘thing’, he wrote a shorter book titled “Food Rules” that tells you what to do and very briefly why. Leave it to a journalist to simplify what FDA, USDA, and scientists have completely overcomplicated.
Our bodies expect food that nourishes our brain and our body. It’s a requirement and non-negotiable that we eat real food. Does this mean we have to be perfect? Absolutely not.
There is a growing Paleo Diet movement that acknowledges the fact that chronic diseases were virtually non-existent in the Paleolithic Era. These people were true hunters-gatherers and ate off the Earth. The food they ate was always organic, pasture-raised, grass-fed. Is eating ‘Paleo’ the answer? It’s an answer but not the only one.
Today, we are faced with the complete opposite scenario in that we have an overabundance of pseudo-foods laden with pesticides, herbicides, hormones and antibiotics. Pseudo-foods have been blasted with foreign genetic material, chemical preservatives, flavor enhancers and artificial sweeteners/colors.
Unfortunately, the prevalence of chronic illness is proof that we have a very limited genetic defense against our toxic modern food choices and the accompanying deficiency of healthful whole foods. The inevitable result is an epidemic of chronic inflammation, chronic blood sugar issues, and chronic acidity that leads to the pandemic of obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmunity, etc.
The 7 words above will no doubt shift your body towards balance and well-being. You should know that all of health is on a continuum. Making one healthier food choice today will make an inevitable impact on your health whether you actually ‘feel better’ immediately or not. Compound these choices over time and eventually your body heals and you experience greater health.
Photo Credits: Hillcrest Farmers Market Gallery