In the past few weeks I have had multiple conversations with both men and women on the topic of food relationships. When did eating for a healthy body become so confusing ? If you were born in the 60’s and 70’s then you have spent a lifetime being brainwashed with the media on what is considered healthy. One day eggs are healthy, then they were not. Butter was good, then it was bad. Fats were thought to make people fat, then came along the non fat trend and Americans became even more unhealthy. Convenience became the big push when both parents went into the work force. if you were born in the 80’s and 90’s you grew up when the snack food and frozen food sections grew just as fast as the number of fast food restaurants. If you were born in the 2000’s then you grew up with all the conveniences you could ever imagine and had to learn self control from the very beginning. The reason food is so confusing is due to a few reasons :
- The results from various studies are often misleading. These studies often look at foods in a vacuum rather than part of an entire diet.
- Every person is unique and so are their nutritional needs
- The quality of our food supply has changed over the past 40 years
- The food offerings have changed drastically over the past 40 years with convenience being the driving factors
- Medications are given to children at a younger age altering their gut health and immune system
The first step in improving ones health is to learn to have a good relationship with food. Food is energy, not the enemy. The number of food sensitivities and allergies continues to grow. I work with clients every day who have difficulty processing certain foods and ingredients. Consuming foods closest to their natural state is ideal with little or minimum processing. When foods are processed they are typically stripped of their natural nutrients and often have these lost nutrients added back in . Although the food companies are trying to add the nutrients back in that are lost it is not possible to match them in their natural state.
If you are ready to improve your relationship with food to understand the best foods for your body, contact me today for your free health assessment at www.foodisenergy.com or call 316-650-9437.
This article was written by Jody Vinson, IIN certified Nutrition Health Coach & ACE Certified Personal Trainer.