Food Dilemma: What Should I Eat?

How many times a day do we ask ourselves what we should eat? Too many, I’d guess. Here’s my best answer:

Keep it simple. Do not, not matter how tempting, complicate this thing we call food.

I continue to believe that Michael Pollan has said it best: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” There you go. Seven words. Utterly simple.

For those still struggling, let’s break it down.

Eat food: food that has not been processed to the point where we’ll get little or no nutritional value from it.

Not too much:

For meals – stop eating before you feel ready to burst. Better yet, stop eating when you might still be a little hungry. See if after a few minutes, your feeling of hunger has passed. Do not feel compelled to clean your plate. Mom will understand.

For snacks – ask yourself a question before diving into that mid-morning or mid-afternoon snack: Am I hungry, bored, thirsty, or tired? Not sure? Get up. Have a glass of water. Change your scenery. Have a 5-minute conversation with a colleague. Go for a 10-minute walk. Still feeling hungry? Have a healthy snack: real food. Apple, celery, you get the picture.

Mostly plants: Build your meals and snacks around plants. Eat the rainbow. See how your body reacts. Plants provide us with fiber and a host of other benefits that we won’t get from animal products. Love your plants.

That’s it.

Utterly simple.

Totally healthy.

Give it a try, and let me know how these seven words serve you.

Food Dilemma: What Should I Eat? was last modified: July 23rd, 2018 by Deb Nelson

On Cholesterol: Food for Thought

So…you’ve had some blood taken from your arm, and the results are in. Your cholesterol’s high. Your doctor presents you with his or her recommended treatment to bring your cholesterol level down: statins.

Then these thoughts start racing through your mind: I don’t want to take drugs. Yes, I’m a bit overweight. I know I need to change my eating habits. I don’t want to take drugs. Drugs will bring my levels down. What are the side effects? My doctor knows what’s best for me. What if I change my eating habits? Which is better for me? How did I get here? I’m not doing anything different from last year. Why are my numbers higher now?

AND ON. AND ON. AND ON.

What’s a person to do?

Disclaimer. Before reading any further, please note: I’m not
credentialed in the medical field. This blog is for informational
purposes only and is not meant to be a substitute for medical
advice or treatment.

Are we clear? Good – now let’s continue.

Questions, people, ask questions. Stay curious.

What options are available to you?

Can diet changes (adding more plant foods to your plate and cutting back on animal products) and lifestyle changes (increase exercise, reduce stress, etc.), with positive side effects, be as effective as pharmaceuticals?

What are the upsides and downsides of pharmaceuticals?

Do you have high cholesterol because you have a lack of pharmaceuticals in your blood?

Do you have high cholesterol because you have a lack of plant food in your blood?

What are the consequences if you?

Do nothing?

Take drugs as prescribed and check cholesterol levels in 90 days?

Make changes to diet and lifestyle and check cholesterol levels in 90 days?

Combine both options in some fashion?

Yes, our bodies create cholesterol; and we need some cholesterol in our bodies. If we’ve got too much cholesterol in our blood system, though, doesn’t it seem to make sense to stop bringing in outside sources of cholesterol? That would mean eliminating or cutting back on animal products: all of those goodies including meat, dairy, eggs, fish – you get the picture. Bump up the plant foods and take a look.

This seems obvious and logical to me. Yet when friends and family members see their doctors and learn they have high cholesterol, the focus seems to be on adding a dose of drugs to the equation without including diet or lifestyle changes in the mix.

Am I missing something?

On Cholesterol: Food for Thought was last modified: July 19th, 2018 by Deb Nelson