Nutrition Made Easy

​By Lauren

DISCLAIMER: This is not advice from a registered dietitian. This is not meant to be medical advice. Please consult your physician before making any changes in your diet. 

Everyone is telling you how to eat. The media, your mom, your grandma, magazines, the government, etc. They tell you to eat this, but don’t eat that. With all these sources throwing information at you, how do you know what to eat? What is actually good for your body? How do you stay healthy? 

My experience with food has been a long one. Food has always been an outlet for my emotions and thoughts about myself. Before you can really decide what is best for you, you must realize that food is food. It is not a reward, punishment, or competition. Your body needs the food to convert it to ATP which is your body’s major source of energy. It takes energy for you to just breathe. It takes energy for you to exist. 

The best advice I’ve ever gotten is “I have no advice for you.” Everyone may not look all that different and we all generally have the same organs and tissues, but biochemically, we are extremely different and unique. Therefore, someone who does not know you medically, cannot know what is healthy for you or not. Of course, there are generalizations based on studies, but everyone’s ranges, limits, and needs are different. The person who knows your body best is you.

So how do you know what to eat and how to eat? Should I do intermittent fasting? Should I eat less sugar? Should I take supplements? The answer is: maybe. Not an exciting answer, yes, but a true one. Only a doctor or someone who knows your body’s biochemistry and you uniquely as a person can tell you what’s best for YOU. The best way to gauge what’s good for you and what’s not good for you is what makes you feel physically vibrant. Dairy products may make you feel bloated and blah. So don’t eat dairy products. Beans may give you abdominal cramps. So don’t eat beans. You may feel energized eating a big breakfast rich in healthy fats, such as avocado toast. So continue eating your avocado toast. Experiment with what makes you feel good. 
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So where do you start? Start experimenting. Try new foods that you know nourish your body. Fried foods and candy may make you feel emotionally good, but too much can make you feel physically exhausted, groggy, bloated, and achy. The only way to find what's best for you is to know yourself and try all the options you have. 

Eating should be enjoyable, but eating is necessary. You must get all your nutrients. Food is inevitable and a battle we must face everyday. Meal time does not have to be a battle if we shut out all the external voices telling you what they think is best for you. Listen to what your body is telling you. Once you tune into your body and listen to what it needs, eating will no longer be a daily war but just a daily occurrence that helps you be the best version of you.