How does one navigate this confusing world of health and nutrition? When it comes to diet culture, as soon as you think you’ve found all the answers, some ‘expert’ comes out and says “no actually your approach to health is entirely wrong”.
In our culture we jump excessively from one fad diet to the next. From one superfood to the next. From one end all supplement to the next. And from one exercise craze to the next. When does it end? Because I am tired. Tired of researching health and wellness, of being my own advocate and doctor, and scouring the internet for the next ‘longevity key’. My goal in this post is to help you to reach the same epiphany I have recently. And that is, that there is no one size fits all for ANYTHING. Plus, the key to longevity doesn’t lie in the foods you eat or the amount of miles you can run. It lies within your mind. This post is your permission to stop the excessive research, the restrictive diets and ultimately prevent you from succumbing to orthorexia.
My Background in Wellness and Diet Culture
I am not a doctor or nutritionist. I am simply a mechanical engineer turned stay at home mom. With my background in mechanical engineering, research has always been one of my favorite past times. For whatever interests me at the time, I could spend hours diving down research rabbit holes looking for the next tidbit of information. And when my husband and I decided to grow our family, I did research. I researched how to optimize my fertility and improve my chances of pregnancy. Little did I know, this research would lead me down a rabbit hole that was so deep, I barely made it out alive.
In my early 20s before I was even married I spent my time bouncing from one fad diet to the next. I tried vegan, Ayurvedic, paleo and keto. And I always assumed that because I was thin, I was healthy. Then during my research on fertility I discovered Weston Price and Pro-Metabolic eating. Now these are the “diets” I currently follow. But I wouldn’t even call them a diet. I simply eat real food as our ancestors once did, with a focus on nutrient density (the amount of vitamins and minerals present per bite).
What is Orthorexia?
Every time I turn around, some doctor, nutritionist or influencer is telling me that the way I am eating is killing me and my family. And when you constantly are bombarded with conflicting information, it is impossible to feel confident in your decisions. When one doctor says that eggs cause high cholesterol which leads to heart attacks, and another says that eggs are a superfood due to the high nutrient density and that high cholesterol does not lead to heart attacks, who do you listen to? Both doctors are intelligent and have statistics to back up their science. Confusing right? This is how I developed orthorexia, the obsession with eating healthy foods.
Orthorexia is a term I only heard recently, and when I did it was like a light bulb went off in my mind. My obsession with eating healthy will in fact be my downfall. Do you find yourself in the same situation? Confused about what diet is right? Scared to eat anything for fear you are doing the wrong thing? This is where I wound up after my son was born. All I’ve ever wanted is to help ensure his health and safety. I want to feed him the best foods and be sure he has a long life free from chronic illness and pain. But what I don’t want for him is confusion surrounding health and wellness. And I definitely don’t want him to fear food. Because this fear of food, that is what causes disease. Diet culture is dangerous.
Stop Fearing Food
This is not to say that nutrition is not vitally important to longevity. It absolutely is important. However, the way you think about food is just as important as the food itself. If you truly believe that what you are consuming is nourishing and healing your body, then it will. How else can you explain how people on all sorts of diets from all around the world can boast perfect health? You can see examples of this all over the world. From Mediterranean diets consuming fish and olive oil, to the Masai in Africa who consume raw milk and cow blood, to even vegans boasting perfect health markers. It seems that everywhere you turn you can find examples of people living long and healthy lives. And guess what? They are not all following the same diet.
So what gives? How is it that so many doctors and nutritionists claim to have found the “perfect diet”? They haven’t. There is no one size fits all diet. There are many diets that work for different people at different stages in life, different environments and different health situations. But do you know what each one of these diet dictocrats have in common? They BELIEVE that what they are doing is right. And you should to.
Stop Demonizing Food Groups
Find a way of eating and living that works best for you and your family, and stick to it. Believe in it. And stop listening to the noise of diet culture. The others telling you that what you are doing is wrong. If your health begins to falter, then make a change. But if you are in good health and your metabolic markers are spot on. Stop fearing food. Back in the 1950s they told us that butter was bad for us and we needed to switch to margarine. In the 1980s they told us fat was bad and we needed to eat low fat. In the 2010s meat was bad and we needed to be more plant based. Today, sugar is the enemy and we need to eat more fat. I don’t think anyone has the answers yet, but I would recommend we simply stop cutting out major food groups. What if fat, protein and carbs are all good?
I will add a few nutrition tidbits here to help.
- Seed oils are not food, don’t fear them, but don’t consume them when you have the choice. They are an industrial waste byproduct.
- Choose organic, pasture-raised and local when possible.
- Eat foods in their natural whole form. Nothing processed.
- Eat the way our ancestors did, lots of animal products, saturated fat, simple sugars and sunshine.
- Focus on nutrient density (try to hit all of the vitamins and minerals your body requires through food).
- Stop self dosing with supplements. If you have a health concern, see a holistic practitioner, have them run the tests to see your deficiencies and supplement with the right dosages.
Further Nutrition Info
If you would like further information on nutrition. Please check out the books below. They are full of unconventional wisdom that has stood the test of time. Click each book below to view or make a purchase.
- Nutrition and Physical Degeneration by Weston A. Price
- Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
- Deep Nutrition by Catherine Shanahan
- Primal Body Primal Mind by Nora Gedgaudas
- How to Heal your Metabolism by Kate Deering
How Stress Management is the Key to Longevity
Have you ever met someone who has lived well into their 90s or beyond? What were they like? What kind of personality did they have? Do you know what foods they ate? Did they exercise? I’ve found that those who boast longevity fall into 2 distinct personalities. The first are the ones who have zero stress and live a simple and happy life. They are content with themselves and overjoyed to just be a part of this world. They eat what makes them happy and exercise only if it brings them joy. The second are the ones who don’t give a sh*t about anything. They may be described as selfish or carefree. They eat whatever they want, maybe they smoke or drink as well. And they never exercise or even think about health. But they aren’t afraid of dying. These people are just moving through this world, in search of their next adventure. What do these two people have in common? No stress.
Lower Your Stress Levels Naturally
Stress is the real killer here people. And the more you stress about your diet, the more your health will decline. Choose nourishment over fear. Choose happiness over sorrow. And do what makes you happy. Get that stress down. If that means quitting your job, do it. Maybe it means moving to a tropical climate or your dream retreat in the mountains. Get massages weekly, even if it’s just from your spouse. Go on walks in nature daily. Get sunshine on your face. Meditate or pray daily. Don’t fall victim to diet culture. Whatever it takes. Because this modern world has so many stresses that are foreign to our human bodies. At the end of the day, we are just animals. Animals that were designed to spend our days frolicking in the sun in search of our next meal. Not trapped behind a screen worried about if we paid our taxes.
So stop being afraid of food, because what you should be afraid of is not living as humans should. Free and wild.
(Again this post is for those who are in good health and already following a Weston Price/Pro Metabolic lifestyle. Stay tuned for future posts on how to follow these nutrition guidelines.)
For more info on natural living, click the link below.
*This is not medical advice.
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