This food thing has become so big and complex. Just as you get one message to eat something or don’t eat this and that, it gets reversed before you can even chop up your cucumber. There is undoubtedly conflicting evidence and messages. Then there is this science that is made up around food, which is fine. I understand that evidence is important to a scientist but the majority of people are not scientists, so I wanted to cut right through all of these confusing and conflicting resources for what to eat and what not to and try to keep things simple – because it is! Science complicates and puts people into brackets- those that can afford the science and those who can`t. The movement toward food as a lifestyle and the future of medicine is a great awakening- it should not have ever been allowed to sleep. But we all sleep-walked into the biggest era of lifestyle disease because of it.
So, it’s time to simplify things.
Why?
Because it is – food and water in their simplicity are the most precious of commodities we have on Earth. The focus should be on the planet’s organic soil and how quickly we are moving towards it becoming inorganic, barren like sand. How can we even grow good food without its quality whilst the population increases year on year? We won’t and future generations will suffer from severe food shortages. It’s a very serious issue and one that needs its own platform.
First, let me make some logical assumptions about what you and most others already know about the food we do have today.
Most people know what is natural for them and what food is processed. There is no basic knowledge gap here – it`s that packaged food is cheaper, more convenient and addictive. That’s what gets some people into a buying cycle and then fixes it firmly into their households. Mix that up with clever integrated, personal and brainwashing marketing from huge companies making huge profits, it is very easy to fall victim to consumerism with food and drinks.
These days access to worldwide foods is tarnished with long-haul storage as supermarkets across the globe want to stock items that give their diverse and growing cultural customer base a representation. Hence the long transport and journey from the source. Then there is the issue of wrapping our food in plastic and although that came in handy through Covid times, ideally, we need to trash this and find better ways of storage that mimic real-world fruit and vegetables from source and as near as they can be nutritionally high. Then many farms that grow wholesales use soil that is poor and cultivated for mass production and fast shipping times usually with labourers that work for very little and stay themselves in filthy conditions. So that makes it much bigger health, social and ethical issue. So, for those who do buy more fruit and vegetables compared to readymade processed food, the dilemma is undoubtedly about nutrition and the quality of the fruit and vegetables facing us all today than ever before. So many fruits on shelves are hard and difficult to ripen at home and when they do so eventually, usually after 14 days of buying them- they go into a soggy mess. Test it yourself- think plums, peaches, and avocados! I know celebrity chefs will choose the freshest of ingredients to cut into and show you how to make their recipes but remember that is not always realistic for overworked and time and budget poor people on this planet. They rely on a weekly supermarket sweep, adhering to budgets – that’s it!
Then, we also have a human behaviour phenomenon in the 21st century, that people have been given the permission to be naughty with food, food gets them feeling good about themselves or they are hiding themselves with it. We have learnt about being conditioned to rewards – the emotional get-out clause from feeling what you do. This is particularly true of difficult feelings like anxiety, grief, and sadness. Let me ask you when did you feel that way and eat an apple to help comfort you? It`s more likely that it was the place for snacks or other comfort food and quick fixes like a slice of bread or pizza or even a nice glass of cold prosecco or the whole bottle. Should food even be the go-to when there are difficult feelings that you are experiencing? Maybe not ideal! It`s important therefore to make a real effort- a conscious one to get out of this habit. It is worthwhile in the long run and will stop you from creating a problem further down the line.
Most people know how different they feel when they clean up their diet, they have more energy, go to the toilet regularly, with ease and they sleep better. That can naturally lead to better weight management. I know in some cases, it can take longer for some people to feel the benefits of this outcome depending on what and for how long they have been eating lots of processed food or using food as a coping strategy.
Remember the functional benefit of food and water is what we need for our entire lives. Functional NOT Emotional. In earlier days of human life on Earth, we would have balanced this access to food with feasting and fasting naturally. Whatever supply or lack of food there was, our amazing physiology coped with that. Today the environment we live in is very different- food is always available even if it may be snacks and goodies and these days you can employ Uber Eats and Deliveroo to bring them to you by paying a charge. Time is money- that’s what business people tell you. This endless cycle on what food is, and should represent, needs to change, and be freshly represented going forward – change is essential and can give us an opportunity to cultivate a different and fresh perspective on what we eat, how and why.
I think you get the picture, right?
At least I hope I have set the stage for you.
So back to let`s keep this simple, like so basic that you almost think – it is ridiculous, and that I am making a mockery of all those learned people out there that base their entire careers around studying nutrition. Nutrition is complex and it`s great that we can log into social media and sign up for newsletters to get authentic information on various keys nutrients and their functions in our human body. But let`s face it if you eat well and include a variety of top nutrient groups you can download all the foods available to us that harness those nutrients. Variety is key and is the only way you are going to get all the functional nutrition that is needed for all the cells in your body. Our bodies have a digestive tract and system that is structured and functions to extract these key nutrients from food. Our cells and tissues use these to manufacture other molecules – to repair, give us strength and energy to be physical, moving and living beings. But remember, it is not about getting things perfect each day. There is a simple formula that gets you healthier when it comes to food.
Think about your fruits, vegetables, plant-based complex carbs, grains and protein sources, essential fats, and fibre. Don’t forget water – although that is not a food group. Hydration at a cellular level is probably more important these days than ever before so pay attention to getting adequate hydration. Many vegetables, herbs and fruits are a great way for hydration as well. I always remember how thirst-quenching it was to have watermelon in hotter countries than water alone from a plastic bottle. Think about how nutrition is embedded in the water contents of these foods, minerals, and solutes, and each food will have its unique combination of such gold!
So, for the food groups – use the variety of each food within it – it’s ok to prefer some to other foods. That’s it! And this can easily be followed beautifully as a vegetarian preference. You will get most of the essential vitamins, minerals and trace elements from various fruits and vegetables and many of the so-called “white foods” like flour, pasta, rice are mass-produced and lacking in the nutrition, so industry fortifies these foods and is stripped of its fibre, essential for the proper functioning of the gut bacteria lower down in your digestive tract. Trust your body to take in what it needs, and it will send you a signal in either case. Listen carefully to what it is trying to say. Our way with food for ourselves needs to be individual and more intuitive. Supplements have a place whilst you experiment with different foods and learn how to make simple suppers to satisfy your craving and palette. I am not advocating making food boring – not at all but start with making it simple that is not time-consuming and affordable to feed you and your family well.
And if you are stuck on where to start – go talk to your elders in the family and grandparents. The wisdom in our elders must be accessed and shared. They know how to create wholesome family meals from scratch.
I have so much respect for their wisdom and their can-do attitude. For you to take a leap of faith in this journey, you are going to have to start somewhere, and grandparents are a great resource if you have them and if not then any elder in the family or extended family. You can then take charge and educate yourself on some meal plans. But first, start with the acknowledgement of exactly where you are with this food thing.
Questions for you to establish a basis first?
- How much about key nutritional groups do you know? What are they?
- What foods do you like and what groups are they from?
- How many fruits and veg do you eat daily? How many different varieties of these do you eat or aspire to eat?
- What are your favourite meals – what don’t you like?
- What cravings do you get on a regular basis and now ask yourself when do they come on?
- How much water do you drink, and how often during your waking hours?
- What signals does your body send, good and not so good? Is it immediately after eating or in a few hours?
- Let’s get a little more holistic and spiritual now so that means not making a rule of it – because we all know what we do with rules right, especially when it is others that made them. We either break them or we stick to them rigidly – neither is ideal. Eating is best when It is more intuitive – eating for physical hunger, not emotional hunger
- How often do you cook from scratch, using raw ingredients?
Hopefully, the answers will give you a better idea of where you are in your own knowledge and habits with food and you can use such insight.
Now the way we shop for food is not ideal either– it is a total distraction from buying junk and more rubbish and more of the stuff we just do not need.
I would get rid of every supermarket and hypermarket and replace them with a farm or allotment where local produce can be grown and people buy only what they need, every few days’ worths.
I would encourage you to have a small garden or patio with some grow bags, growing some produce at home even if it is just lettuce and tomatoes. Now anyone that can teach you this skill is someone worthwhile because they are leaving you with some independent skills and practice. It is far better to pick food when ready to be picked from a live plant and stem or dig up root vegetables and cook them on the same day or two, or even eat them whole and raw – my favourite raw are peas in the pods. This smallest of behaviours will start to transform your wellbeing, knowledge, and motivation towards sustaining good health and vitality use the insight from the questions earlier and you are on your way to better eating anyway.
Invest in the knowledge of this living, how to grow your own, teach your kids while you experiment – get the whole family involved right from the start and if not at least look for local farmers’ markets, research the farms and how they grow their food. My neighbour brings me cucumbers and courgettes from his allotment, and I can tell you the taste and texture are amazing compared to the ones I buy in the supermarkets. Organic wins every time except it is sold at premium prices and that’s the problem. If you grow your own – it is organic!
So here is the thing, don’t overthink food, let it be what it is in its simplest and most natural state.
We are and should be gracious that mother nature is with us.
Foods need to be easily identifiable and don’t have to look perfect on the shelf. If you only but ingredients for a few days’ worths of meals, it may not be convenient, but it will support the movement towards less waste, curb overeating and the physical route to obesity, ecological sustainability and your health and the bonus is that will save a lot of money!
Eat a variety and local produce if possible. If that ticks the boxes on both then that must be a win for all as you support local producers and experiment with one new vegetable and fruit you can get hold of and keep doing this – you will be surprised at how your range of foods expands and invites simple creativity as you try new foods out. That’s when it becomes interesting and nourishing yet keeps the physiological needs for nutrition intact. It will be easier to fall back to the old ways, of course, change is not easy – it takes a conscious effort to make changes and be that change. Increase the range of natural foods and stop hijacking the inner working of your body by complying with food and government policy and industry standards which as you know does nothing for our overall health.
Keeping meals simple and nutritious does not mean being boring. We can no longer ignore what food is for your physiology, every cell in your body depends on the right quantities for it so it knows how to process food to unlock nutrition at its simplest and most efficacious. It is time to put that first and let your ego go! It`s not a competition against each other. Eat raw, baked and steamed. Herbs and Spices can have the benefit of transforming dishes to make them more appetising.
You will come across all sorts of opinions like someone you can eat a whole packet of crips and then become evangelical about frying your sweet potatoes that are freshly peeled and cut. Even frying at home with the right oil is still better than something that sits on a shelf and is highly processed.
Make a conscious effort at your own conflicting messages and sayings and engage the 80:20 rule because unfortunately unless you live in the mountains and cant access supermarkets, it`s going to be difficult because of so much industrialisation, but little by little we can take back profits from big food, agriculture and invest that back into our own health and pack health back into your cells- the life-giving force of you as a living breathing human being.
Start here: go to your local farmers market or supermarket depending on where you live with no intention of buying anything – just for you to go and have a good look around the fruit and vegetable aisles. Look and take in the variety, where they come from and how much they cost, decide on trying something you have not tried before and get that on your list and keep doing that every week, there will be some things you like and some you don’t – that’s ok, remember we are trying to flexibly increase more variety of foods – whole and raw so you can look for recipes or create your own with these ingredients in.
Then go find what is the basis of its nutrition- is it rich in magnesium or iron, selenium, manganese, and Vitamin B’s? You come up with the list of your own research, not someone else. Observe what the food does for you, and expand your palette and taste buds. Where is it naturally grown? Go visit the farmer and see if they let you talk to them about how they cultivate their soils.
Start your own list of researched fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds and make it more plant-based even if you do eat meat and fish. Limit refined sugar! Make your own sweet things like cakes if you must- at least you know what’s in them.
All the best!
There is a quick list of the food groups that I have started with, and you can add your own to it. Remember everyone is individual and their circumstances are there to own, these exercises and tips are not prescriptive but in service for you to gain a new perspective and increase your range of food, be more creative and self-knowledgeable.
List of foods to start with: these can be called differently in parts of the world– it is important to go with what you can access and get from where you live, that is local. These are mostly based on food available in England. This is by no means a full list- please add to it yourself
| Foods (groups) | Variety (locally) pick your own or grow your own | General simple nutritional composition |
| Essential Vegetables and salads (including leafy greens and Frozen vegetable varieties) In fact if frozen when picked fresh- that’s a bonus and herbs fresh and dried like Coriander, cumin, fennel, parsley, mint and so on | Any leafy green, watercress, spinach, cabbages, courgettes, Pak choi, salads leaves, cucumber, radishes, carrots, celery, aubergines, cauliflower, bitter gourds. Then more starchy ones like potatoes, swedes, root vegetables Do an A- Z and match something from these groups to the letter e.g. A- Artichoke | Essential vitamins, minerals, trace elements, and water |
| Essential Fruits | All fruits are not the same and not eating the skin is a mistake so apples with skin are great. Berries, bananas, mangoes, plums, pears Get as many varieties of the colour of fruits and veg as you can, greens and all their shades, purple, red, yellow, orange and so on. Do an A- Z and match something from these groups to the letter e. g A- Apple | Essential vitamins, minerals, trace elements and water, large fructose (fruit sugar natural) |
| Essential Protein | Non-vegetarian; Meat, fish, seafood, eggs Vegetarian; tofu, some beans and pulses, lentils, seeds and nuts, oats, peanut butter, Grass-fed (not just organic) they need to be able to freely graze | Amino acids and fats |
| Essential Fats | Dairy like milk and butter, full-fat natural yoghurt, nuts and seeds, dark fleshy fish like mackerel. | Fatty Acids and glycerol |
| Fibre | Grains, beans, pulses, vegetables, and some fruit (especially skin) | Not digested in the body but essential for healthy gut bacteria and digestive system |
Your plate needs to be half filled with veggies, deserts as fruits or fruits throughout the day and, the other half with protein, essential (cooked in or drizzled over veg or salads) and the smallest portion of potatoes or carbs. It’s a U-turn. I will blog on the glycaemic index and glycaemic load for those of you who are prediabetic or diabetic and for those who want to avoid diabetes altogether. More in my book Your Journey into REAL HEALTH.
