2 Simple Rules to Live by for Powerful Health Transformation
Try them yourself and feel the difference
Eat only whole, unprocessed foods.
In other words, eat real food. I’m always shocked at how often this gets overlooked as the powerful healing modality it is. This one simple step could quite literally be the answer to all your health problems. And yet, time and again, people would rather reach for a powder or supplement to nourish their bodies instead of just eating real food to begin with.
If you’re not sure what constitutes ‘real food’, think anything in its natural form. This shouldn’t require a package. If a package is needed for the sake of transportation, the ingredient list will be short and recognizable. If the list of ingredients is long and unpronounceable, it’s probably not real food.
That being said, even within the ‘real food’ world, there can be big differences in food quality and nutrient density, and you bet they can affect your health. That topic deserves its own article, though, which I’ll cover in the future.
“But, but…” I can already hear your objections. I know you’re busy. I know you don’t have TIME to cook. Believe me, I understand. Yes, eating real food DOES require more work than just opening a package and popping its contents in the nuker.
But it doesn’t have to be complicated.
I love nourishing my family with real food, but I DON’T love to cook. *GASP*
You can learn to make very simple meals that are also deeply nourishing. If this is an area you need support in, there are many resources available to help- cookbooks, healthy cooking blogs, meal plans, cooking classes- just to name a few. Or ask a friend who enjoys cooking to show you the basics. Overcoming this hurdle will pay off in spades, and your body will thank you for your efforts.
It might not be ‘easy.’ But learning basic kitchen skills sure beats chronic illness.
Alternate the foods you eat.
“I eat broccoli every day.”
“I eat blueberries with my yogurt.”
I hear statements like this from my clients all the time. It’s a great start. But it’s not enough.
We need variety for several important reasons.
The first is to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Every food has a different nutrient profile. No one food can provide all the nutrients our bodies need to function optimally, no matter how healthy it is. To obtain the broad array of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients needed for good health, we need to consume a wide range of real foods.
The importance of the second reason cannot be overemphasized — variety in our diet contributes to a healthier microbiome. A healthy microbiome is absolutely critical to your health. If your microbiome isn’t healthy, your body isn’t healthy. Period. According to this article in the National Library of Medicine, ‘there may be significant therapeutic utility in altering microbial composition through diet.’ And these changes can be measured within 24 hours! That is fantastic news! What you eat today really can make a difference.
The final reason to vary your diet is a matter of preference…preventing boredom. Who wants to eat the same thing day in and day out? Perhaps some do, to keep things simple. But I think most of us would agree that variety is the spice of life. It’s certainly one of the pillars of health!
Reader challenge: how much of your diet is ‘real food’? Does this seem difficult to you? If you aren’t already eating this way, try these suggestions for a week and report back how it goes!
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