As intelligent, aware people, we know that eating healthy is important, and yet, it often feels like that’s not the whole picture. Because the term is thrown around all the time, but does ‘eating healthy’ really mean anything? Well, to address that, first let’s have an understanding.
There’s a lot you don’t know.
There’s a lot I don’t know as well, and I’m not a qualified doctor, but read on and see if what I’m saying resonates with you. Most of us have very limited knowledge about food, even if we study it. Especially if we live in a small, western bubble of healthy-eaters. Here are some of the things you are likely unaware of.
Buddhist monks have amazing body-control.
Experts have been studying Buddhist monks for more than 25 years, trying to figure out just how they use a meditation technique called Tum-mo, these monks easily lower their metabolism by 64 percent. To put it in perspective, your metabolism only drops 10 to 15 percent when you sleep. On the flipside, it’s said that to process toxins they have similar access to increasing their metabolism. What do you think their bodies can do with ‘processed foods’ ? And another cool thing monks are known for, is increase the temperatures of their fingers and toes by 17 degrees. Instead of focusing on nit-picking every little thing in our bodies, perhaps we could focus on improving our own body’s natural metabolism.
Eskimos eat raw meat.
Many things that’d throw most ‘health experts’ into a fit, such as eating raw meat are happening around the world more often than you might think. In the arctic, the Inuit people’s are known to receive quite a bit of vitamins from raw meat sources like caribou liver or seal brain, both usually consumed raw. How many experts do you see telling you it may be ok for you to consume raw meat? Just because it’s not commonly spoken of, doesn’t make it unacceptable. Then of course there’s sushi, steak tartare, and so on. A lot of focus is putting on cooking food to kill bacteria, or eating raw; how much focus is put on strengthening, improving, and evolving our personal immune systems.
Nature loves exceptions, and you could be one.
Every day nature is creating more exceptions in the most unlikely of ways. There’s the Ice Man who’s able to run marathons, barefoot, in the arctic. There’s Shaun Ellis, “The Man Who Lives With Wolves” who eats a diet consistently overwhelmingly of meat, to maintain the proper scent for blending with the wolf pack. These are extremely documents (with video.)
So we have to listen to our bodies first.
We know there are exceptions born all the time — there are even primetime TV shows dedicated to these exceptions like Stan Lee’s Superhumans or Ripley’s Believe It Or Not — and any one of us could be one of those exceptions, so how do we know what advice to follow, what steps to take, what foods to eat?
Listen to your body.We all have biochemical individuality. Each person’s body is made up of hundreds of systems, with millions of part, and they are different for everyone. If you were to dissect everyone and check, you’d see, our physical make-ups and extremely varied. Your individual body knows it’s individual needs, and it will drive you towards those needs, consciously or unconsciously, unless you override it.
“There’s been a lot of debate lately — much of it quite heated — about what sort of diet is best. Vegetarians tell us their diet is the one. Vegans believe their diet is better still. Omnivores insist that meat and other animal products are essential for optimal health. Still others believe that we should eat mostly raw foods. The level of passion in these discussions is reminiscent of the arguments in the Middle Ages over the One True Religion… and since many of these beliefs contradict each other, it’s hard to know who’s right” - William McLaughlin.
If you feel good in your mind, body, and soul, then your diet is right for you. If this is a problem for you, then before you tackle your diet and nutrition, I recommend a foundation of getting in tune with your body.
Your diet is unique, and so is mine.There is a deeper understanding, that goes beyond all this “eat this and eat that” chatter. All food you put into your body is a ‘foreign substance’, and all of it has the potential for help and harm, it is NOT dependant on the food. Both meats and plants have the potential of making somebody sick, or nourishing them. Believe generalizations at your own risk, put a focus on listening to your body and improving it’s abilities pursue hard-and-fast food-limiting as a last resort, not a first. Be proud and support your own unique, biochemical individuality. Your body and diet are unique to you, and don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. At the same time, maybe take a break from telling other people what’s best for their bodies (if you do that sort of thing.)
Do you have any unique food quirks or dietary steps that work for you? Share them in the comments!
If you like ideas that expand horizons in health, wealth, and life, check out more from Jason Fonceca at SpiritSentient.com. He works with creative entrepreneurs who feel discouraged, helping them to live wealthy lives.
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