TGG004: Five Simple Rules for Eating Well
FOCUS OF THE WEEK: Simple Rules for Eating Wisely
We live in a diet culture. Sure, this culture has evolved over time, with headlines like How to Get Toned replacing previously common slogans such as How to Drop 2 Sizes Fast! But Time reports that as of 2017, the U.S. weight loss industry was worth $66.3B.
Oh sh*t. Those meal plans, pilates classes, and weight loss pills really added up!
How did we get here?
Behind the growth of this enormous industry lies one key force: confusion. See, nutrition science is a relatively young science. Beginning only 200 years ago, nutrition science is as developed as surgery was in 1650. And it makes sense when you think about it: consider the countless PhDs out there studying obesity, or the number of times you’ve read an online article titled something like J. Lo Shares Her Secret to Perfect Abs. And yet Sunday rolls around and our hearts still race as we enter the bread section of Trader Joe’s because we don't know if carbs are our enemy or our friend.
Are wraps actually better than bread? Spinach wraps have to be. Do those count as a vegetable? Wait that wouldn't make sense. SOMEONE GIVE ME SOME ANSWERS.
In Oprah we trust
This brings us to present day USA! Welcome to the land where every package declares Organic! and where Contains Omega-3’s! is claimed from sea to shining sea. Every day we watch skinny fitness models promoting protein powder on Instagram stories. Weight Watchers and Keto cookbooks fight for our attention, each promising the secret to a better you - the body you’ve always known was inside you, waiting to break free. Because we don’t know any better, a small part of us believes them. We understand the implications of putting certain foods in our bodies about as much as many of us understand what our cars need in order to drive. I know I fill it with gas, but for anything more extreme, you can bet I’m paying an expert whatever price he quotes and trusting him to do what's needed.
The secret to nutrition: there is no secret
Yes, I know for some this may seem like a worse finale than last week’s The Bachelor. The truth is there’s so much about nutrition we still don’t know. Before we can write the prescription on what we should and shouldn’t eat, we need more rigorous science.
But... We do know one thing: the Western diet is bad. It’s deductive reasoning: from the Intuit in Greenland, who eat high-fat diets of seal blubber, to the Central American Indians, who eat a lot of maize and beans - these people all over the world whose diets drastically differ are all healthier than we are.
Simplifying eating: five rules to live by
While we may not know what the single "best" diet is, we can look to history to see what's worked and what hasn't. Author Michael Pollan did just this. His book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual serves as a simple, clear guide that answers the question, “What Should I Eat?” Borrowing from Pollan, here are rules to eat by:
#1 Don't Eat Anything Your Great Grandmother Wouldn't Recognize as Food.
My great grandma would probably be baffled after strolling through a present day grocery store. From Twinkies to sugar substitutes, the chemicals and additives that are now commonplace weren’t so common just a couple generations ago. Eat real foods.
#2 Eat Only Foods That Have Been Cooked by Humans.
When corporations make your food it’s full of a lot of hidden ingredients. Just last month I got so hangry at the Orlando airport that I considered buying a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Ya know, something simple. Then I turned the package over and saw a laundry list of ingredients. When you opt for buying raw ingredients and cooking them yourself, you remain in control of what is entering your body.
In following this rule you may reap some other less obvious rewards as well: enhancing your cooking skills, slowing down and appreciating the food you're eating, supporting local farmers by buying local produce.
#3 Eat All the Junk Food You Want As Long As You Cook it Yourself.
I call this rule the "potato chip roadblock." If you have a sweet tooth, then why not have that occasional brownie? But making it yourself means you’ve got to reallywant it. And guilty pleasures like Doritos and Oreos aren’t exactly easy to whip up.
#4 If You're Not Hungry Enough to Eat an Apple, Then You're Probably Not Hungry.
This is a nice way to hit Pause and check in on whether you’re actually hungry or if it’s something else (boredom, habit, sadness).
#5 Stop Eating Before You're Full.
This one didn’t click with me until I went to Europe for this first time last year. American portions are massive. To tune into my body and feel the point at which I’ve had enough to eat, it helps for me to remove distractions like TV and Instagram. When at a restaurant, ordering the Small is usually enough to do the trick.
Closing Thoughts
I hope following these rules and leveraging wisdom others have already discovered will help you figure out what to put in your body. Of course, feel free to develop your own rules to eat by! Whatever guidelines you use, make sure they lead to a healthier, simpler, happier life.
P.S. Pollan asked readers to submit their own favorite food rules, wisdom, and guidelines. Check them out here!