We all know that there is a mountain of information available about nutrition, diets and food. It would be impossible to cover all the necessary information in one article, so instead we’ll talk about finding what works for each of us as individuals.
The problem these days is deciphering which information is accurate and perhaps more importantly, which information applies to us in our lives. It’s vital to our health and wellbeing that we get the right information and apply it consistently. To do otherwise is selling ourselves short.
The thing to remember about health and wellbeing is that it is a holistic system, meaning that all aspects of our health have flow on effects to other important areas of wellbeing. This is especially true for diet which controls so many aspects of our health.
Eating the correct amount of the right food directly improves our energy levels, concentration, physical appearance, mood, immune system and sleep. It also makes it easier to stay at a healthy weight and live longer without the adverse effects of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, a higher risk for numerous diseases and a weakened immune system. Most of us have been hearing about things like this since we were kids, remember the food pyramid and other public heath campaigns?
While farmers and other physical workers who are often on the move may have higher energy requirements from their food than office workers (that do very little physical activity) it is still clear that some foods cause us harm, regardless of how tasty they are or how much energy they give us.
Unfortunately, these foods often happen to be among the cheapest, the tastiest and to some people, the most addictive. While food science is constantly changing there are some things that have always been a good idea; that is to eat a lot of healthy fish, meats and vegetables (especially leafy greens which blokes have trouble with sometimes, preferring meat with a side of meat) and avoiding highly processed food that comes with all sorts of additives and often excess salt and sugar.
The trouble however is that except for these staples, every time we look at a magazine, internet article or read a book on nutrition, a large part of the public and scientific opinion seems to have changed almost overnight. Whether it’s low fat and high carb, or suddenly no sugar, low carb and high fat or any other combination we all know there will be someone credible disputing it in no time. It also certainly doesn’t make things any simpler that everyone has their own individual requirements based on genetics but also on the daily activity.
The answer is that instead of dealing with nutrition as a group, individuals will have to discover what works for them personally so that they can take responsibility for their own wellbeing. Ways to do that include asking advice from a GP, dietitian or nutritionist, getting blood tests regularly to determine what nutrients are lacking.
Regular health checks will also help understand if what we’re currently doing is working for us, and of course trial and error with the fundamental principle of moderation in all things at its heart.