Understanding Your Nutrition

A very strange thing happens in my workplace. You see my co-workers keep watch over what I eat each day in the lunchroom. In general, I am a very private person and do not talk about my food preferences or my previous heart attack. But, these people  always seem to have some comment on my lunch and they look at my food with amazement. I can’t tell you the number of times someone has said to me “You always eat so healthy!” And to top it off this past week a co-worker offered everyone a piece of chocolate except for me. Their comment was “I know Annette doesn’t want any.” Okay, they were right about that, but gosh they didn’t have to single me out! 

Most people don’t understand the reason I eat the way I do-- and that’s okay because after all it is my choice. The reason I eat this way is very personal. I’ve only told a handful of them about my blog and why I only eat vegan plant-based foods. I never preach at them about their food choices, but they sure notice and comment on mine!  I’m sure they consider me a fanatic--which might be a little true. 

Also, during lunch I usually hear a group women nearby who are following a popular weight loss program. They talk about “counting calories” or “counting points” and what they had last night for dinner. However, I never hear them talking about nutrition. It seems that their main focus is the points or calories of each item they put into their mouths. It’s situations like this where I come to the realization that most people really don’t understand nutrition. If they really did understand then their focus would probably be on something other than the number of points that chocolate brownie has. And who knows, maybe that weight loss program they are on wouldn’t be necessary, if they really understood.  

It’s at this point that I stress the importance
of understanding your nutrition. 

Good nutrition is all about eating whole foods - Foods that are unprocessed, unrefined, and typically do not contain added ingredients such as sugar, salt, or fat. If we go back to that chocolate brownie mentioned earlier, it fails on two counts: 1) it is not a whole food; and 2) it offers virtually no nutritional benefits. If you were to eat the brownie then your focus really isn’t on nutrition--it’s on something else altogether. That’s where understanding your nutrition comes into play. Why do you eat the foods you eat? The main focus should always be on nutrition. 

The chocolate brownie has nothing to do with managing health. It does not heal heart disease or stop type 2 diabetes. It is nothing more than calories and points. 

Dr. T Colin Campbell says, “If we are to understand the true value of nutrition, we must begin by considering the health value of whole foods, not the nutrient parts extracted from them. In that context it is whole, plant-based foods that express an effect that is far more then the sum of its parts. When done right, advanced heart disease can be cured, type 2 diabetes stopped and reversed, cancer can be prevented and, with some newer evidence, controlled after it appears. The range of diseases that can be prevented is more than impressive. The breadth and rapidity of the nutritional effect not only prevents disease but actually treats many of these diseases while restoring and maintaining health. The totality of these health effects are far more than almost anyone knows.” 

Understanding your nutrition is key in managing your life and your health. If you control what you put in your mouth-then you control your health. Yes it really is within your control! 

Changing your focus to nutrition awards you with the biggest return including:

• weight loss
• better health
• longer life
• freedom from diseases

-- Know and Understand Your Nutrition --

Consider your nutrition each time you eat. Focus first on nutrition and your nutrition will reward you.