Did you read Mark Bittman’s article today? By the time I am sending this I have already had a dozen clients forward it to me for discussion. Thought is was a good conversation starter – yet again, so many perspectives on what the words healthy, nutrition and diet mean these days.
Mark Bittman is starting a new column focusing on being a Flexitarian, which he describes as – “The moderate, conscious eater — the flexitarian — knows where the goal lies: a diet that’s higher in plants and lower in both animal products and hyperprocessed foods, the stuff that makes up something like three-quarters of what’s sold in supermarkets.”
The part of the article that I find so interesting is the comments. People have so many opinions about food! People feel deeply about their perspective, their relationship, their issues and their sensitivities – I love it!
Please remember – please!!! Pretty pretty please! – there is no one perfect plan for everyone. There is no one quick fix. There is no one diet that works.
For example, Bittman suggests a smoothie recipe in his article and right away people commented that the smoothie has way too much sugar for a diabetic. This is true – smoothies loaded with fruit and fruit juice are very high in sugar (yes, from a natural source, but still sugar) – if it doesn’t work for you and your goals, do not make that recipe. However, if you love to start your day with a smoothie and it works for your lifestyle, enjoy each sip!
Someone else was alarmed at the salt in one recipe. If you think it is too much salt, add less! Or don’t add any. Maybe add spices and herbs instead. Make it work for you.
And check out the pasta debate from the readers…people feel very strongly about their pasta! Some people want whole grain pasta in their lives even if it is just a ½ cup serving, others are avoiding gluten so cannot eat pasta and others look at pasta as a true love and want to eat mountains of it. And then there is the topic of how cook pasta…that is an entirely different debate.
Everyone has as opinion, many people with no expertise in the nutrition field are answering questions (not always with a correct answer) and people are fighting Bittman’s underlying message – eat less processed, eat more whole foods and take care of yourself.
You have to take ownership of your food, understand what works for you and become more aware of what you are putting in your body.
It takes time to understand it all and will require many tweaks but when you are clear on why you want to make a change and how you are going to put it in place, it all becomes fairly simple.
Bittman says it best “I’m just another guy trying to figure out what to eat.” We all are. Listen to yourself rather than someone else. Take it day by day, become mindful and get clear on what you want.
And never forget I am here to support you along the way…