How many of us would agree that the many opinions on dieting and nutrition are enough to make us want to spit? Like many things in the world, there is a different expert with a different opinion, a different book, and a different fan club with a different slew of testimonials. It is frustrating! What do we do? Who is right? What is healthy?
Is it white rice or brown? Vegetarian or meat? Soy or no soy? Gluten free or complex carbs? Organic? Farm Raised? Wild? Home grown? Or are there really any nutrients left in our soil at all?
The journey to nutrition is exhausting. I always claim to be healthy but I enjoy a pizza now and then. Am I a hypocrite or just human? I, like many of us, love food. And I love to cook good food.
One of the reasons I fell in love with vegetarian cooking is because it forced me to think creatively when I cook. I have a huge taste for variety now.
I learned names of things I didn’t know existed. Like lentils. Edamame. Fennel. Egg plant. And I acquired the skill of discipline that I decided to take into other areas of health.
So, what is nutrition? Here is my advice. Use your head. Not your stomach.
If you need help, learn about portion size. I’m sure you will find differing opinions on that but it will help give you an idea of what you should follow. And go back to the old rules of burn more calories than you consume to lose weight. While crash diet fads may work quickly they will not last or be the healthiest way to lose. Instead, create a new lifestyle. Try new recipes. Don’t give up. You can train yourself to like vegetables and resist sweets. And your new lifestyle will be rewarding in more ways than you can imagine.
God has created such an abundant variety of things for us to eat! Such color! Such flavor! Americans have spoiled their taste buds with too much
sugar, salt, and fat. We also eat too large of portions. People need to learn to love vegetables and whole grains, and use much smaller portions
of meat and cheese. We need to have fresh fruit instead of rich desserts
most of the time, and only have occasional treats. We will feel so much better!
It’s true. We are trained to eat larger portions than we need. But the road to adjusting your appetite is not easy. It helps to fill your diet with good proteins and greatly reduce breads and other starchy carbs.