My Top Nutrition Advice
This week’s “Ask the Nutrition Consultant” question comes from Paula!
Q: If you had to give someone only one piece of dietary advice, what would it be?
A: Thanks for your question Paula! If I had to sum up everything I know about diet and nutrition into one recommendation that could help people live healthier lives and prevent or reverse the diseases and illnesses of modern society it would be this:
Follow the 80/20 rule and focus 80% of your diet around real, whole foods, in their most unprocessed states and purify/filter your water.
Processed, refined foods (flours, sugars, seed oils, additives, colorants, artificial sweeteners and flavors) are harmful to our health and they are very easy to over consume. Think about how many pancakes, rolls, chips, or cookies you could consume in one sitting. Now consider how much salad, veggies, nuts, fish, or chicken you could consume in one sitting. I bet it’s a lot less, right? It is much harder to over consume real, whole foods that are nutrient dense. They contain healthier ratios of carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and fiber that slow digestion, help keep our blood sugar balanced, and provide satiety.
Why did I also recommend drinking purified/filtered water? Water is essential for life and health and humans are made up of mostly water. Per the EWG, our tap water is like “pouring a cocktail of chemicals. Lead, arsenic, the ‘forever chemicals’ known as PFA’s and many other substances are often found in drinking water at potentially unsafe levels.” These other substances include various pharmaceuticals: antibiotics, hormones, mood stabilizers, and other drugs. Drinking water out of plastic (purified, or spring water sold in plastic) is also a health hazard because plastic water bottles contain chemicals that can leach into the water. These chemicals are known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. So what do I recommend and do myself? I use a Berkey Water filter to filter all of the water I drink and cook with. I also use a glass water bottle when I’m on the go.
