Getting REAL About Nutrition

As a clinical nutritionist I find one of my main tasks is to help people navigate the crazy-making morass of conflicting expert opinions, studies, and misleading marketing. We have gone to sleep and been lulled into a false sense of security by huge corporations and agencies that only look out for their own bottom line, not our individual health. When we snap out of it, we’re still stuck because as consumers we are required to navigate a sea of information that floods in from all directions including “expert research” that often proves that opposite sides of a question or issue are equally true! It’s no wonder everyone is baffled about what to do to stay healthy!

Here is one sure truth you can cling to: Every Body is Different. You are a dynamic system of systems with your own biochemical individuality. You have a unique set of genes; a unique set of life experiences; and a unique way of processing the things you eat and drink. It is very difficult to make huge generalizations that will be true for all humans. We are simply too messy. There are too many variables. Even the best, most closely controlled, unbiased studies can only give us a glimpse into these systems. There is no self-help book or diet out there that was written specifically for You and the unique challenges you face in staying healthy as your body’s systems change throughout your life.

There are some generalities we can make however: if humans inhale too much water we will drown; if we drink too little we will die; if we don’t get any sleep at all we’ll likely go crazy. Everything we ingest can be plotted on a graph somewhere between Food, Medicine, and Poison. Every substance we take in has consequences, but those consequences can be radically different depending on the health of our systems. Strawberries may be one person’s favorite indulgence and may cause another to die from an allergic reaction. I could go on like this but you get my point.

Another simple truth is this: we have a LOT of control over our current and future health through the little decisions we make everyday about what to eat and drink, how much stress we fool ourselves into believing is "normal", if we get adequate and restful sleep, and whether or not we get out of our chairs and move. It has been shown over and over again that a huge percentage of chronic disease can be avoided simply by eating less fake food and moving more, and yet we continue to be lulled into believing clever marketing ploys rather than what we know in our guts to be true.

As a new member of the Patch blogging community I am requesting your assistance. Start asking questions. You know, the ones you feel silly asking but really want to know about, zap them to me! I’ll do my best to work them into the mix and help you and other readers wade through the mess out there that passes for information on how to be healthy! Let’s Get REAL!