8 Eating Myths that are Causing Ill Health
Eating is perhaps the most delightful and captivating endeavour that us humans partake in. It is at the heart of every culture in the world. It unites friends and families together. Most holidays worldwide have unique recipes to go along with them. It is our fuel for life, and without it we don’t exist.
So how is it that we have managed to mess this most pleasurable and necessary activity up so overwhelmingly bad? Mother Nature would certainly be appalled at the atrocious modern day eating habits.
1. I’ll Try this Diet for One Month
While going on a special, extreme diet for a few months may help lose weight short term and help you feel better about yourself, it is not the answer to your weight issues long term. Getting into eating HABITS that are health giving and that you can make part of our permanent, everyday life is the best diet worth going on. Others often make people feel disempowered and cause yo-yo weight loss and gain.
2. I need Caffeine to Stay Awake
You may believe that caffeine gives you that extra boost, and that is true provided you have it once in a while. If you have it daily, your adrenal glands can become exhausted. These glands need to function well in order for us to feel energetic and alive. That afternoon sleepiness is often a sign of the adrenals being tired. Ultimately, drinking several cups of caffeine per day is going to cause us to feel tired and uninspired.
Fortunately, there are some healthy types of caffeine that don’t affect our adrenals and blood sugar levels. Green Tea and Raw Chocolate (sugar free) are two examples of caffeinated products that will ensure we feel vibrant.
3. I Don’t Like Fruits and Vegetables
I am shocked at how many of my clients confess that they don’t eat fruit and veg…and these are people who are concerned enough about their health to come to me in the first place. Imagine how many people living in this country rarely if ever eat the greatest gifts that the earth has to offer us. We cannot feel good and be happy if we don’t eat fruit and vegetables. Learning to love what is nutritious and what gives us our fuel for optimum health is a giant leap forward in preventing ill health.
4. I Have No Time to Cook
You may think it takes ages to make dinner, but it takes almost as much time to break open the packaging from a ready made meal and stick it in the microwave as it does to chop up and steam some vegetables and throw a piece of fish in the oven with some garlic and herbs. Or make a salad with a few types of vegetables, and have some sweet potato with it. I am telling you, ready-made meals are a myth created by the supermarkets to get more money off of you. There are masses of cookbooks for those with a hefty schedule. My sister told me that yesterday she bought a raw food cookbook with a range of meals in 10 minutes.
5. Water is For Dogs
I say water is for dogs because I actually heard a man in Spain tell me this as he lay on the floor with the most intense hangover you can imagine. Apparently, Agua es Para Peros is a fairly common saying in Spain. Watch your plants wilt in the summer when not watered and how quickly they are revived when their thirst is quenched. The same is true for us. Two litres a day…or at least a load of fruit and herbal teas.
6. Skipping Breakfast Helps Me Lose Weight
Not eating breakfast does not help us lose weight; in fact it may actually cause us to gain weight since our blood sugar becomes imbalanced. Eating healthy foods, including breakfast is the key to losing weight. Just some fruit and nuts will do it if you don’t fancy food in the early hours, but breakfast is essential for our brains to function and our bodies to feel energised. A healthy smoothie recipe is a great idea for those that don’t love eating first thing in the morning.
7. Cheese Sandwiches, Pasta with Cheese Sauce…
A vast majority of the modern diet consists of Wheat and Dairy. Have a look at yours. There are so many lovely foods out there like quinoa, lentils, buckwheat, nuts, fruit, vegetables, sprouts. Get creative and branch out a little. A diet heavy on the wheat and dairy may be causing you some health problems because you have simply eaten too much of them …and they aren’t providing vital nutrients
8. Everyone Else is Eating it…
Watch the items that are put into people’s trolleys at the supermarket. Chips, cookies, sweets, sodas, and other forms of rubbish are popular foods that contain disease causing ingredients. These foods can stay in the system for weeks, and give nothing of any value to the body. Try finding lovely foods that give you that zip without the sugar, hydrogenated oils, cholesterol, and chemicals. Everytime you eat a meal, ask yourself what proportion is going to give you something that your body needs…vitamins, minerals, essential fats, protein?
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July 18th, 2008 at 3:32 am
Thanks for sharing your very helpful tips. Every type of nut has a lot of nutrition packed into a tiny package. If you have heart disease, eating nuts instead of a less healthy snack can help you more easily follow a heart-healthy diet.
December 19th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
Great advice, thanks for the tips