Happy 2020 Everyone
Wow. 2019 was another crazy year. Everything was on fire. Literally. But life goes on.
New Year’s Resolutions abound. Oh, dreaded January. The diet industry goes hog-ass wild this time of year and it has almost become a cliche that by the beginning of February most people who embarked on a diet have jumped ship. What to do? What is the healthiest diet for you? UGGGGGHHHH……
This is either a somewhat interesting question or one that just makes people roll their eyes and shake their heads with exasperation. However you see it, the arguments are still in full flight. People never seem to get tired of this stuff. Webinars, seminars, blogs, pod casts, books, DVDs, retreats, blah, blah, blah, all purporting to have the answer. Scarsdale, Pritikin, Atkins, Ornish, Macrobiotic, SouthBeach, Keto, Paleo, Warrior, Sugar Busters, Vegetarian, Weston A. Price, Vegan, Pescatarian, Mediterranean, Breatharian, etc., etc., etc……….
The only thing they have in common is they’re great at separating you from your money. Do they really care if you keep that 30 pounds off for the rest of your life, restore your gut flora, banish inflammation, get ripped abs and buns of steel? Not at all. Nope.
How about that Potato Hack diet? If you stay on it for life, you may eventually weigh nothing at all and can disappear completely.
Sounds strangely appealing.
Now, of course, in order to make the rhythm of this blog go as the usual formula dictates, I now insert my 10 cent version of the “healthiest diet”, knowing full well my voice in the wilderness is as valuable or as useless as the rest. I nevertheless proceed and rest assured, I am not selling anything. It’s just a blog. I will mention that my take on all of this is based on having seen thousands of clients as a clinical nutritionist over 20 years of practice. Most of my clients were also quite ill with the usual degenerative diseases, cancer, diabetes, digestive disorders, etc. So even though my take on this subject is based on my anecdotal experience, I think that still counts for something. I’ve been around the block a few times with this stuff.
So….
The Healthiest Diet, a 2020 Geoff Marx Perspective and Retrospective:
Get a handle on Stress Reduce it. Eliminate it if you can. Stress is toxic to your Mind, Body and Soul. It’ll tear you apart. It’ll eat you alive. Diet and Exercise are almost irrelevant if you don’t get a grip on this. Truth.
Don’t eat emotionally If you are upset, stressed, exhausted, grieving, bored: Practice the four steps of Mindfulness prior to eating – Stop, Breathe, Reflect, Choose. So, sit down, have a glass of cool water, wait a little bit, maybe then have a cup of tea and then see how you feel. You were probably dehydrated, like most people. Ice cream and chips never really solved your problems anyway. Or did they?
90% of the time, eat foods with no ingredient list Example: Fish, Cucumber, Egg, Spinach. Almond. Onion. Olive. Butter. Garlic. Twizzler.
Twizzler?Wait, wait, no Twizzlers, sorry.
This means that occasionally (10% – ish) you can and should enjoy foods that may not be “perfect”. Being too rigid is more unhealthy. So if you go to the state fair once a year, you don’t have to reflexively say “No” to the deep-fried Snickers Bar. Say “Yes” and enjoy it. Have that amazing burrito from the taco truck that always has the really long line of people around lunch time. YES! Have a salad the next day. No worries
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Listen to your body and mind They are the best qualified nutrition consultants you can trust. You know instinctively what is the right choice when it comes to feeding yourself. Seriously. How Bout This: Put “M.D.” after your name. Now you are a doctor. Doctor yourself. Eat more non-starchy vegetables Doc. Go easy on the sugars. It’s too easy.
Enjoy every meal and just be grateful that you even have food to eat
Quality. Quality. Quality. Variety. Variety. Variety.
Seasonal. Organic. Unrefined. Local. (S.O.U.L) As much as possible. Go to your local Farmer’s Markets.
Avoid being dogmatic around food Don’t be a snob or self righteous. Don’t lecture people. Pull the lens back further and contemplate the fact that we are all just organisms, a random collection of cellular material that came out of the abyss and will soon return to the abyss. It’s all good. Be kind to family, friends and strangers who are weird around eating, whether they have self-imposed restrictions or allergenic issues. Be compassionate. Have a sense of humor and adventure. Ask yourself, “What would Anthony Bourdain have done?” And in answering that question, of course, you won’t be home until five in the morning after having way too many shots of vodka and even more piroshkis than that huge guy who sat next to you. Was his name really Boris?
Drink more water. Get more sleep
Food Philosophy tip #54: Your food adventure should reflect the mindset, “I can’t believe I did that” rather than “I wish I had done that”. No regrets. Life is short. Enjoy every sandwich.
Remember this simple fact The quality of your food becomes the quality of your life. Every cell in your body requires good building blocks so that you remain well. It doesn’t have to be that complicated. If you eat kind of like your great grandparents, you’re probably on the right track.
Set a nice table for dinner as often as you can Turn off the T.V. and put away your smart phone and your laptop, etc. Have a great 2020!