Your Diet May Cause Anxiety. Let's Fix That.

Food is Love

(so feed yourself some goodness)

Let’s talk about diet.

And when we use the word “diet” we definitely do NOT mean any set food-restrictive regimen/plan/scheme or trend/fad/mania whose primary purpose is to either-

1. Combat Weight Gain
2. Trigger Weight Loss

Allow us to be absolutely clear when it comes to your daily diet, your ongoing health, and your actual wellbeing now and in your future, especially as they all relate to daily stress reduction.

ALL “DIETS” ARE DOOMED TO FAIL, AND ARE SET UP TO CREATE FAILURE!

(especially the trendy/faddy/maniacal varieties)

And far from being an effective measure of actually reducing stress, continued, repeated failure to “succeed” at the latest “diet” fad only produces more damaging, debilitating stress, which in turn encourages and/or enables a regressive downward spiral into continued unhealthy eating habits.

So we do not endorse any diet plans which are centered entirely on the goal of weight loss.

The shadowy “goal” of weight loss is, in fact, a cultural mirage designed to entrap an appearance-obsessed, overly gullible population (primarily female, but not exclusively) into a capitalistic scheme marketed specifically to sell an entirely false and addictive “vision” of health and/or fitness! (as well as any number of endless diet plans/programs)

Certainly, in the United States, we’ve created—through a great many poor choices personal, institutional and cultural—a real obesity problem that is widespread and undoubtedly growing. And certainly, much of the globe share this disturbing health crisis. And of course, a great percentage of the US population needs to personally, directly, and immediately address their obesity issues head-on. But for the purposes of this chapter, we’re suggesting the healthiest way forward for everyone committed to that healthier direction.

So, yes…our bodies are organic machines that are built to run.

And yes, the food we eat on a daily basis is the fuel we need to make our organic machines run right!

Which is exactly why—each and every day—we need to-

1. Effectively shift our daily dietary focus away from our appearance
2. Refocus on performance

So we strongly suggest that you immediately throw away any and all home weight scales.

These are not the type of tools that you need to properly address and/or take positive control of your health and fitness moving forward.

When it comes to a healthy diet most Americans must seriously consider an entirely new paradigm when it comes to our daily fuel intake.

This paradigm requires that we refocus, and then reset at least one of our primary daily priorities to the food we’re going to consume that day!

This will undoubtedly, and in the vast majority of cases, require a tidal shift in
our daily-

• Food Planning- This means creating and committing to a comprehensive plan that requires a focus on the purchase and preparation of fresher, healthier foods (and a significant reduction on processed foods and food additives).
• Food Shopping- We must then focus on the procurement of fresher, healthier foods (at regular shopping intervals which must be significantly shorter than the typical once-a-week American standard). Such a drastic shopping shift will, of course, also require an equally serious shift in scheduling.
• Food Preparation- Especially, but certainly not exclusively, our breakfast and dinner plans. This means we must make a daily effort to eschew the typically American idea of meal convenience, and learn to commit to the idea of meal love.
• Food Consumption- Food is love, love should be delicious, and it should never be a race to the finish. Proper digestion begins with savoring every delicious bite we put into our mouths, and we must train—or retrain—ourselves to enjoy every moment of our meals, rather than looking ahead to our next activity.
• Family Dinners (together)- Sadly, in far too many cases the joyous concept of a household family dinner together has gone the way of the drive-in movie theater; a somewhat charming relic of the past that younger generations have seen (ironically, in movies) but have no real experience with, and no real connection to, and so no real desire to engage. But family dinners together are exactly where we can begin to appreciate savoring our meals, and exactly where we can begin to teach even the youngest generations this same invaluable health lessons.

And these are the lessons which will last a lifetime!

Of course, this fundamental shift in our attitude and engagement with our food will require an equally fundamental shift in our daily lives.

Many of us will immediately grasp at rationales that offer a legitimate resistance to any lifestyle change.

• I’m far too busy to drastically change my schedule
• My work demands do not allow me to pay enough attention to shopping/cooking/eating
• That’s my partner’s responsibility
• My family’s too big and/or too busy to realistically make this happen
• I like fast food!

It’s at this point where we have to accept that refocusing our priorities—on a daily basis—will require sacrifices both personal and collective. These sacrifices
will not be easy. But they will be healthy!

And we must remember that refocusing our priorities and drastically shifting our daily schedules do not have to occur all at once. We do not have to accomplish all of these health goals today. We do, however, have to make a real commitment to daily change, and a real commitment to the healthier future of both ourselves and our families.

And now for some simple, basic dietary directional specifics.

• Avoid Sugar- Especially processed white sugar (which unfortunately is found in nearly all processed foods). This directive includes ALL SODAS/SOFT/DRINKS/ENERGY DRINKS. a major cause of American obesity is our addiction to sugar bomb soft drinks. Switch instead to seltzers and the healthiest alternative of all- Good Ole H₂O!
• Avoid Processed Foods- They come in boxes, bags, cans, and pouches, and your local grocery store is chock full of them. Processed foods are any food product mechanically or chemically altered to preserve its shelf life. Think of these as “death-in-a-box”.
• Avoid Carb Overload- White breads, white rice, white pasta (see the pattern?) and sugary snacks like cookies, muffins, scones and most baked goods (including pizza dough) fall into this category. Look, our bodies do need carbs, but we can make smarter choices so that we don’t simply stuff our selves with carbs on the daily.
• Avoid Caffeine Overload- We love our daily espresso fix but we should make an effort to cut off our intake so as not to over-caffeinate (we stop at Noon). This includes all “energy” drinks, which are loaded with caffeine (read your labels) and typically masquerade as “health” drinks.
• Avoid Alcohol Overload- Moderation in all things in the key here. All alcoholic beverages are laced with sugar and we must make an effort to be responsible in our attitude to this adult nectar of the gods.
• Dig into a Protein-Rich Breakfast- Yes, in fact, we do believe that breakfast is the most important meal of the day (at least in terms of setting up your appetite for the rest of your day). And the incredibly versatile egg is one of our healthiest, most nutritious, delicious superfood sources of perfect protein we have. We do not wish to belabor the point, but for those of you out there who hold up the, “I just don’t have the time for breakfast” excuse, we say-

MAKE THE TIME!

A proper healthy breakfast sets up your entire nutritionally rich day, energizes your entire system, kickstarts your sleepy metabolism, and is simply the best way to start your day.

Fundamentally shifting our dietary priorities is an investment in our healthy future that we cannot afford to put off until tomorrow. Invest in yourself right now, and your family will reap those investment rewards for a lifetime!

Having the right vitamins and herbs can make a huge difference in everyday relaxation!