The best healing and wellness support system we have is Nature. Yes, Mother Nature!
Here is the latest edition of 1 thing I’m doing, 2 things I’ve learnt and 3 things to explore lovingly created so you can live a happier, healthier and longer life. Much love, Sandy xx
1 THING I’M DOING
Food Myths, Fads and Diets
What a mind field. Raw, vegan, paleo, carnivore, vegetarian and keto. Bullet Proof, Mediterranean, pescatarian, no fruit, cabbage soup and liquid diet. So many options, so much confusion and still so many people fighting with their weight, energy and health. Weight goes down, weight goes up, sleep becomes disturbed, tears flow at the slightest thing, hormones going haywire. Argh!
It’s a food fad mind field out there and conversation about which diet is “best” is a sure way to fire some some people up. Almost as dangerous as talking about religion or politics – so I’ll tread lightly here.
Every body is unique. And what diet works for one person, may not suit another. As a health warrior, I don’t recommend any particular diet as this is a very personal choice, but I certainly know what does and doesn’t work for me so here’s what I’ve learnt and what I’m doing of late.
I Am Not My Diet
My food choices have never formed my identity in that I’ve never said to someone “I’m a Mediterranean diet”. I know for some, food absolutely forms their identity which is totally fine. It just may make switching and doing something different a harder thing to do, so perhaps it has its drawbacks.
Food has also become a battlefield; a political and environmental lever. I would also question whether this is the healthiest choice for us. I know politicians and environmentalists both have commercial interests so where there is money involved, so is the possibility of compromised values.
For most of my adult years my diet probably resembled a Mediterranean / vegetarian diet the most. However, I’ve never been so fixed on anything that I fit under any particular banner. I’ve also never been adverse to changing or trying something new. My motto is this. The proof is in the “how I feel and look” pudding.
In the last few years I’ve been including a lot more protein to my meals. This has made me feel better than ever. I’m adding generous knobs of butter to anything and everything I can, slowly enjoying wild caught salmon more and for the first time in my life, I’m loving a quick organic minute steak on the BBQ. This is what’s working for me – quite different to what my meals looked like two or three years ago, but so is how I look and feel.
My Best Dietary Advice
After a ton of reading, researching and rolling up my sleeves playing detective, whatever diet you decide is best for you, here are my key takeaways and what I’ve learnt.
- No matter what diet you choose, make it one based on whole foods with as little as possible of packaged, processed and ultra processed foods.
- Always prioritise organic local and seasonal produce first. This will be the most quantumly and energetically aligned to you and the healthiest for your body.
- Don’t be scared of healthy fats and oils – think organic butter, olive oil, coconut oil, ghee and tallow. Mentally throw out that food pyramid and nutritional panel on real butter as we’ve already discovered how the Health Star Rating people operate.
- Avoid snacks. Snacking between meals and at night doesn’t allow your digestion system to rest so you’re always spiking blood glucose levels which isn’t a good idea.
- Never miss breakfast. My breakfast recommendation is high protein and loaded with healthy fats – like my buttery, creamy scrambled eggs that I have with a nice dollop of chilli oil every morning.
- Try and enjoy dinner before sunset and it gets completely dark. Your circadian rhythms will tick better.
- Extremes generally fail over the long term. The Libran in me says try and find a balanced diet approached rather than extreme anything.
- Extremes however, may be needed for the short term. I’ve seen and read about incredible results people have achieved using their diet. One recent person in particular is ophthalmologist Dr James Muecke (Australian of the Year) who has reversed many people’s diabetic macular oedema (DMO) using a ketogenic diet. Not that I’m saying keto is extreme but you know what I mean.
- Your diet can’t fix a poor lifestyle. No matter how healthy your diet is, you can’t out-diet and out-eat circadian disruption.
- A diet impacts more than your physical health. Your mental health, emotions and moods are all affected by your dietary choices. There are some fascinating studies about this that are worth exploring.
- Every diet has limitations. Your body’s needs change daily, weekly, monthly, seasonally and during different years and cycles. Your digestive system, hormones, thyroid all shift and so it doesn’t make sense to stick with the same diet all the time.
- Don’t eat CRAP. Carbonated drinks, Refined sugars, Artificial anything and Processed foods.
- Life is to be enjoyed. There is nothing more delicious than the choc chip cookies my son makes, my Mum’s Christmas baking and my morning tea with half a teaspoon raw sugar. Whatever I eat and drink I enjoy wholeheartedly and without guilt or regrets. If I feel like Brunetti’s Tira Mi Su gelati, I’ll sure as hell have it and enjoy every lick.
Where I am now is the healthiest and happiest way of eating for me yet. I feel strong, more connected to my biological rhythms, and believe I’m kicking my metabolic health and resilience goals.
✔️ Action Item – What food fads have you tried and found failed fabulously? (Try say that quickly 5 times 😊) Is your body trying to send you cues? Are you missing something or having too much of something else? Don’t be afraid to change what you’re doing and to nourish your body in different ways.
2 THINGS I’VE LEARNT
The Truth About Our Dietary Associations
Do you know where our Dietary Associations and Food Pyramids originally came from? Up until recently I didn’t, and holy guacamole, did the answer surprise me and leave me shaking my head in disbelief. So, join me for an eye-opening, mind blowing walk down history lane.
The first dietary association to be established was the American Dietetic Association (ADA) now called The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in America. Founded in Cleveland Ohio in 1917 during WWI, it was led by Lenna F. Cooper and Lulu C. Graves. It is the largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals, including 501 trade associations, over 112,000 members and is the basis of Nursing, Dietetics and Medical text books all over the world.
So, who were these women? And more importantly, who and what were they associated with?
Lenna F Cooper graduated in nursing from the Battle Creek Sanitarium (a Seventh-day Adventist health institution) in Battle Creek, Michigan in 1901. It was there that Lenna became a protégé of the famed vegetarian physician, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg. And yes, before you ask, of the Kellogg Cornflakes and cereal empire.
Source: Wikipedia
At the Sanitarium (funnily enough associated with another cereal brand), according to strict Seventh Day Adventists beliefs, only vegetarian meals were served. It was part of the Seventh Day Adventist faith that people must abstain not only from eating meat but also from using tobacco or consuming coffee, tea, and, of course, alcohol. Doing so was evil and “led to morally and physically destructive behaviour including excessive sexual intercourse and masturbation”.
Today, the Seventh Day Adventist diet is still primarily plant based with Seventh-Day Adventists commonly following a vegan diet. There is a study called The Global Influence of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church on Diet which is a fascinating read. It presents the influence the SDA faith has had on the eating habits of the American public (and the world) and how our diets were transformed by “flaking wheat, breakfast became boxed cereal a la Kellogg, as opposed to a breakfast of eggs and meat”.
And as for Lenna, apart from her founding role in the American Dietetic Association, one of the things she became most renowned for was being a senior author of Nutrition in Health and Disease textbooks, used in dietetic and nursing programs throughout the world.
Sanitarium Cereal Company Australia
From the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, came the Sanitarium Cereal company and Weetbix empire we all know of here today. It started with a gentleman by the name of William C. White, who happens to be the son of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist church. William convinced Edward Halsey, a baker at John Harvey Kellogg’s Battle Creek Sanitarium, to emigrate to Australia. And so, the Sanitarium cereal and vegetarian product company was born in Australia and New Zealand – still wholly owned today by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.
Why The Food Pyramid Is The Way It Is
We’ve all seen the Food Pyramid. I recall doing Human Development and Nutrition in my High School Years and clearly still remember the Food Pyramid at the time. Carbohydrates on the bottom, fruit and vegetables next, with dairy, meats, eggs and fish and fats and oils making up the top. I know this has changed slightly now.
Seeing the original food pyramid was created by people associated with the Kellogg’s and Sanitarium cereal empires, is it just a coincidence that eating 6 – 11 serves of carbs was what was recommended? Of did it nicely benefit their business and commercial interests?
So, the big billion-dollar food conglomerate question now is, this. Are cereals, fruit and vegetables what we should be eating most of? Is this what is best for our health? Or was this all just designed based on commercial interests?
This is a question everyone needs to ask themselves. Personally, I prefer not to eat mostly carbs. I love my veggies and of course think they are packed with nutritious vitamins and minerals. I enjoy a bit of fruit and think that dairy, protein and fats aren’t the evil villains they’ve been made out to be.
Once again, this is a story about not blindly following the food pyramid or narratives founded on commercial interests. We need to almost throw what we’ve learnt in the past out, and start again. Welcome to a brave new world!
PS – I have nothing against any faith. I’m just perplexed how a faith, with such close connections to corporate cereal giants Kellogg and Sanitarium have managed to have such a MASSIVE impact on the food and diet messages we’ve all been told for the past 100 years. Seems all a little too cosy and coincidental to me!
✔️ Action Item – Reflect on your diet and food choices over the years. What models and information have you relied on and based your choices on? When have you found your food choices to leave you feeling strong, energetic and healthy? And when have you found your diet to be lacking something? Is there anything you need to change now?
The Blue Zone Fake & Fraudulent
We’ve all heard of Blue Zones. Those incredible places in our world that are celebrated and carefully studied for having more people living over 100 years of age than anywhere else. Think Okinawa, Japan; Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California; Sardinia, Italy; and Nicoya, Costa Rica.
Since the mid 2000’s, the Blue Zone franchise has exploded in popularity. The initial researcher and journalist wrote several books, then came the popular Netflix series and finally the Blue Zone research rippled through health and fitness communities through influencers, creating an influx of advice and content geared toward living longer, all based off blue zones data.
Newsflash!! All this Blue Zone data was found to be based on lies and fraud.
A new study from University College London researcher Saul Justin Newman found that data related to claims of extreme old age was rife with clerical errors and pension fraud. Many of the supposed supercentenarians lacked birth certificates or valid documentation proving their ages. And many people in supposed “blue zones” who were reported to be over 100 were in fact dead, but were never registered as such!
“In 1997, thirty thousand Italian citizens were discovered to be claiming the pension whilst dead. In 2008, 42 percent of Costa Rican 99+ year olds were revealed to have ‘mis-stated’ their age in the 2000 census and, after limited error-correction, the Nicoya Blue Zone shrunk by around 90 percent and old-age life expectancy plummeted from world-leading to ‘near the bottom of the pack’.”
In 2010, over 230,000 Japanese centenarians were found to be missing, imagined, the results of clerical errors, or actually dead.
If that wasn’t bad enough and to make the Blue Zone more like muddy grey zone, in 2020 Adventist Health, part of the Seventh-day Adventist church acquired Blue Zones and all their associated trademarks, websites and programs.
It’s not surprising then that the Blue Zone dietary advice is a “Plant Slant” which suggest 95% of your food come from a plant or a plant product. They also state “Meat is like radiation: We don’t know the safe level”, on their website which is a bit harsh.
Gosh, it’s a tangled web we live in. Whilst some of the Blue Zone recommendations seemed nice enough, it may not be a good idea to put too much emphasis on this seeing it’s firstly based on fake information and secondly, owned by a group with vested interests.
✔️ Action Item – You know what it is….QE – Question Everything!!
3 THINGS TO EXPLORE
How To Read Food Labels
100% fool proof, this proven way to read food labels is going to blow your mind and save you an incredible amount of time. Ready?
You don’t need to.
You don’t need to read ingredient labels, nutritional panels and calculate RDIs if the food you’re eating doesn’t have labels and if you’re choosing high quality wholefoods. Choose real food and give labels the flick.
How To Treat A Sick Fish
You can’t heal yourself in the same environment you got sick in. And you certainly can’t just layer on pills and potions without addressing the root cause.
Just like the fishies in the tank, you need to clean up your environment which means everything – your food, hydration, light exposure, sleep, exercise, work, stress, non-native EMF exposure, job, relationships, connection with nature, media, social media, personal care products, cleaning products, habits, faith, gratitude, air, medication – you name it, little by little, it’s time to clean your tank. You’ve got this!
The Illiterate Of The 21st Century
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, and relearn”. Alvin Toffer
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