The Pursuit of Happiness

The whole-foods, plant-based diet is an excellent guideline. But, every body is different. We all have our own unique ancestries and our own unique genetics. What’s good for me, may not be good for Sally down the street. If you’re ethnically Japanese, you might know that it’s not a great idea to eat a lot of cheese, because your ancestors didn’t eat dairy and therefore your body probably won’t react well to it. But even if you don’t know, there is a good chance you have a natural aversion to dairy products, anyway. But then again, because of cultural norms, the endless barrage of advertising, even though your body may be telling you that you should avoid eating pizza and ice cream, you may not be able to hear it over the noise of modern life. That’s one reason why it's helpful to develop bodily awareness. What doctors and nutritionists say is all fine and well, but if our experience tells us something else, we ignore it at out own peril. Surprisingly, most general physicians ...

What not to Eat To shoot for optimal health, we should simply eat a plant-based, whole-foods diet. The more natural, micronutrient-dense a food is, the better it is for you, so obviously the more processed and macronutrient-dense a food is, the worse it is. Usually we use the term empty calories to describe these kinds of foods. W e should avoid foods like table sugar and corn-syrup, which are both pure carbohydrate. Even honey, which many people consider healthy is almost 100% simple sugar and should be avoided. All oils are made entirely out of fat, as is lard. Butter has some impurities, but is almost 100% fat as well. Processed proteins, such as whey protein or seitan are less of an issue, since most people use them to build muscle or to ensure they are getting their minimum amount of amino acids. Processed carbohydrates and fats are the main issue. Eating lots of processed fat is bad, but it’s much worse to eat (or drink) refined sugar, and worse than either is a combinat...

A Crash Course in Nutrition There are two basic categories of nutrients: micronutrients and macronutrients. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, fats and proteins, all of which can can be broken down into energy. Micronutrients include vitamins, minerals, fibers and phytochemicals. Micronutrients perform a variety of functions, but do not supply the body with energy. Lets take a look at the different kinds of macro and micro nutrients, and what specifically they do. Of the three macronutrients, most of us get most of our energy from carbohydrates. There are two kinds of carbohydrate: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are sugars like sucrose and fructose, which are molecules of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Complex c arbohydrates are complex, strung together chains of sugars. The body’s preferred source of fuel is glucose, which is a simple carbohydrate. Naturally-occurring c arbohydrate dense foods include: cereals, grains, and fruits. Fibers are also technically carb...