Rainbow Fitness Flower: Nutrition

Let’s start to unpack this “rainbow fitness flower” a little more this week. First up – Nutrition. Obviously, one post on nutrition will not even begin to scratch the surface of the myriad approaches and suggestions to eating well. Our bodies are unique and there clearly is not a one-size-fits-all answer or else we’d all be … well … one size, right?

But before we begin, one of the things I’ve learned being married to a sports medicine physician who strongly encourages “evidence-based medicine” is that you have to carefully consider your sources when you hear reported research. How many news stories and fitness magazine snippets do we see telling us that “research” says (fill-in-the-blank) of the next way to lose weight?

We rarely are privy to important details that would support or negate the legitimacy of such research. How many participants were in the study? Was it a controlled experiment? Were the results statistically significant? Has it been peer reviewed? Really … anyone could manipulate a study to report whatever findings they wanted.

All of this to say – just be intelligent consumers of information – regarding anything, really… but in particularly nutrition.

Now – before we get to what to eat, we need to consider why we eat… Food is fuel. You wouldn’t put garbage in your car and expect it to run well. Why do we think our bodies would be any different? Everything you put in your mouth affects your body in either a positive or negative way.

Just being mindful of this helps me make better decisions {sometimes}. As I start to scoop a bowl of ice cream for myself, I think about how it may be benefiting my body. Instead of filling the bowl with only ice cream, I slice a banana and then have room for just one or two scoops. I still enjoy my treat, but I also know I’ve eaten something real with quality nutrients.

With the prevalence of the “obesity epidemic,” I feel like everyone knows the head knowledge of what to eat. I certainly don’t want to insult anyone’s intelligence by pointing out that fruits and veggies are better choices than potato chips and Twinkies.

As Michael Pollan says in In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, “Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food.” Your goal is real food that comes from the Earth, not a factory or laboratory.

Shopping mainly the periphery of the grocery store usually keeps you away from {some} of the more processed foods. And, of course, farmer’s markets are usually a pretty good way to find real food as well. While it won’t be perfectly comprehensive, check out Local Harvest to see some of the options near you.

When it comes to eating well, there are simply too many suggestions and tips (some of which come from reputable research and some that do not). My intent is to not blast you with information and overwhelm you from the beginning. We’ll be talking more about healthy eating ideas in the future, but for now, just focus on this one idea: Solid nutrition comes from REAL FOOD.

Carrot sticks instead of veggie straws. Strawberries instead of chewy fruit snacks. Homemade hummus instead of ranch veggie dip.

I don’t think we need a research report to tell us we should strive to consume our calories from the food God provides naturally rather than the creations man concocts on his own for convenience sake. If we can learn to fuel our bodies with mainly real food sources, we may start to see a change in our own overall health and well-being.

Anyone want to try? Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Just try one thing today.

What are some of your favorite real food suggestions? Or what’s something you want to replace with a real food alternative?