Food as Medicine: The Middle Road
Biochemical Individuality, Listening to your Body and the Middle Road
You can access a recording of this post here
I know, I know. All this talk about eating more plants. By now you probably think I am going to recommend some super restrictive diet - probably vegan or keto or paleo.
Actually, I’m not. What I have learned over the years is that each of us has as very unique biochemical individuality, that can change over time. Especially if we push the pendulum too far in one direction. Because that’s the way our bodies work. That’s the way Nature works. That’s the way the universe works. That’s why I’ve learned over time that the most important thing is to find the Middle Road.
Anytime we adopt a super restrictive perspective on anything, we become dogmatic. And the danger of dogma is that we stop listening to ourselves, our deep inner knowing, and our body’s unique needs.
Certainly there is a time and a place for a therapeutic dietary intervention when we are faced with a serious health issue. But over the long haul, these super restrictive patterns don’t work.
What does our body need at this point in time? Are we listening to our body to perceive the subtle and not so subtle cues of what works? What keeps our energy up? Our minds clear? What keeps us off the blood sugar roller coaster? What dietary choices seem to drive patterns around snacking or food cravings?
Are we eating high quality fat? How much fat do we need to feel satiated? To enjoy our food? To make our food taste amazing? To keep our blood sugars level? How do we respond to fats? Does it trigger indigestion, nausea or gallbladder symptoms? Do we have issues around eating fat? Did we survive the “low fat era” ….but barely? Do we at time binge on fat - almost unconsciously - because we spend too much time restricting good fats.
How much protein do we need? What kind of protein gives our body the best energy and focus? Keeps us feeling satiated? Reduces cravings? Supports our body’s metabolic needs?
Are we eating enough carbs? Or are we eating too many? Are we craving carbs? Which carbs work best for us? Which carbs keep our blood sugars in check? Which carbs keep our gut happy? Which ones don’t?
Are there foods we react poorly to? That we seem to have some sort of sensitivity to? Might this be the food itself or the reality that we are always eating on the run? Always rushing with our food, never taking the time to appreciate or digest our food.
There is no one diet that is right for everyone. I want to help you figure out what works best for you. What works best for your body’s unique biochemical needs.
As omnivores we are meant to eat a wide variety of foods. Our metabolic needs change with our cycles, with the seasons and with the phases of our lives. If we push the pendulum too far in one direction, the system will need to rebalance, to autocorrect so to speak.
The bottom line is
Let go of the dogma and listen to your body
Eat a wide variety of foods
Eat a lot of plants
Include nutrient dense animal foods and healthy fats in your diet according to your body’s unique metabolic needs
So we come full circle, back to the very simple daily practice of what we put into our bodies. Where does our food come from? How is it being grown? What are we eating? Is it appropriate for our body’s needs? Are we making time to prepare food with awareness and love. And are we sitting at the table, in deep gratitude and connection, sharing that food with the ones that we love?
Join me in the coming days as we explore nutrient dense animal foods and healthy fats, and find more ways to bring food to our tables with love and generosity.
