Nutrition; The Center Stage

When you think of healthy do you think I am what I eat? Or are you more in line with majority of Americans that focus only on exercise. Or restricting calories? I feel a calling in life to put nutrition back on the stage as the main character. Nutrition isn’t some side gig. It IS the gig. There are soooo many parts and pieces with being healthy and well rounded. I want it to sink in that if your looking at a pie graph of wellness, nutrition is going to be at least half of that chart. The other parts of the graph is working in conjunction with what you’ve eaten. Synergistically moving together toward the common goal of creating the best body. That is your entire beings’ goal. Subconsciously we all want to feel our best.

I am going to walk you through what nutrition IS and what it IS NOT. It’s important to debunk the garbage that has been pushed on us. When were done here I hope to help you feel inspired to take those hard right steps to supporting your body. It get’s easier and easier over time once you’ve got it in your mind the key principles of health. You are doing amazing. Thanks for being here. Now let’s begin!

What Nutrition Is Not.

To start I want you to visualize walking down common isles in the grocery store. What do you see? Boxes? Plastic containers? What do they say? Canned food? Just look around. Allow yourself to be present.

Processed foods are nutritionally empty.

Processed foods’ main goal is to last on the shelf for very, very long periods of time. In order for this to be possible any products made into these processed foods need to be de-natured. Meaning broken down and rebuilt in a way that it will not mold or spoil. In this process there are chemicals added to stop the aging of the said food.

This is not nutrition. Or said in another way, your nutritional density is extremely low. Your body will eat this food, it will take energy to move this food through your system. It will receive very little back in return. Here’s an example. You are offered a job that looks promising. You go to work for 8 hours. You put in a hard days word. Did everything you were supposed to do. You only get paid the equivalent of one hour of work or less for your efforts of that day. Would you keep going to that job? Never.

So why keep putting processed foods on our shelves at home? It’s time to stop. Our bodies are fed up with not getting paid.

Labeling isn’t everything.

Big corporations have us humans figured out. Don’t let them coddle you with words or colors on their labels. Words on a package are not nutrition. I have heard thousands of times people tell me, “well this product is healthy because it says gluten free” or “it says it’s only made with almonds.” What does that even mean? I am all about respecting my body when it tells me that it is having a reaction to something I ate. The thing is, when I have a response in my body I get curious. Was it the gluten in the bread that I had a reaction to or was it the fact that the bread was made in a factory with chemicals or pollutants like mold and fungus? Or maybe dirty conditions from employees not washing their hands after going to the bathroom??

It’s easy to blame one thing like gluten then never revisit the topic again. Don’t get caught in this huge money suck. Companies know they can prey on people who have sensitivities. There are so many great books and recipes that show you how to create wonderful foods to fill nutritional needs.

I’m going to go specific here. Chips. Snacks. Treats. The labels will tell you how good they are for you because they’re made with this that or the other. Remember the worker who only got paid for 1/8th of his time? That’s what these processed snacks are doing. Nutrition is not the label. Companies put millions into marketing these empty nutrient foods. Why?? Because it costs them pennies and they charge you much more than pennies to consume it.

Calories. Protein. Fats.

This is in conjunction with labels…but now were turning the package around to look at the nutritional labeling. Oh I might get crucified for this blog. LOL.

Starting in the late 80’s, the Fat-Free campaign really took off. And when did we see a rise in obesity? Interesting the correlation. Just saying. This is when America really tanked in my opinion. Counting calories became a thing and everyone got obsessed about what was on the nutritional label.

“But Tasha, shouldn’t we be aware of what’s in our food?!” Yes! 1,000% yes!! Here’s where I don’t worry about it. I buy brown rice. Cook it from scratch. Add a whole diced onion and fresh garlic to it… Do I need to look at the label for that? Or how about sautéed veggies cooked in homemade ghee? I know what the label is because I created it!

It’s a beautiful way to control what is brought into my home. I am the master of my ship!! Now, am I always happy and chipper to make all my meals from scratch?? Bahahaha nope. Sometimes I’m down right pissed because I don’t want to cook anymore! But then I remember these stupid companies who look at my family as guinea pigs. Seeing what shiz they can put in the ‘said’ processed foods. And laughing when millions of families like mine EAT it. I’m tired of them winning. More tired than making a meal from scratch. I look at my kids a tell myself it’s worth it.

We need balance in our fats, proteins and carbs. Please take a step back and ask yourself - what is being pushed on me. I’m glad their is a movement with the government…but bottom line is it’s not their job to inspire what comes into my home. It should be me, looking towards my ancestors and finding strength from what they did to care for their families. (Spoiler alert - government changes hands, and when they do so will the policies. You family. Your jurisdiction. Not theirs.)

Nutrition Is.

To feel satisfied. To feel natural energy. No need for dependents. No need for excess.

Tell me, when’s the last time you tried to binge on apples? Or eat carrots like you would a bag of crackers? I am all about agency and feeling the difference so I challenge you to see how many cookies, crackers, chips you can eat before you are full and satisfied. You won’t ever get there. You’ll feel sick or ‘done’ before you are satisfied. I know because I’ve tried. I’ve also seen how many veggies or fruits I can eat like I do chips/cookies hahahaha your body DOES get full. And it signals to stop! You’ve had enough! lol its a beautiful thing. That is your natural measure of ‘I’ve had my needs met.’

Now there is a whole science with whole foods, when you eat them and when you get the most out of them.

Fresh fruit picked from a tree fills our nutritional needs more than dehydrated fruit of the same kind. Or preserved in a can (same type of fruit). It’s just a good reminder. Be aware of where you are getting your energy from. I have bags of frozen veggies in my freezer for days that I am just not on my A-game. I can tell a difference in my satiety when I chop up fresh veggies verses a pre-chopped frozen bag of veggies in my meal. The fresh chopped are just more beefy if that makes sense. Lol. But it’s true! When you freeze fruits or veggies they loose a big chunk of their fiber.

For me it’s good better best. If I need a quick meal, I’ll grab a bag of freezer veggies and eat them with an egg instead of processed boxed foods. Or grabbing fast food. I actually can tell you that I’ve made a non-negotiable to myself that I don’t eat at fast food chain restaurants. If I’m out and about and need a quick meal because I was unprepared then I run into a grocery store and grab a fresh veggie, fruit and hummus. This is an example of leveling up on nutrition.

And I used to eat at McDonalds and other quick food options all the time when Alma and I were first married!! I’m telling you from example, leveling up on your nutrition is the only way to have health and wellness. Think back on the pie graph at the beginning I spoke of. You can fill it with exercise. You can fill it with sleep. You can fill it with supplements and all sorts self care routine. It will not give your body the literal building blocks to rebuild healthy cells. That is why a whole foods, nutrient dense approach is needed.

Foods that need no label are whole foods. When you can clearly see what it is, that is your food of choice. It has one ingredient. The best part is you can combine these foods at home and make wonderful creations that are so satisfying! I have loved making smoothies from raw milk yogurt. Or baking sourdough “cakes” that have 3 things in it! The more you try, the more you love this lifestyle. It is so rewarding. You don’t have to eat like a bunny and only have salad. But hey! You decide what you need. Keep going, you’ll find your rhythm.

Keep it simple.

Homemade meals are easy. Everyone has busy lives. I feel you when you say, “I can’t do one more thing!” I’m going to challenge you to challenge that thought. You are stronger than you believe. Tell yourself that. I do! I get to tell myself that all the time. “I am strong and I can do hard things.” My kids get reminders from me all the time, that life was never meant to be easy. It can be joyful tho…just takes works. Yay! Lol, I love work! haha (can you tell, I tell myself that too??)

When you are planning out your nutrient dense meals, begin where you can. Then build from there. Two meals with fresh chopped veggies in a week, then the rest made with frozen? Great. Each week add more. The goal is to weed out the empty nutrients as quickly as possible. Give your body what it needs. Don’t make it work for a fraction of it’s earnings. It deserves to get the full nutritional payout!

The quicker you switch to an exclusive whole food system, the faster you feel better. When someone feels their best, they make healthier choices. Can you see the cycle?

Inspired thoughts.

Are you tired of me repeating similar words?? No? Good. I specifically changed my dialogue because words are powerful. Let’s begin making tiny changes.

Using words like…junk food…bad for you…unhealthy food…garbage…what do they create in our minds?

Shame.

Failure.

Guilt.

Once I made a shift and took out those feelings when it came to my eating I saw that it was all just information. So what if I made a choice that wasn’t in my best interest. Physically I felt the consequence. My body did not like eating that processed food. To shame and guilt myself usually led to more poor quality food choices. Own up. Then make a choice that will lead to self care, not self destruction.

No more ‘last super’ mentality. I remember saying that often. I made a “mistake” or I “ruined” my eating plan so I guess I’ll start next ________ (week, month, year). What followed after that was a downward spiral of self pity and self sabotage. The better option is to accept that I ate a food that was low in nutritional value. That’s okay. Now, what can I do today to support myself? Why did I reach for that food to begin with? Oh, I’m sad. Maybe I need to journal because I am being affected by what someone said to me. Or I need to go for a walk to clear my mind.

Food has become an emotional dependent for many. Emotions are not being cared for. Culture often sees emotions as weakness. Allow yourself to feel what you feel, then make an educated decisions based on what you need. That takes courage to change. Break free of childhood beliefs. Adjust how your parents taught you to cope. Food will never, never fix your problems. I speak from experience. And I feel so free now that I have overcome that dependency.

Allow nutrition to support your body so it can process the experiences of life. Our bodies are magnificent. Glorious, and beautiful in such individual ways.

As always, keep up the good work. You matter and you are an amazing individual who is helping the world be a better place.

xoxo-

Tasha