Tag: Vegetarianism

Bio-Individuality

We have researched many diets available on the market. In fact, we have discovered that there are over one hundred dietary theories! There are many diets that are very similar; some that are downright silly, and others that aren’t very healthy. However, most offered little nuggets of good information.

As we studied the diverse eating regimes, one point became obvious. We are all unique, and there is no single diet that works for everyone. After all, we are all wired differently, and what feels really good to me might feel really bad to you. It’s called bio-individuality. It’s why so many diets don’t work; they don’t take into consideration that “one man’s food is another man’s poison.”

There is no universal right or wrong way to eat since so many factors come into play including your age, gender, activity level, time and place of birth, and even your heritage. What works for me might not work for you.

For example, Rita Thomas eats a lot of food. She exercises regularly and has a crazy-fast metabolism. Then, when she had an injury a few years ago and was advised not to work out for a month, she cut her food intake by about two thirds and was amazed at how quickly her voracious appetite diminished. Her constant desire to snack disappeared. She listened to her body and followed its lead.

Know that change is demanding and takes time. If you incorporate five new supplements or five new foods into your diet all at once, you won’t know the effects of any one item, so make modifications gradually. Be patient and disciplined, so you are able to follow through with a reasonable plan. It will take time for your body to make adjustments, so go easy but be persistent. Don’t get frustrated; try to enjoy the process. Visualize your body as a complicated puzzle that you need to figure out.

Finally, please remember, it is more important to be fit than thin and it’s better to be fit and fat than unfit and skinny (according to Carl J. Lavie, MD, author of The Obesity Paradox: When Thinner Means Sicker and Heavier Means Healthier). Dr. Lavie says that, while you might think longevity hinges on maintaining a normal body mass index, new research indicates overweight and even moderately obese people with certain chronic diseases from heart disease to cancer, often live longer and fare better than normal weight individuals with the same ailments. He says the extra fat provides additional fuel to help fight illness.

We’ve become so used to framing health issues in terms of obesity that we ignore other potential causes of disease. It’s important to look at our bodies as holistic systems and that’s what we hope this blog ispires you to do.

Throughout the next 2 months you will be getting a summary of different diets that that seem to work for many people. We’ll be going over Blood Sugar and Low-Sugar diets, Fasting, Animal-Free Diets, Raw Food Diets, as well as the Paleo diet and the pH diet. If you are struggling with how to eat to maintain good health, pay extra close attention throughout the next two months and try to find an eating plan that resonates with you. It might even be a combination of diets or, if you are already happy with the way you eat, you might find some interesting details to fine tune your eating habits. Make it a pleasurable experiment that gets you where you want to be!

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances of survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”
– Albert Einstein

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Health Coach Rita Thomas and Chef Erin Holm hope to inspire families, friends and communities to live happier, healthier and more delicious lives.
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