Earlier in the week I posted Part 1 of this conversation (found here for those of you who haven’t read it yet) with the promise of two more subsequent chapters. To do each of my points on the subject justice, they require a little more time and a little more space to spread out better. In this post, I’ll be reviewing the point two of the following:
Know your body, and give it what it needs.
Think about your food in a big picture, not what you are craving at this moment.
As I (hope I) have made clear at this point, each person’s body is a unique treasure, and as such shouldn’t be compared to or treated like any other. Your body is a gift to you, a blessing so that you can fully enjoy the world around you. It is a complicated, mysterious, beautiful machine. And, the way I see it, that is the only way to approach the topic of your body and how you care for it in order to be successful, no matter what your goal is.
Our bodies, like most any living thing, strive to be in harmony. This harmony is known physiologically as homeostasis, and it is essential to our survival. Our bodies function best inside of a small range of environmental and internal conditions, and the intricacies of hormones and body functions work together to keep us happily suspended in our homeostasis. Though there are some things that all bodies need to survive (like oxygen consumption and waste removal), each one of us has a slightly different internal climate, and therefore has different needs. [1]
No, I’m not talking about that Harmony!
Learn what your body needs. It sounds simple, but believe me it isn’t! You can consume all of the things that are labeled as “good for you,” and yet still have holes in your dietary needs or unexplained maladies. A great example is my own digestive tract: As a person with Celiac’s disease, words like whole wheat, rye, barley, and whole grain are akin to poison, pain, and avoid at all costs. That doesn’t mean that I think whole wheat, etc is bad for everyone. Certainly not! There are a good number of health benefits found in those grains. But I know that for my body it doesn’t work. That’s not what my body needs. And I respect the lessons my body has to teach me. By listening to my body I’ve helped myself come to a better harmony, one that involves things like quinoa, brown rice, and polenta.
By getting creative with my grains, I’ve also learned to become creative with other sources of nutrients to replace my beloved bread-like products. Eggplant makes a mean pizza, black beans make delicious pasta, and I can bake my own artisan bread with grains like amaranth, corn, and flaxseed.
The wisdom of a dog.
By paying attention to how my body feels, and being incredibly mindful about what I’m putting into my mouth, I’m able to learn an eating lifestyle (aka, “diet”) that works for my body and my mind. I get the nutrients I need and I’m able to explore and enjoy a world of foods I might otherwise have overlooked. As an added benefit, my body functions better now than it ever did! In a previous post, The Unlikely Runner, I described a youth full of frequent injuries and slow healing. I am happy to report that since I’ve changed my diet, not only have I not become injured like before, I also have a stronger immune system. So much win!
So how do you learn what works for your body? Well, that’s a great question. I can describe for you how I did it for myself, but ultimately it’s up to you and your body.
For starters, forget what mainstream media has taught you about how you should be eating. Forget the fad diets and the “weight loss secrets” and the “battle your bulge” tips from the internet. They don’t work. They don’t exist. Now, with a clean slate in mind, journal your food experiences for at least a few days, preferably a week (more points of data result in more accurate research). Write down how you feel on those days, your sleep routines, anything that comes to mind, really. These subjective markers, which you alone are privy to, is your body trying to communicate with you, so be sure to pay attention!
Once you’ve collected your data, review any patterns you see. Armed with this information, you can make educated decisions about how you should change your eating lifestyle. It’s a great idea to get your doctor involved, too. They might have some insights to share that can inspire your next steps.
I’ll leave you with a final thought: if you are going to change your diet, do it long enough that you can see some results. I’m not talking “cure every malady you’ve ever had” or “drop 17 pounds.” Try keeping another journal to see how your body reacts to the change you’ve made. Maybe you’ll sleep better, maybe you’ll lose weight, maybe your headaches will go away. Only your body knows, so give it time to communicate with you, and respectfully listen to what it has to say.
I hope this post has been helpful; I don’t normally like writing how-to’s, particularly because each person’s experience is so wonderfully unique. I don’t like to presume that if you just do what I do, you’ll get my results. I don’t believe that to be true. You need to find your own path, and hopefully this post will merely serve as inspiration and get you moving in the direction you want to move. I’d love to hear some of your stories below! Stay tuned for the final post in this series, The Complicated Topic of Nutrition: Part 3.
[1: Principles of Human Physiology; p 21-32. Lauralee Sherwood. 2007.]
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