Day 83 - Grow Younger Every Day Step 2: Eat Naturally

Time for step 2 folks: Eat Naturally

I spend a lot of time reading through the latest in health and fitness 'trends'. I am not going to go into detail on every single diet plan and exercise regimen out there, as there are FAR too many to keep track of.

Let's look at the facts, and think about this as honestly as we can. Nearly every single person/specialist/expert in the health and fitness industry who is trying to gain some attention is trying to do something different. This is pretty common practice if you are running a business, you want to stand out from the crowd and do something different or educate folks with something they have never heard of.

In many cases, that is how you sell products/books/DVDs/educational classes, etc., is to be different than the guy/girl next to you. You have to grab attention. You've all seen it, every diet book out there promises you that it is the one that works. It is the one book that is the easiest and best possible way to structure your diet.

Take a step back for a second. Think about the health and fitness industry. It is one of the only industries in the world that thrives on failure. Think about it! If everyone was thin, happy, and healthy, we wouldn't need experts telling us how to eat and exercise.

Because of this, there is literally an endless sea of "experts" who claim to have the 1 solution to everyone's problem.

Here is another swift dose of reality; no two people are the same, so why should they live their lives the same way?

I am proposing you follow 2 simple steps. That's it, 2! I know, I know, I sound just like 'those folks' who sell their books, but I promise you this is much easier.

Step 1: If man made it, don't eat it.

Pretty simple right?

Doritos? Man-made. Cola? Man-made.

Step 2: If nature made it, eat it.

Apples? Nature made it. Avocados? Nature made it.

Sure, there are some grey areas when following these 2 simple steps. You may even be thinking of some scenarios right now. I am asking you to think about this and follow it as closely as you can.

Eat things that nature intended us to eat. Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, eggs, fish, healthy sources of fat, nuts, grains, etc. Get rid of the preservatives and extra ingredients in your food (as best you can) and I am sure you will not only feel better, but you may surprise yourself with the changes in your body composition!

Quote of the day:

"If you care at all,you'll get some results.If you care enough, you'll get incredible results."
-Jim Rohn

Food Label Claims Part 4

The last part of the multi-part series examining common food-label claims used by companies.

"Made in..." (Country listed)

What does it mean?
This simply means that the product is assembled in the country listed.

What to watch out for
"Made in" and "From" are completely different labels here. For example, a pizza may be made by a local company in a factory down the street, but all of the ingredients to actually make said pizza may actually come from countries all over the world.

"Product of..." (Country listed)

What does it mean?
This is probably what people think of when they view the label from the previous point. This means that all major ingredients, processing and labor used to make the product are from the country listed.

What to watch out for
This is usually just seen on fruits and vegetables that are produced locally as it is becoming more and more common for multi-ingredient products to be assembled with products from all over the world. These are great products to purchase to support your local economy and farmers.

"Natural"

What does it mean?
Products have not have been changed in any way. Nothing has been added or removed (with the exception of water).

What to watch for
Consumers seem to mistake the term "Natural" with "Healthy". For whatever reason, people are tricked into this term time and time again. One of the most common I see day in and day out is "Natural Sea Salt". I see more and more companies jumping on this bandwagon, referring to their product as being "Seasoned with All-Natural Sea Salt!" Unfortunately, there is no difference between digging the salt out of the ground or drying it from sea water, they can both increase blood pressure equally!

"Organic"

What does it mean
A way of farming that avoids the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives such as antibiotics.

What to watch out for
Many countries, counties, states and provinces may have different guidelines as to what "Organic" really means so some companies may slap this label on their products to try and cash-in. Also, many scientific studies have failed to show any significant health benefit from consuming organic products over non-organic.

-Tyler Robbins
B.Sc. PTS