Food as Self-Care
Hi Byte Wellness Family,
When we talk about “eating right”, we’re not talking about restrictive diets or food-shaming. For us, eating right is all about self-care.
After all, food is an essential resource. We need nutritious foods to live well. But, eating too much of the wrong food can cut our lives short and/or cut our quality of life.
Science shows us that not every food or drink is created equally. There are foods that mainly build up your body, and there are foods that will mainly break you down. Most foods can be some combination of the two.
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“Eating right” for a lifetime boils down to 3 steps:
1) FIGURE OUT WHICH CATEGORY YOUR FOOD FALLS INTO (MOSTLY HELPFUL OR HARMFUL). SOME EXTREME EXAMPLES:
colorful veggies are overwhelmingly helpful (be careful of high-potassium veggies if you have advanced kidney disease).
processed foods (like frozen dinners, pastries or chips) tend to be mainly harmful with too much sugar, salt and a harmful fat profile.
How many calories do you need based on your body size and activity level? Use the MDCALC calculator below.
2) DECIDE YOUR IDEAL BALANCE OF HARMFUL/HELPFUL
Everyone has a different combination of health risks and goals, so there’s no one-size-fits all eating pattern. But, science does have some tips for us:
People with heart disease or high blood pressure benefit from eating low-salt and high-potassium foods.
People with pre-diabetes or diabetes benefit from eating complex carbs and low-carb foods.
3) DESIGN YOUR ENVIRONMENT AND LIVING HABITS SO THAT EATING YOUR IDEAL FOOD BALANCE BECOMES ALMOST MINDLESS
Surround yourself with helpful foods (pack snacks for your commute and work)
Keep your harmful foods out of reach (don’t buy them in bulk)
Give these tips a try, and let us know how they change your approach to eating.
Happy Healthy Eating,
Dr. Wuse