If I haven’t been completely clear about what it is exactly I do, here it is in a nutshell.
I help my clients get to the psychological (root), reasons why they eat what they do, and coach them to become more conscious of their nutritional habits and choices.
This allows my clients to get out of auto-pilot, live with intention and make a true transformation that is long-lasting and empowering.
In short, I teach people how to eat for long-term results, health and wellness.
I know that may sound elementary, but now-a-days people are more and more confused about what to eat, much less how to nourish their body’s for long-term health.
Americans know how to put a fork to mouth, but unfortunately don’t know how to stop eating the foods that are causing a constant incline of obesity and other chronic diseases that continue to plague our society more than any other country.
As Michael Pollan puts it, Americans have never had a single, strong, stable culinary tradition to guide us.² This lack of culture of food leaves Americans especially vulnerable to food scientist and marketers, whose job is to add to the anxieties and confusion about what to eat with a new product or diet every other month.
So I wanted to discuss what caused Americans to become so confused about how to do the most simple, yet most important thing to sustain life…eating.
Conflicting Information
Like I always say, your body innately knows what it needs to survive, heal and thrive.
But somewhere down the road, we’ve allowed those deemed as authority to tell us what’s best for our bodies, for the betterment of said authority and not for the betterment of ourselves.
We’re constantly being fed conflicting information about what is good for us and what isn’t.
One day you would hear a report that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and the next week, were recommended you should stay away from apples.
Huh?? How could an apple be bad for us??
This is because public nutrition policy is dictated by the political process, which is now heavily dictated by a corporate agenda to maximize profits.¹
Politicians, together with skilled, well-paid lobbyists, control legislation and nutritional information put out by the government.¹
If certain nutritional recommendations seem to harm certain industrie’s image and profits, cattle or dairy for example, those industries will fight to amend the recommendations in an effort to destigmatize their products.
The back and forth between the industries and the government and what benefits them..and not us, is what continues to shape Americans’ awareness about what to eat.
In short, we can thank the government and politics for creating the confusion we continue to see today surrounding nutrition.
More on that coming soon.
“Magic” Fad Diets & Supplements
Another cause for all the confusion regarding how we eat and view nutrition is that a new diet or “magic” supplement comes out every week to confuse you even more, making unrealistic and unsustainable promises.
Every new diet has a certain list of foods to eat and not eat, dwell on calories, carbs and proteins and the best way to lose weight fast (which is unhealthy and unsustainable). How you lose it, is how you gain it! Slow and steady wins the race here!
The Atkins Diet, The Paleo Diet, The South Beach Diet, The High Carb & Protein Diet and many more, all promise you with the results you’ve been longing for.
Not only are these diets not sustainable, they are all generic and not personalized for the individual.
These diets tell you what to eat, without any regard to the individual’s needs or lifestyle.
That’s how JENuine Nutrition is different. My programs teach you how to eat; for you, your life and body’s needs specifically.
Unfortunately, most diets and the “latest” supplements are marketed to be best sellers with the publishing industry and supplement companies putting the bottom line above that of the customer.
On the topic of supplements. I always get asked to share my thoughts on the latest new supplement and its benefits. By the way, there are no “new” supplements; everything is just being repackaged and sold to you as the latest, new supplement, again for the purpose of sales.
But taking any supplement won’t do you or your body any good if you’re still eating junk and fast food all the time.
The idea of supplements is to supplement your nutritional choices and help fill in the blanks, not be a replacement and band-aid for what you eat.
Choice Paralysis
To further complicate things, the food industry bombards the public with an abundance of foods to choose from, causing anxiety and putting you in a state of choice paralysis.
What should I eat?
What’s good for me?
What’s healthy?
What should I stay away from?
We are the only species that complicates the decision of what to eat.
All animals instinctively know what to eat and what to stay away from. But us humans have created unnecessary categories of foods that complicates the decision making process.
Today, the grocery stores are FULL of flashy products and foods that distort your innate capabilities to choose what’s best for you and your body.
Organic or Conventional?
Wild or Farmed?
Cage-free or Free-Range
Natural or Healthy
Vegetarian or Vegan
Heart Healthy or Fat Free
I could go on and on, and as you can see, all of these choices cause great confusion.
This is because again, it is in the interest of the food industry and companies to package and sell you things for the sake for the bottom line, rather than for the sake of your health.
But you don’t have to be a victim and fall prey to their marketing ploys.
Now that you’re more aware of why you could be confused about what to eat, you might be thinking what to do next?
At the end of the day, there is no diet or perfect way of eating that works for everyone.
So here are a few pointers to help steer you in the right direction on learning how to eat for your body’s needs.
- Listen to your body– Listen to your gut. You and your ancestors were born to know what your body needs. Get back to that and you will start understanding what foods it needs and when it needs them. Your body is an intelligent machine that communicates to you daily. It’s time you start listening.
- Eat more real food- not the crap that’s packaged and sold as “real food”. Eat foods from the earth that come from the ground that don’t have food labels.
- Keep it simple- There’s no need to complicate things. Our meals don’t have to be instagramable. They need to be edible and supply us with the nutrients we need. As the saying goes: Eat to live, not live to eat.
Being healthy is really not that complicated. We as humans have made it complicated for the sake of sales and ego; scientific studies, publications and diet books.
But since it has become complicated, that’s where I come in.
I help simplify and streamline your process to better eating, by helping you sift through all the confusing and conflicting information with my Holistic Nutrition & Wellness Programs.
If you need more guidance on how to better fuel your body for the results you want, be sure you register for my new Six-Week Program: Six Weeks to Shaping Your Eating Habits!
An intimate Six-week, Group Coaching Program to help you transform your eating to transform your life!