Download: The seven principles for better nutrition.

While no diet is right for everyone all the time, these seven principles can guide nearly everyone to healthier nutrition. Socrates once wisely said, "Let you food be your medicine".  Good nutrition is the foundation of a healthy body and mind.

Colour

          If your food looks pale, drab, and boring… that's also probably the best way to describe its nutritional content. The more colorful a food is, the higher its nutritional content. Think of beets, collards, peppers, broccoli, carrots, raspberries, yams, beans, tomatoes, eggplant, blueberries, and on and on. Think colour, colour, colour!

          Mineral and vitamin content is higher in colorful food. Plus, the colors of foods are caused by compounds known by names like carotenoids and anthocyanidins, all of which have been shown to be powerful anti-oxidants. They reduce inflammation, promote repair, and stimulate your immune system.  So...make every plate a rainbow of healthful food.

Variety

          Not only is variety the spice of life, it is also the cornerstone of good nutrition.  No one should eat the same food every day, day in and day out. Constant "exposure" to single foods is the source of many food sensitivities. In general, try to eat any specific food no more often than every other day. The most commonly over-eaten foods are dairy products (milk & cheese), wheat (bread & pasta), eggs, coffee, corn, soy and oranges.  Not by coincidence, these are also the most common allergic foods.

          Be adventurous. Have fun. Try new foods and spices. Experiment with foods and recipes from other cultures.

Fiber

          Food ought to have character and substance, and offer a little resistance when you eat it. Whole foods and whole grains have much more chutzpah than their wimpy, over-processed cousins like white flour and white sugar. Lightly cooked or raw vegetables, and fresh fruits and berries should be the nutritional cornerstone of every diet. Dry beans, lentils and split peas are some of the healthiest carbohydrates you can eat, they provide energy to your muscle cells many hours after a meal, and they are loaded with soluble fiber that keeps your colon healthy and populated by healthy bacteria.

Freshness

          There’s an old country song that says, there’s only two things that money can’t buy and that’s true love and home-grown tomatoes. Nothing beats growing and eating your own food: the flavor and nutrient content is unsurpassed and it reconnects you to food as living plants. The fresher the food, the better it is for you. Organic foods have none of the potentially toxic pesticides and fertilizers, and have been shown to be higher in mineral content than the ordinary commercially grown versions.  The general rule of thumb for fruits and vegetables is… fresh is better than frozen; frozen is better than canned; canned is better than none at all.

Water

          In aqua vita means "in water, life". Life on this planet began in the sea. Our bodies are 70-80% water. Water is the universal solvent--it cleans everything including our bodies inside and out. Many health problems arise because we don't drink enough water to wash away the waste products our bodies produce and the toxins we encounter in the environment.

          How much water should you drink?  It varies by activity, but minimally, use one of these formulas to make sure you are drinking enough. Take your weight in pounds and divide that number by three. This is the minimum number of ounces of water you should drink per day.  E.g., a 150-pound person should drink 150/3 or 50oz of water per day. If you think in metric, take your weight in kilograms and divide by 50… this is the number of litres per day you should drink. E.g., a 70-kg person should consume 1.4L of water per day. Other beverages do not count. Only water hydrates, cleans and detoxifies like water.

Chew

          Most people average seven to ten chews per mouthful of food before swallowing. (Count at your next meal and see how far you get). Twenty or thirty chews are far better for digestion. All digestion begins with chewing.  Unless we break the food up into small enough pieces with our teeth, our digestive enzymes can only digest the outer layer of the food. The rest passes to our large intestines where bacteria digest the remaining pieces, producing gas as a side effect. Chew every mouthful of food until it is liquid and your tongue can no longer recognize what it was. Chew completely and swallow before adding new food to your mouth.

Pleasure

          Take time to relax and enjoy your food. Share it with friends. Play with your food (forget what your mother told you). Food should bring pleasure. Food is a sacred gift; it connects us inextricably to the natural order. It nourishes and sustains us and gives us life. All too often people see eating as some chore to be got through as quickly as possible. How sad. The more you enjoy your food, the more it will nourish you. Be grateful and let each and every meal be a feast and a celebration.

TM Culp