Top 5 Nutrition Principles
It was winter 2019 when diet and nutrition first became a real interest in my life. At the time I was reading Sapiens and I found the brief section on commercial meat production particularly disturbing. It was enough to turn me into a vegetarian for three months. This was a radical shift for someone who had been crushing a meat-heavy diet for over 27 years that included chicken wings, filet mignon, and pizza. And we’re talking in large quantities.
Just a few months into being vegetarian, I participated in my first 10-day silent meditation course. It was here that I had another dramatic perspective change - through many hours of seated meditation and silence I realized that my body is highly intelligent. This insight inspired me to start treating my body like a temple (cliché I know, but it’s true). I became increasingly interested in nutrition science and its role in our health.
These insights in 2019 lit a fire in me that still burns strong today. I committed to my body and health as the biggest priority in life. With this new focus on the body, it became clear how essential what we put in the body is. There’s a lot of scientific research that supports healthy, plant-based eating. My own experience and health improvements have been transformative – from mental clarity, increased energy, to more physical strength.
I am not here to push any one diet on others. What I do hope is to clear some of the confusion around nutrition and empower people to make informed decisions about their own diet using reputable sources and humble personal recommendations.
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. ”
My 5 Fundamental Principles on Nutrition
*Sources are referenced in parentheses () and are summarized in the final section if you’d like to explore more.
1. Add More Plants
“Research undeniably points to a plant-predominant diet (getting 85% or more of your total calories from plants) as the best practice, evidence-based approach, and probably the single most powerful lifestyle change you can make to better your health.”
Hill emphasizes the value of a plant-based diet while making clear that it’s not all or nothing. The key points of this principle of adding more plants are to:
i) Recognize the benefit of wholefood, minimally-processed plants;
ii) Become aware and real with yourself about your current dietary relationship with plants; and
iii) Consider where and how you can start to add more plants.
Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good, because it’s not all or nothing when it comes to your diet and health. You can always add a few more plants into your diet!
2. Prioritize Diversity
“The human gut is all interconnected in a way that draws direct comparisons to planet Earth. Your gut microbiome is just as much of an ecosystem as the Amazon rain forest. It thrives on balance and harmony. Diversity of species is critically important to balance.”
Eating a variety of wholefood plants is essential. It is recommended to work your way up to 30-40 unique plants per week (1). But remember, baby steps are ok.
An example addressing diversity; I love peanut butter sandwiches on wholewheat bread. It’s a solid snack of healthy carbs, fat and protein. But I’m not eating solely peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not only would that be painfully boring, but it would also not be optimal for my health.
Lack of diverse eating is not optimal for our microbiome, the expansive community of microorganisms residing in our intestines (2). The benefits of a diverse diet are directly related to the balance and diversity of the 39+ trillion microorganisms in our gut (2). See table below summarizing a few of the benefits.
3. Include More Fiber
97% of Americans are fiber-deficient! (3). It’s absurd to wrap your head around that. This is one of the biggest dietary problems facing America and developed western cultures at large. We tend to obsess over protein and undervalue the significance of fiber. Although, fortunately there is increasing scientific interest and funding on the topic that is confirming fiber’s crucial role in a thriving microbiome (and all the health benefits that come with it).
Fiber feeds the good bacteria in our gut microbiome. It keeps them alive and well so they can strengthen our immune system, decrease inflammation and all the other benefits mentioned above. And where does fiber come from? Plants! Fiber is found in all plants and is not present in animal products. The table below summarizes some of the top sources of fiber:
“Healthy gut bacteria create a craving for healthy foods, while pathogenic bacteria create a craving for unhealthy foods. Change your microbes and you change your cravings. Change your cravings and you change your life.”
4. Don’t Villainize Carbs
Carbs are not the enemy people! Every cell in our body uses energy from carbs . It is our brain’s primary fuel and we function most efficiently utilizing them (4). Take physical exercise for example; we can use both fat and sugar as energy sources, but when we increase our speed/intensity, sugar becomes the primary energy source. Why? Because it is more efficient at creating energy.
Not all carbs are created equal. There is a huge difference between the carbs in beans and the refined sugar carbs from a processed cookie. The problem is that pop diets create a narrative where all carbs are the enemy, when it’s really just the super-processed, refined carbs that could be labeled the enemy and should be avoided. The healthy carbs in the table below should be considered friends, not enemies.
5. Experiment With Your Body
This principle applies to nutrition but also extends to life in general. Each of us is so unique, and it is crucial for us to recognize and embrace this fact within ourselves. We can use the data and recommendations of others to expand our awareness and make more informed decisions, but ultimately the best data is that of our own, direct experience. That said, the experimental process should contain a certain level of humility and openness while doing our best to exclude existing beliefs and biases.
I encourage you to embrace the mindset of treating your body and nutrition as an experiment.
Key Sources
Most people can agree that what we put into our bodies is important. The tricky part is managing all of the conflicting data and opinions. I feel fortunate to have found trustworthy resources who I have come to rely on and hope you find some value in my personal philosophy that is so heavily influenced by them. I encourage you to check out the platforms of these people below:
I’d like to give a huge shout out and thank you to each one of these people and their teams for all the amazing work they are doing and the positive impact they have had on my life and so many others’.
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I wish you all a fruitful exploration of nutrition and the unique landscape that is your body. If you are interested in chatting more about anything nutrition or lifestyle related, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me!
To MÁS health and MÁS happiness for all.
Humbly,
Drew
