1. Health isn't punishment.
We don’t want to take away every food you love. Try to add, don’t subtract. Healthify a favorite recipe. Add greens to tomato sauce or omegas to oatmeal. Add activity to holiday festivities.
2. Nutrition doesn’t have to be insanely complicated.
Add some protein to breakfast. Get veggies and fiber at lunch. Start dinner with a salad. Easy!
3. It is a marathon, not a sprint.
Easy does it. The daily choices we make impact our health and vitality over time. Sustainable habits are proven more effective than drastic changes for a short time. Make small upgrades to the way you do things. Choose cleaner products, swapping one at a time. Make cleansing a habit. Go to bed 15 minutes earlier. When shopping, choose the better-quality food.
4. We are active players when it comes to our health.
We choose what is good for us: a positive outlook, daily self-care in the form of outdoor time, social time, a contemplative practice. Let's create our lives with intention. Treat your body with kindness, choosing good, clean, quality food and body care.
5. Weight loss is not just a numbers game.
Losing weight is not just a matter of burning more calories than we eat or of hitting our macros for the day. People can eat low-calorie foods and never see their shape change. Look at food quality and type, what is in the food (chemicals?), and the timing of when food is being eaten.
6. Nutrition is not one-size-fits-all.
Your biochemistry and your life are unique, so trying a fad diet, a supplement, or a way of eating because it worked for a friend doesn’t always work out. Your physiological and lifestyle differences might mean you need very different fuel. If a supplement or diet doesn’t work for you, that’s okay, you just have not found your match yet.
7. You do not have to be so tired.
Fatigue, stress, and brain fog are so epidemic, they seem normal. They are not! Iron, B vitamins, hydration, omega fatty acids, vitamin D, sleep, stress and exercise all have an impact. In athletes, depleted potassium, magnesium or nitric oxide can also cause performance to lag. If you can hardly focus right now, figure out why and do something about it!
8. Nutrition isn’t everything.
Yes, it’s true. In fact, genetics isn’t either. Your sleep, environment, attitude, relationships, pets, and non-nutritive dietary elements like fiber and water have an effect too.
9. Goldilocks had the right idea: balance.
Avoid extreme all-or-nothing thinking. Avoid consequences from having too much or too little - find your sweet spot. Get enough and not too much—we’re talking everything from minerals and vitamins to fiber, fat, sunshine, exercise, protein, carbs, work, water, calories, and sleep. Most things have a pendulum swing, so aim to keep on an even keel.
10. Details matter.
Not all foods and supplements are created equal. Just because blue-green algae or evening primrose oil has been shown to be beneficial doesn’t mean that all algae or EPO on the market will provide benefit. Check if the one you’re interested in was used in clinical trials. Also check the reputation of the manufacturer or source and the testing, purity, and potency.
