It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that the average American happily chooses to be slowly poisoned by their food.

We learned in health class, “You are what you eat” . . . and this is very literally true. Your 60 – 90 trillion cells turn the food you eat into the molecules your body needs and to create the 10 – 50 trillion new cells replaced every day.

If we choose to acknowledge the 20 years of research that has proven time after time that the top five death-causing diseases are 80% preventable and then decide to turn that 80% in our favor with diet and exercise, we are suddenly faced with a dizzying array of contradictory “facts”.

Some people walk into a health food store (or go online), get confused, and just go back to their unhealthy eating habits out of information overload and sheer frustration.

Another response to the sea of health information is to choose and follow the teachings of a “guru”, disregarding all contradictory scientific research as “biased”.

I don’t like either approach.

I determined recently (when my oldest daughter was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia) to get rid of the fake food in our house and replace it with natural cuisine.

The beginning stages of this effort were fairly simple no-brainers.  All the studies agree – no more fast food, no more soft drinks, no more red meat, no more highly processed “quick” foods . . . this uncomplicated list would also include no more cigarettes, although that is not a staple I provide in my house.

Now for the complicated part.  Studies (mostly) agree that at least half our food (or more) should consist of fruits and vegetables.  The remainder should be whole grains and proteins – even for a vegetarian or vegan.

But, should my produce be organic?  What does organic even mean and is it important? Or is it all just a bunch of pretentious (expensive) hype? Can’t I wash off the pesticides? What about locally grown? Is that important?

What about meat and eggs (assuming I am not going vegetarian or vegan)?  Should they be organic too?  What about hormones and antibiotics given to the animals?

And what about GMO?  What does it really mean and is it really harmful?

And what is the big deal about gluten?  I don’t have celiac disease, so why does it matter?

What about sugar substitutes?  Stevia, xylitol, erythritol, repadura, agave nectar, honey . . . the list goes on . . . so many conflicting recommendations and reports!  And is processed white sugar, taken in moderation, really that bad for you?

And what about milk? Should I even drink milk? If so, should I drink whole, low-fat, or non-fat?  Should I drink raw, organic milk?  Or is homogenized o.k. as long as the cows were not given hormones and antibiotics? Or should I skip the milk altogether and go for the alternatives of almond, rice, or soy?  And if I choose an alternative, does it matter which one?

Over the next several weeks I am going to tackle these very confusing and conflicting health topics.  I won’t draw specific conclusions about THE BEST course, because there is still so much incomplete knowledge…but I will present a fair discussion of what studies have been done, and what conclusions can and cannot be drawn.

For myself, I have found that sweeping, radical changes are very difficult to manage, and can lead to discouragement and failure.  I find it best to make one or two changes at a time, get used to the changes over several months, and then work to add another change or two.

Although there is a lot of conflicting information out there, nutritionists agree more than they disagree.  I find it less frustrating to focus on the health information that is not being debated, and expand from there.

So, along those lines, here are some (mostly) non-controversial healthy basics:

• Drink 8 glasses of water per day.  Get 7 – 9 hours of sleep.
• Exercise is good.  Lack of exercise is bad.  Just a thirty minute walk after a meal increases our metabolism and provides valuable health benefits.
• The closer to its natural state a food is, the better it is for you.  This fact is still denied by many, but the science is undeniable.  Our bodies just don’t know what to do with the “fake” food, so it does not get readily absorbed and utilized (The same goes for nutritional supplements, by the way.  Just because a supplement contains a vitamin or mineral, does not mean that our bodies can use it.  This has been scientifically proven.)
• At least half our diet should consist of fruits and vegetables.  Roughly ¼ should be whole grains and ¼ should be proteins.
• Fast food, food additives, highly processed foods, processed meats, red meats, soft-drinks, artificial sweeteners, and smoking are all unhealthy choices closely associated with preventable diseases.
• It is virtually impossible to get all the nutrition we need from the currently available food supply – even if we only eat healthy food all the time.  Supplementation is necessary for optimum health.
• Not every nutritional fad is based on science, but don’t throw the baby out with the bath water…much scientific research that could help people live longer, healthier lives gets lumped in with the unfounded health claims and lost in the shuffle.

So, I think that is enough information to keep us busy for a while . . . and we’ve got time to work on sorting out the nutritional wars…stay tuned!