BREAKOUT: Healthy Diet
What we eat is central to our existence, so it makes sense that food should be a significant part of how we take care of ourselves. Advice on eating can get confusing — well over a hundred diet plans have been proposed in as many years — but experts agree on basic principles:
There is also some evidence that a more diverse diet leads to a more diverse microbiome (3). And while the science isn’t there yet to say that a more diverse microbiome will automatically lead to good health, there is a growing consensus that low microbiome diversity is associated with numerous ailments, including inflammation, allergies, certain cancers, and celiac disease. (4) Hedge your bets and eat a diet rich in healthy foods.
Chances are most people taking this course don’t follow all of the recommendations above, and changing your diet may feel like a daunting undertaking. We recommend making changes gradually and starting with the things that are easiest for you. So, for example, if you love fruit but can’t bear to part with your butter, work on adding fruit to each meal (and that can be fresh, frozen, or canned) before you start replacing most of your butter with olive oil. Please note that healthy eating doesn’t mean you can never have a piece of red meat or birthday cake again; focus on overall trends in your diet and don’t obsess over occasional or rare treats.
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- Focus on unprocessed foods:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Plant-based fats
- Plant-based proteins
- Legumes
- Whole grains
- Nuts
- Limit added sugars to less than 5 to 10% of daily calories
- Vegetables (not including potatoes) and fruit should make up at least one half of each meal
- Primary sources of carbohydrates should be:
- Beans/legumes
- Whole grains
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Choosing monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids over other fats help prevent cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cognitive decline and include:
- Olive oil
- Avocado
- Nuts
- Flax
- Coldwater fish
There is also some evidence that a more diverse diet leads to a more diverse microbiome (3). And while the science isn’t there yet to say that a more diverse microbiome will automatically lead to good health, there is a growing consensus that low microbiome diversity is associated with numerous ailments, including inflammation, allergies, certain cancers, and celiac disease. (4) Hedge your bets and eat a diet rich in healthy foods.
Chances are most people taking this course don’t follow all of the recommendations above, and changing your diet may feel like a daunting undertaking. We recommend making changes gradually and starting with the things that are easiest for you. So, for example, if you love fruit but can’t bear to part with your butter, work on adding fruit to each meal (and that can be fresh, frozen, or canned) before you start replacing most of your butter with olive oil. Please note that healthy eating doesn’t mean you can never have a piece of red meat or birthday cake again; focus on overall trends in your diet and don’t obsess over occasional or rare treats.
Back: Forgiveness (A Pillar of Joy)
Next: Movement