Recently, I’ve realized that I don’t eat enough fruit. We’re always being told that we’ve got to eat more protein, or eat all these other things, but we’re not often told we need enough fiber. I really believe that natural fiber – fruit – is the best way to get it. There are so many other good benefits of fruit.
So, here’s our first myth – fruit is too high in sugar. Some people say all sugar is equal, or the calories are the same, or whatever. However, I really believe, and I’ve seen in my own life, that fruit is good, and too much refined sugar is bad. Separating fruit from other forms of sugar is a good idea, and so is having fruit every day, especially having fruits with vitamin C when you’re sick. Any kind of fruit that you feel like eating is excellent for your health.
It really helps me in so many ways. It helps my skin. It helps me feel good. It helps me have energy. It helps with consistency in the bathroom. Eating the right fruit just helps with feeling good in general. I believe we need all kinds of fruit. God made them. They’re in the form that they were created; the way God made them is the way we eat them. We don’t have to cook them. They’re raw, natural, whole, and really good for us. There’s lots of fiber in fruit, and there’s good water and minerals. There’s micronutrients and those help to regulate how the sugar is absorbed from fruit. That really outweighs anything that might be a negative from fruit.
Of course, one problem is the pesticides. If you buy fresh peaches or something that isn’t organic, like apples, they often have a lot of pesticides on them. Sometimes we just have to do our best and trust the Lord for the rest. Buy whatever organic fruits you can, and the ones you can’t find, maybe you can buy from farmer’s markets. Try to wash them well, using some kind of fruit wash or bicarb. Soak them in a solution of bicarbonate of soda and water, and then enjoy them.
So, obviously berries are very good. There’s blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and et cetera. Then there’s citrus fruit like oranges. I love grapefruits – sometimes I just feel like a grapefruit in place of a meal, and that’s fine. There’s any other kind of citrus.
I think that the whole fruit is much better than fruit juice that strips away the fiber. The fiber balances out the sugar, so it’s obviously much better to have the whole fruit for steady blood sugar. If you’re worried, you can even add protein like some nuts, some almond butter, or some Greek yogurt to your fruit.
Myth number two – carbohydrates are bad for you, and you need to minimize your carbohydrates. Sometimes people say you need a low carb diet or a high protein diet, and there have been times in the past where I’ve believed that, but I’ve come to believe lately that balance is the way God intended us to eat. We need carbohydrates. We need protein. We need healthy fats, and we need fiber. The issue isn’t the carbs themselves, but the context we eat them in, and what type of carbs they are. We don’t want to eat white bread pastries or sugary cereals, except occasionally. Those will definitely spike blood sugar and lead to cravings. On the other side, you get complex carbs and healthy carbs; fruit and things like quinoa, oats, sweet potatoes, or any kind of good vegetables.
Carbohydrates are really good for you, really necessary, and really helpful for the production of hormones and energy for your body. I believe that as a female, they’re even more important. There are so many processes in our bodies that need those nourishing carbohydrates. You could start by adding some fruit before each meal, or you could have a good salad on the side, or something like that. We’ll bring in the carbohydrates in a balanced way.
Myth number three is that all fats are bad for you. Obviously we want to stay away from seed oils, but saturated fats have gotten the bad knock over the years. The real issue is not the saturated fats, but the trans fats, and perhaps excessive Omega six oils.
The best kind of fats for you to have are olive oil, perhaps some nuts and seeds, oily fish like salmon and sardines, and then coconut oil, tallow, and butter. Those are all very good for us. Have them with whatever you’re eating, have them in moderation, and have the ones with the least amount of hormones in them. For example, butter from organic milk is better, and organic cream is better.
But don’t fear the fats. Your body needs them. Your hormones need them. Fats help cholesterol to be transported through your body to your brain where it’s needed. So, don’t be afraid of good fats. They also keep you full and satisfied from meal to meal.
Myth number four – sugar-free means healthy. This is so not true. Most sugar-free foods contain artificial sweeteners or highly processed ingredients, and they’re definitely not the best alternative. I would rather have raw honey or some good, genuine maple syrup instead of any of the sugar-free substitutes. Even minimally processed cane sugar is better than those.
You should also use natural sweetness from whole foods like dates or other fruits, like in a dessert made with pears. Add a bit of honey in there. Read your ingredient labels carefully, and avoid products with long lists of chemical sweeteners or other strange sugar substitutes. The best thing is the real natural sugar the way God made it.
Myth number five – detox diets cleanse your body and are necessary. I believe that your liver, kidneys, and digestive system are already busy detoxifying your body naturally every day. A detox diet can do more harm than good, especially to your hormones, and especially if you’re on it for an extended amount of time. You really need to focus on movement rather. Help your lymphatic system help your blood flow with exercise. Focus on hydration, good fiber, eating plenty of fruits that have antioxidants, drinking your water, and et cetera. That’s far more beneficial than a detox diet.
Myth number six – eating after 7:00 PM is bad for you or can cause weight gain. This is not necessarily true. I think that you can wisely eat in the evening if you feel you need to. Especially if you find yourself waking at 2:00 or 3:00 AM, which means that your liver’s running out of glycogen, then it’s better to eat a good snack in the evening.
You can eat a piece of fruit, some Greek yogurt with fruit, some hummus with vegetables, a few nuts, or whatever you feel works. I even like to have a glass of raw milk sometimes in the evening when I feel like it. If you train your body, then you can listen to it and decide what it needs in the evening. Don’t worry too much about all the don’ts that we get told.
Also, it definitely helps me to have some cheese in the evening. Maybe that’s because it’s high in K2 and it’s satiating. There’s something about cheese that really helps our bodies during the night. If you can’t get back to sleep, try a piece of cheese – not the highly processed cheese, but something like aged cheddar; a well-made, good cheese.
Myth number seven – healthy eating means giving up your favorite foods.
This is definitely not a good route to go. If you give up all your favorite foods, it’s very hard. Some people can do it, but I’m not one of them. A very restrictive diet often backfires, and then you end up eating worse things than you would’ve if you just added a few good foods that you enjoy. You can do the 80-20 approach where you eat whole foods 80% of the time, and then allow yourself treats or eating out at a restaurant on a weekend or an evening. Then savor those meals without guilt.
What also helps is to eat slowly, and to chew well. Perhaps have some digestive enzymes with your meal, and enjoy it without feeling guilty. That’ll prevent your body from rejecting the food or not digesting properly. It also hopefully prevents binging, et cetera. Enjoy the things that you really enjoy, and as your body gets healthier, you’ll probably crave healthier foods. As soon as there’s a huge amount of restriction, however, it’s very hard to eat enough, to get the right nutrients, or to feel satisfied.
Myth number eight – you need to focus on enough protein. This has been a huge push in the health industry in the last few years, and I think it’s good to be aware that you need good protein, but it also depends on your time of life. You probably need less in menopause, and more when you’re a young man going to the gym every day. Perhaps when you’re pregnant, you need a different amount of each nutrient.
However, it’s also good to be aware of all the nutrients, not just protein. You need enough fiber, and as I said earlier, you need good carbohydrates to help your body, especially as a female. You need good fats, et cetera, so it’s very important to not get hung up on just protein. You can end up having too much protein, or the wrong type of protein.
Also, you don’t always need meat. You can use beans or lentils instead. You can use grains. You can use nuts, although it’s unhealthy to use a huge amount of almond butter or almond milk in a way that you would never eat if it was in the form of nuts.
So, just be balanced. Make sure that you have a whole lot of different good proteins, as well as all the other nutrients. Even fruit can be high in protein, if you eat a lot of it. It’s got all the amino acids – there’s complete protein. Don’t get hung up on having a lot of protein, but be balanced, and find all the nutrients that you need.
Myth number nine – juice cleanses are healthy and help you lose weight. I’ll say that I used to be a fan of this one, but I’m no longer a fan. I think that perhaps a little vegetable juice, maybe some celery or carrot juice can be beneficial now and then, but I think that a juice cleanse is depriving your body of nutrients for too long, especially of protein. It also makes your blood sugar from the concentrated juice.
I think it’s better in the end to just eat fruit if you feel like having a break. If your body wants to heal a bit, then just eat fruit for a day or two and see how you feel. Have some peaches, some apples, some citrus, and some berries. Somehow that gives your digestion and your body a break.
Myth number 10 is that dairy is bad for you. So many people seem to be intolerant of dairy, and struggle with it, but I think that it shouldn’t be a generalization that all dairy is bad for you. I think that store bought milk is bad for you – it’s better to have raw milk.
If you struggle with dairy, butter is very good because it’s mainly fat, and cheese is very good because people are a lot less affected by cheese, especially aged cheese. See what good quality European cheese you can find. I prefer cheese made with animal rennet to that made with genetically modified vegetable rennet. You can find some really good emmental or gouda. See what you enjoy.
Again, yogurt, especially Greek yogurt, is high in good probiotics. Natural yogurt is going to affect you less. See if you can find dairy that you can tolerate, and if you enjoy dairy, enjoy that fact. Dairy is so delicious – it’s one of my favorite things. It’s a great way to get protein without meat sometimes when you feel like meat is a bit heavy. So, enjoy your dairy. It’s good for you. Raw dairy is the best; dairy from cows where they’re naturally kept on a farm, not in feedlots. Use the best quality dairy that you can find, but enjoy it.
Here’s a quick bonus tip about salt. It’s a myth that salt is bad for you. You do need salt. Your body needs salt. Try to stay away from refined salt or salt where they’ve added iodine. It’s better to have natural salt; Himalayan, Celtic, sea salt, or whatever you like, but try to get the natural form that hasn’t been refined. Just listen to your body. Again, don’t overdo it, but use it as you enjoy and as you need. It’s got great minerals for your body to enjoy and absorb, so don’t be afraid of salt.
