My True Diet

Once people find out that I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, the first question they usually ask is in some way related to my diet. People want to know what I eat, or for me to tell them what they should eat.

​If you are reading this, you might be hoping for me to clue you in on which foods are "healthy." First, food is not "healthy," but it can be "nutritious." Nutritious foods result in healthy people. See below...

​health·y [ˈhelTHē/]
adjective

1. in good health.
   "I feel fit and healthy"
2. (of a part of the body) not diseased.

​nu·tri·tious [n(y)o͞oˈtriSHəs/]
adjective

1. nourishing; efficient as food.
   "like all spinach, it is very nutritious and best when young"

​If you are here seeking specific foods to eat that are nutritious, there is a simple algorithm that may help.

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1. Does this food grow from the Earth? (i.e. wheat, corn, soy, tomatoes, broccoli, etc.)
2. Does this food eat food which grows from the Earth? (i.e. chicken, fish, beef, etc.)
3. Is this food a product of food that eats food which grows from the Earth? (i.e. eggs, milk, cheese, etc.)

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Ok, that last one was sort of a tongue twister, but I stand by it. Point in case, nutritious foods are those that are NOT HEAVILY PROCESSED. There is a lot of legislation used to define "processed food," and we could get into a lengthy philosophical debate on the subject. However, if you can answer "Yes" to any of the three questions above when deliberating whether or not to eat a food, then I would be willing to wager it is a nutritious food choice. The simple definition of "processed" is as follows:

​proc·ess1
ˈpräˌses,ˈprōˌses/
verb
past tense: processed; past participle: processed

1. perform a series of mechanical or chemical operations on (something) in order to change or preserve it.
   "the various stages in processing the wool"

POTATO

VS

POTATO CHIPS

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The difficulty with choosing to eat food based on the algorithm is that it usually needs to be processed (i.e. cooked) before you can eat it. For me, nutritious eating starts with cooking. When you cook your own food, you know the exact series of mechanical and chemical operations employed to change or preserve it. When we have control over how our food is processed, we have better control over our health.

My own mantra for nutritious eating...

"everything in moderation."

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Disclaimer:
​For all intents and purposes, the goal of this blog entry is not to serve as a diet regimen, prescription, or weight loss program. ​The goal of this blog is to simply share the foods my family eats, and to encourage readers to take control of what they eat by cooking.