Nutrition: My Simple Guidelines

I don't use to think much my health. I am happy as long as I am not sick in bed and can do what I want to do. I did not work out regularly, would go out almost every night for drinks and consumed any food without any regard of my health. However things had to change five years ago when age started to catch up with me. I even failed my annual medical checks consecutively. Since then, it has been a journey to learn about my own body, about the recent research on nutritions, fitness and overall health. I continue to keep up to date. My relatives and some closer friends would consider me as a health freak these days. Below are six simple guidelines I follow for my nutritions, which are based on one principle. That is, our evolution as modern humans. As research keeps changing, I found that this one principle never changes as it is tested by our ancestors for very long time.

1. More Water - Our body is composed of up to 60 % water (0% soda and 0% alcohol) so I now drink a lot of water for my body to function properly. I even kept a water bottle besides my bed so that it is accessible whenever I'm thirsty in the middle of the night. I can`t expect a gasoline engine to function properly if I put diesel.

2. Follow the Season - I prioritize on consuming seasonal foods whenever possible. I do not overdo this as my wife cooks most of the time so can not complain and does not bother much when eating out. However for my smoothies which I normally prepare myself, the recipes I selected are based on seasonal foods. Modern technology allowed us to store foods even off seasons but seasonal foods have evolved for very long time to survive in a particular season so consuming these will allow us to absorb their nutrients to make us strong against seasonal disease throughout the year. Modern humans (Homo Sapiens) evolved consuming these seasonal foods which help them to survive during the extreme seasons. The two extreme seasons are summer and winter while the milder seasons are spring and autumn. To keep this simple, I just consider any food from late spring to early autumn as Summer Foods; and any food from late autumn to early spring as Winter Foods.

3. Natural local foods thrive - I try to include natural local foods in my diet whenever possible. I consider natural local food as food that can be grown naturally in the local natural habitats without the need of air conditioners or artificial sunlight or the need of pesticides or other biohazards. These foods have evolved for very long time to not only survive but also thrive in the local habitat; are resistant to local diseases or pests so consuming these will not only reduce our intake of such biohazards, but also allow us to absorb their nutrients to help us to adapt to local environment. Modern humans evolved consuming these foods only as they have no access to imported or processed foods. When I am in foreign locations specially those with extreme environments (i.e., very dry and hot places or freezing cold places), I find that consuming the natural local foods (prepared properly) help me adapt better. 4. Life is a balance - I try to eat everything in moderation and according to my body needs so my meals consists of grains, meats, fish, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. I am not an athlete but quite active and work out regularly. I still do aggressive sports such as basketball and snowboard so I usually have more carbohydrates in the morning and decreases by the end of day. This is offset by increasing protein intake from day to night for muscle and cell recovery. Vegetables, fruits or nuts are included throughout the day as it helps with my digestions and for overall well being. A bowl of salad may look like a lot because it is fluffy and full of water but I find it insufficient so I supplemented with smoothies. I normally take one during breakfast and another after dinner, and sometimes in the middle of the day on a tough day.

5. Look for the rainbow - I used to count how much vitamins or minerals I take but this is so tedious until I realized that nutrients affect the color of the foods. Since then, I stop counting and just look for the rainbow in my refrigerator for my diet. Plain and simple.

6. Gut bacteria does the work - I have a weak stomach and susceptible to seasonal allergies so I consume a lot of fibers from vegetables and fermented foods such as kimchee, natto, miso, yogurts, etc. in order to maintain my gut. Recent studies have demonstrated that a healthy gut bacteria helps with digestions, improve absorptions of nutrients, affects our mood, improves immunity, etc. It turns out that modern humans have evolved to have bacteria in our body than human cells. Our ancestors get these bacteria naturally from the unprocessed foods they eat, from the rivers they drink, from the habitat they lived and so on. Modern technology gives us the convenience and safety to access all kinds of foods, variety of drinks, and well sanitized environment. However this comes with some trade offs and one of that is less access to good bacteria.

#health #nutrition