Guest post by Valerie Johnson
If you do enough reading you will discover that many people accept a theory called “intuitive eating”. It is a concept in which people are given their choices of many foods – good and bad – for several days in a row. Most eat a bit on the “bad” side for the first few days and then correct their behaviors by starting to eat very well after the second or third day. This is considered “intuitive” because the people are automatically beginning to eat a balanced diet in order to feel better.
Is it true? It is tough to prove, but it does seem sensible. We have all experienced a few days of unhealthy eating (i.e. the holidays) and then stopped ourselves and started eating better. It really is as if our bodies are telling us how to eat in order to feel less “blah”; as if there is a sort of base line intuition to nutrition.
That means we can use this fundamental understanding of what is good and what is not to begin developing an optimized eating plan. For example, if we accept the notion that we can eat intuitively, we must also accept that this means we each need a different sort of diet on a daily basis. That implies that there is no way to create a fixed plan for eating a completely nutritious diet, but there are some fundamentals to consider.
The Plates, Tables, Pyramids, and More
We have all seen things like the food pyramids and the food plates that show the healthiest ways of eating. They indicate that we need more fruits and vegetables than anything else and that we’d do well to accept mostly whole grains and high quality proteins. These same tables also tell us that we should keep sugars and fats to a minimal amount too, and that some dairy is needed each day as well.
Now, take that information and visualize what that would mean when you visit a grocery store. Where are the fruits and vegetables? Where are the fresh meats and dairy products? What about those whole grain foods? If you shop in a standard grocery store you would know that these foods reside along the outside of the store – the perimeter.
Shop the Perimeter
This means that one of the most fundamental steps for good and optimal nutrition is to become a perimeter shopper if this is something that you do not already do. For example, if you are in the habit of grabbing a few frozen meals, canned soups, and “instant” meals in a cup, you have to cease this pattern. Instead, buy the ingredients that are needed to make such foods in their “whole” state, and then make yourself meals out of them instead. Instead of the instant cup of noodles, why not make some pasta, create a good broth and add some fresh meat instead? No sodium, loads of fiber, and much more nutrition.
This discussion of perimeter shopping as a fundamental step for nutrition also leads us into the need to discuss whole foods too. This means unprocessed foods that still retain tremendous amounts of their nutrients.
For example, when you eat a whole grain food it means that the wheat or other grain is intact and contains all of the bran and fiber. This is entirely different from a food made from grains that have been ground, sifted, and deprived of most of their nutrients. The same can be said of pre-made vegetables, pre-cooked meats, and any sort of other processed foods.
Bottom Line
So, if you are looking to become an optimally healthy person, you can take strong steps towards a very nutritious diet by becoming a perimeter shopper and working to eat as many whole or unprocessed foods as possible.
Valerie Johnston is a health and fitness writer located in East Texas. With ambitions of one day running a marathon, writing for Healthline.com ensures she keeps up-to-date on all of the latest health and fitness news.
Filed under: diet, Guest posts, healthy lifestyles, Nutri-Savvy, nutrition
