From a Few Hundred Years Ago

This is my approach.

Before Monsanto, before ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter’, before working 9-5, before Red Dye No. 40, before computers and television, before Canola Oil, before aspartame, before ‘gyms’… there was just plain food, community, family, and survival.  That’s what I’m talking about.

I’m a scientist.  I’ve spent my life observing, thinking critically, and interpreting.  I’ve spent the last few years regaining control of my own health, and educating myself about how best to feed and fuel a human being.  And here’s where I stand.

Sure, we are all unique.  Unique in what lifestyle will be sustainable to us.  Unique in what foods we enjoy or what foods are toxic to us.  Unique in what sort of movement fits best in our life and what stressors we encounter on a daily basis.  But there are a few over-riding truths, and that’s where my focus has shifted.

1) We could all use some rest.  Sleep is important to our bodies and our minds.  Stress has a major influence on our health and well being.

2) We could stand to be happier.  You have this one life… you need to enjoy what you do and who you spend your time with.  And laugh – you should laugh more often.

3) We could all move some more.  The human race was born to move, not to sit at a desk for hours on end.  Our bodies were designed for a functional existence.  Play is an important part of that (see #2).

4) We could all interact some more.  Email, telecommuting, cubicles, walls, working-from-home… these are all fabulous mechanisms to isolate oneself.  We actually thrive in the presence of others.

5) We could all choose our food with intention.  Too often we accept what is offered or seek something convenient without understanding what we are eating.

6) We can all benefit from being informed and asking questions.  Many of us are diagnosed, but few understand their role in their own outcome.

7) We all need to spend more time outside.  Fresh air and sunlight do a body good.  So much good.

8) We could all dig in the dirt.  Plant a garden or put your bare feet in the grass.  Your interaction with the earth brings food to your kitchen, beneficial bugs to your guts, and as-yet-to-be-quantified improvements to your immune system.

9) We could all stand to practice gratitude.  To be thankful and appreciative of what we have, what we see, who we know, how we feel, and what we’re taught.

10) And we would do well to recognize our gifts and pay them forward.

I encourage you to let your mind wander back in time, to a time and place uninfluenced by our modern culture.  No grocery stores, no gyms, and no computers. What’s for dinner? Are you thinking about going out to get exercise? Where does the food come from? Where are you going to ‘work’? What is most important to you?

I realize that it’s unrealistic to re-enact the past.  But we can learn a lot from our ancestors.  They were more self sufficient, they did not have chainsaws, or vehicles, or computers…. they grew their own food, or foraged for food, or hunted for food.  They worked as a community – each contributing using their strengths.  They did not have anti-biotics or prescription medications – nor did they have the benefit of advanced sanitation systems or medical technology.

Imagine if you will, an intersection of the food and lifestyle unencumbered by science and consumerism, with the societal and technological advancements of our day.  This, my friends, is completely within your control.

You have more control over your health today than you were taught to believe.  Be informed, be aware, be critical, and choose to take ownership.  It’s amazing what will happen when you do.