The One Thing You Absolutely Need to Know When It Comes to Nutrition
When it comes to navigating the holistic nutritional world and figuring what is the best for your health and wellness, it is very easy to quickly become overwhelmed with all the information out there. You are quickly inundated with tons of different products, and tons of ideas each claiming to be the best and most effective.
When it comes to holistic nutrition however, the only actual truth is that each person is completely unique, and what works for one person may not work as well for another person. Anybody who has studied holistic nutrition long enough and objectively enough will tell you the same thing. There is no one size fits all when it comes to nutrition. Anyone who tells you that their way is the best way is either trying to sell you something, or is ignorant.
The fact of the matter is that you simply don’t know what may or may not work for a specific person. We are all built differently, have different genetics, different ancestral origins, grew up in different environments, and were all exposed to unique conditions growing up. The notion that we would all be affected the same way by the same things is quite naive.
Of course, there are general trends and guidelines that most of us can agree on, but the individual component is the most important component and one that shouldn’t be overlooked. The most important thing is to realize that you are an individual, and things that may be great for others may not be the best for you. When navigating the immense labyrinth that makes up the nutritional world, always remember to listen to your body and your own intuition first. Don’t make the mistake of getting caught up with something simply because others say it works or that you should.
This applies to diets, supplements, and individual foods. Know that a diet that is great for others might not be for you. In fact, in many cases, most people do better on a combination of different diets or nutritional lifestyles. Know that super supplements or super foods may not be super for you. In fact, it is important to realize that even foods that may be universally accepted as good for you may have detrimental effects on you.
A prime example of this would be Spinach. Ask anyone and they will tell you that this is one of the healthiest foods on earth. It contains a lot of fiber, potassium, zinc, and is rich in a variety of other vitamins, minerals, flavonoids, and antioxidants. For all the wonderful benefits of this super food however, it also contains a high amount of salicylates, which is a naturally occurring organic acid found in plant foods. There are people who have a salicylate intolerance, which can lead to headaches, ADHD, and a variety of other symptoms. This is made worse by the fact that this a relatively unknown food intolerance, yet some of the healthiest foods contain a high amount of salicylate.
Fortunately, salicylate intolerances are not as prevalent as other intolerances. The key point of the example is to illustrate the fact that every individual is different and there is no universal truth for everyone nutritionally. Learn about the different types of diets and nutritional lifestyles out there, try them, and take what works for you. Use the different ideas out there as a roadmap, but use your body as the compass. As you begin to tune in to your body more and more, you will find that it is able to tell you more than you ever dreamed possible.
I wish you the best!
