Zoetic principals for healthy eating
The Art of Physical Wellbeing January 2023
Eating can be joyful, fun, exciting AND healthy.
Food should fill your body with energy, mental clarity and good health. It should not be troublesome or complicated in any way. Simpler is better! So, in that spirit, here are the 3 Zoetic principles for healthy eating:
#1) Eat REAL food
#2) Eat the proper amount for food
#3) Love & enjoy your food.
Zoetic Nutrition Principal #1) Eat REAL food - avoid added sugar & toxic chemicals
A lot of what we eat can be considered NOT food. Just take a look at the ingredient list on almost any food item that HAS an ingredient list (as compared to a whole food). Most of the stuff in there has been added. It has been added, according to the food industry, to preserve freshness, control contamination, improve nutritional value, improve taste, texture and appearance. And while this may all be true (more or less), growing evidence confirms what we already know intuitively: that the added sugar and toxic chemicals in processed foods are severely damaging to our health.
There is validated, scientific proof that processed foods are linked to horrible health outcomes. Preservatives, emulsifiers, unhealthy seed oil and other toxic chemicals that are in your food are generally listed on the ingredient list. So take a look and if you see a list of ingredients that don’t look like food to you, avoid that product. It is not in your best interest to put that stuff in you body.
For a more detailed discussion (and footnotes) about processed foods and why to avoid them I encourage you to read my blog post: "Is it Food?" You can find it here: https://www.zoeticcoaching.com/blog/vol-5-skillful-aging-newsletter
Added chemicals also blunt your ability to taste food as you are supposed to. Once you focus on real food you will start to truly taste. Your most loved foods will be vibrant and alive again. Try it, eliminate processed foods and minimize added sugar and you will be amazed by how much better your food tastes.
What matters about principal #1 is that you: emphasize whole or minimally processed foods.
Zoetic Nutrition Principal #2) Eat the right amount of food - optimize your "energy balance"
Energy balance is what results when you are consuming enough energy (calories) to power your body but not too much so as to add body fat.
Your energy balance is informed by 2 main things.
1) How many calories you eat vs. how many you burn
2) How those calories affect metabolism, specifically your hormonal response to food.
The easiest way to know how much energy you are eating is to track your foods with an online tracker that breaks down how much you eat and the macro & micro nutrient distribution of that food. My favorite is; https://cronometer.com/ There are many others, pick the one that suits you best.
If an online tracker is not a good solution for you there are other ways, for example, journaling or simply listing what you have eaten. But, regardless of how you know what your energy intake is, knowledge is power and you need to know what you are eating.
What matters about principal #2 is that you: optimize your energy balance by eating the right amount of food.
Zoetic Nutrition Principal #3) Love & enjoy your food - don’t go on a “diet”
How we approach eating and what choices we make around food directly influence our quality of life.
Meal time is when we gather with friends and family, it’s when we unwind and relax. Eating is when we partake in the good things in life, it should be savored and enjoyed as an important part of a fulfilling life. The food you are eating is the centerpiece of this experience, it has to be rewarding and filled with joy.
Being "on a diet", conversely, will interfere with this enjoyment. A diet can leave you feeling deprived and unsatisfied. The diets I'm referring to include: paleo, carnivore, vegan/ vegetarian, keto/ low carb or even Mediterranean, to name just a few. It's not that these diets are "bad" necessarily. In fact, some of the principles they are based on are good and have helped many people lose weight and live healthier lives.
More importantly though it is that they all require adherence and (to some extent) discipline. And because eating and food are so closely tied to our happiness, adherence & discipline will eventually wane in favor of the love of food and eating (as it should be).
The good news is that your body is on your side. You have very precise nutrition and energy sensing abilities built into your metabolism. If you eat real food in appropriate quantities your body will adjust very quickly. You will automatically lose the drive to eat fake food and you will lose your taste for added sugar. You will, instead, taste your food as you are supposed to, in all its fantastic glory!
If there are things you love and but know are not the best choice that’s OK! Just make that particular thing a “sometimes” treat. It can be the exception that proves the rule.
Sustainability is the key to any successful eating strategy. If you feel too limited or deprived it will not succeed. So, once in awhile, go head, indulge & enjoy. And, you will enjoy it WAY more if it is only on the menu occasionally. For me, my guilty pleasure is homemade pizza. I know it’s not great for my health but once or twice a month it’s cool, no worries. I just pay attention to the frequency and make those occasions a celebration.
What matters about principal #3 is that you: savor meal time and love your food.
While the Zoetic principles of healthy eating are not complicated in theory, putting them into practice requires: creative problem solving, trial and error, and (the hardest thing) positive behavior change.
Be patient, be determined - you will succeed
I would love to hear from you! If you have any questions or thoughts, please share: george@zoeticcaoching.com
Be well, George
