December 1999
Not following one’s natural instincts but a particular prescribed diet, going against nature and not having faith, all leads to health problems which are rampant today.
A Shot in the Dark?
DIETS ARE NOT JUST passé but definitely dangerous. And dieticians even more so. No, I am not trying to be outrageous. I have been in the field of nutrition and natural health almost for 40 years and I should know.
Within my very own extended family there are three cases where controlled and monitored diets have played havoc. All three went on different diet regimens most of their lives to keep their weight under control.
Now they are learning the hard way that restrictive and/or specific diets create an imbalance in the body for which one pays dearly. Whether it is low calorie, high protein, low carb, etc. — all have the same underlying danger.
What do we really need?
The body, which needs a balance (that no one will ever be able to completely decipher in a lab), is given a combination that is devised taking into consideration of only certain facts. This may allow it to lose some kilos under stress but not without damage to an organ, cells, tissues etc. depending on which kind of diet one is following.
Each diet is based on a certain assumption of the way the body functions, but the body is far more complex than diet gurus believe and ignoring the other known and unknown aspects spells trouble.
Not following one’s natural instincts but a particular prescribed diet, going against nature, believing advertisements and not having faith all lead to the health problems which are rampant today.
Several friends too have ended up with severe health problems directly related to following specific diets. Excessive bleeding, uterus problems, arthritis, tumors, hair loss, are only some of the problems encountered.
NOT THAT SLIM people are free of food-intake problems. Many thin people are also food obsessed and in danger of ruining their health if they haven’t already. It isn’t necessarily true that thin is healthier than plump. The health of your organs, blood and lymph nodes are what matter. An overweight person can often have healthier organs than an underweight person.
Repercussions of acting against your natural system
Getting back to diets, there are many people with problems related to them having gone on special diets. But rarely are their serious ailments connected back to the various weight loss programs they followed.
Sometimes when the problem is related back to the diet regimen, nobody takes it seriously. People can never believe that something they experimented with a long time ago can have severe consequences later on.
With all the current news on food in the media everyone is becoming food conscious. But unfortunately this is happening in a very haphazard way partly because of the way food and diets are portrayed in the media.
You read something is good for you and you begin eating it for a while. Then you read that something else is good and you start on that. Short term diets (including good ones) or specific foods stress out your system and does it no good.
We are all aware of people who live to a ripe old age and lead active healthy lives in spite of breaking all the health rules, smoking and drinking. Besides having been born in less polluted times, these people seem to know the secret of maintaining a balance. Because eventually the essence of good health is to fall in with the patterns of life. To be in harmony with the self. So food aside, there are several factors that make or break us.
Conclusion
So what is being recommended if you need more energy, weight loss/gain, better fitness and better health is a lifestyle change. That is you gradually change your living and eating habits in keeping with your body rhythms. The previous article covered some of the very basic charges needed in the kitchen. Nothing to do with health food recipes or relearning anything. Simply substituting natural with unnatural in your base ingredients so as to have all your meals nutritionally optimal, no matter what kind of food you eat because eventually only your own kitchen can feed you what your body needs. Prepared packaged foods and restaurants can never give you health.
The other lifestyle changes are as, if not more, important than food. We will cover these by and by. For now remember that sunshine, pure air, pure water, activity, rest, relaxation, sleep, healthy social life and relationships and productive work are all important aspects of being healthy. So reflect upon each of these and see where changes are necessary. Just going on a diet doesn’t work and may actually do more harm than good.
