AS WE ENTER the New Year and prepare ourselves to get healthier and have a stronger immune system, the topic of changing one’s diet is on everybody’s mind. And for good reason. Dietary change is one of the most important and impactful factors of our lifestyle that we actually have a strong degree of control over in our life. We cannot control many things in our daily life but diet is something we can choose to change, unlike our exposure to neighbourhood air pollution.
For this reason, changing our diets is often one of the most common resolutions people make for the New Year as, even those who have not studied the science of diet and nutrition in depth, know that dietary change can bring many benefits.
So why is it challenging for people to fulfil their resolutions about diet and lifestyle change?
Strategy – One reason why we do not often fulfil our resolutions is that a resolution itself is not based on a strategy that leads to success. Any strategy that only takes into account one lifestyle factors; like the diet, exercise, mental awareness or psychology, without concern for the others, is likely to fail. While people may resolve to eat better, what is really needed is a resolution to bring inspired action to not just the diet but also to exercise, the mind, rest, and environmental poisons. Any system that is one dimensional in nature is not likely to succeed in the longer term.
Misinformation – Another reason why resolutions are difficult to fulfil in the long term is that the dietary advice itself is faulty, so somewhere deep down there is a lack of motivation to engage in something that is not true. A resolution to eat more fish instead of beef is a great example of something that is not helpful being used as a goal. The only resolution about our diet that needs to be completed is the one that tells us to eat as much fruit as possible each day…and as little of what are known as ‘protein foods’ as possible. That means as little as possible or none at all of the flesh foods or the dairy cheese or anything along those lines, including eggs.
Fear of Deprivation – Almost all humans have a natural fear of deprivation which means we get scared when we are told or tell ourselves that we will NEVER get to eat that food again. If someone tells you to NEVER eat chocolate again for the rest of your life it is likely that your first stop will be to the chocolate section of the nearest store. It is important to not put your goals into a long future context like ‘I will never eat meat again’ or something like that. It is better to simply focus on the short term – what is your next meal going to be – and not worry so much about what you are going to eat in 10 years, assuming you are lucky enough to live that long.
Lack of Desire – If we say to ourselves that we want something but then continue to act in ways that contradict our wish, then it is fair to say that we don’t really want that thing. Do you want your goal like a dying man wants another breath of air? How much do you really want what you say you are interested in? While many people speak about a lack of willpower as the reason they are not successful, it is a little-known fact that Willpower does not travel alone but alongside its ever present companion called Desire. In almost all cases if you want something badly enough you will generate the willpower to accomplish your goal.
So, to review! Eat as much fruit as possible every single day. Eliminate completely or minimize as much as possible all foods of animal origin. Eat as much food as possible that is plant based and not overly cooked or fried. Besides raw fruits and smoothies, raw salads are also good for you! Always eat fruit before you eat any other kind of desert that has refined sugars. Humans cannot eat too much fruit because we are primates and fruit is our primary food. Humans are not omnivores by nature and not designed to eat protein foods that cause cancer and so many other degenerative conditions of the body.
For anybody who is looking for a place to come and restore and heal their bodies of conditions or symptoms that have accumulated over a lifetime of lifestyle factors, I have created Medellin Wellness Center Retreat located at Finca Bienestar, just outside of Medellin in Colombia. For more information or if we can assist you in any way, please visit www.fincabienestar.com or contact us directly via Whatsapp +13056062169
By Fred Busch, Director Medellin Wellness Center Retreat
Author The Medellin Wellness Protocol
