Food ... Why the Bad Reputation?

Nutrition for Real

Poor food. Nowadays it’s got a bad reputation. Word on the street is that it will make you fat, make you sick, and is the culprit behind all of your ailments. And while everybody loves a scapegoat, this is simply not the truth about real food.

What do I mean when I say real food? I mean food in its whole form. Food that came from nature and has undergone minimal or no processing on its journey to the market. Fruits. Vegetables. Grains. Nuts. Seeds. Meat. Fish. Eggs. Butter (yes, I said butter).  These are all real foods that have been a part of the human diet for a looooooong time. These are foods that cannot be reduced to their nutritional value or calorie counts because what they do for our bodies is far more complicated than we could ever fathom. So let’s just trust them, shall we?

Somewhere along the way we got lost. We’ve fed into this belief that there is one thing, one single food that will be the answer to our prayers. In our quest for health, longevity, sexiness and happiness, we look to other cultures and obsessively analyze them in attempt to find their secret to life. In doing so we’ve come to a lot of insane conclusions. Conclusions like, olive oil is without question the reason Italians have healthy hearts that keep pumping well into their nineties. We read this in a magazine and naturally, we start glugging olive oil thinking it is the one and only answer. Meanwhile we make no other positive changes to our diet, do nothing to reduce stress levels, and count our calories ‘till the cows come home.

I wish it was that easy.  But it isn’t. And that is why I take a holistic approach to food nutrition. In my view, healthy eating is not about binging on the latest superfood, getting in your daily servings of fruits and veggies, or cutting carbs. It is about balance. It is about building a healthy relationship with food. It is about putting your faith in real foods to bring your body and mind into a beautiful state of balance.

Courtney Schwegel, is a guest food blogger on CharisOnLife in the our Healthy Living umbrella. She will be a weekly contributor to both our blog and recipe additions! Courtney is a professional/personal chef, a Holistic Nutritionist and a FOOD ENTHUSIAST! Keep posted for more delicious and nutritious fodder from this extremely talented wonder!

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