I feel that this blog is very important, so though it is longer than most of my blogs I ask that you take the time to read it all the way through, and please forward to anyone who you think would benefit.
Today we live in a world with a food supply that is full of processed foods and chemicals, and millions of people use drugs and medications in their every day life. It is no secret that the United States is the most overweight and one of the sickest and disease-ridden countries in the world, with scarily increasing numbers of adult onset diabetes, colon cancer, prostate caner, gout and so many other diseases, that to list them all here would be incredibly alarming.
So clearly now is a time that we have to take action, look out for our own health and make our own choices. 100 years ago, things were a lot different. Processes like canned foods, using excessive preservatives, microwave dinners and pesticides like “Round Up” and DDT were not around. People went to the doctor primarily for trauma and accidents, and when they acquired serious illnesses. Taking medications on a daily basis was a tiny fraction of the epic proportions of our time.
I have a lot of respect for the Western medical profession and all that are part of that system. However, there happens to be other sources and standards for information besides that one source.
The first time I really contemplated this was during my world journey a few years ago, when I was in India for 3 months. I got really sick when I was in Rishikesh, and I went to go see an Indian doctor. The first thing he gave me was a strong laxative, and told me, “In India we say 98% of sickness starts in the bowel. We work there first.”
At first I thought it was a very odd concept, and I thought how different an approach it was from any doctor I probably would have gone to back home. But then I began to reflect on how backed up I was from all the traveling in harsh conditions. I was a virtual cesspool and breeding ground for bacteria and infection, there was so much waste in me.
I have spent several years outside the Western world entirely, which was a great blessing, and has profoundly changed my perspective of health. There are many countries that are far healthier than ours, and use ancient medical and medicinal practices such as Ayurveda, Acupuncture, Chinese medicine, Chinese herbology, Naturopathic medicine and many more.
Surely we must recognize that it would be arrogant and narrow-minded to insist that there was only one way: The Western medical science, and totally discredit ancient sciences and other systems of healing, ESPECIALLY when taking into account the poor health of our own country.
There are alternatives, and that is why there are alternative medicine and healing options. Yes, there are alternative approaches to health and nutrition!
Western medical practitioners often like to ask questions like, “Where is the evidence?” and “Where are the studies?” and “Hmm, I never read about that in one of my textbooks!” Well, unfortunately the problem with studies is that they can often be skewed to show information that the person paying for the study wants to be shown.
A doctor recently showed me a study that “proved” that milk was not mucus-forming. When I read the study carefully, I noticed that the placebo against which the dairy milk was measured was soy milk, also another extremely mucus-forming food! So it is essential to evaluate carefully and not blindly accept data “proven” by every single, standalone study.
It is so unbelievably confusing if we live in that world- and we will have new information to confuse us pop up daily. We have to experience what works best for us and individualize our diets. Arguing about studies all day long on paper is totally useless.
What really matters are the results in our health- feeling energetic and youthful, and staying healthy and disease-free. Clearly this is widely not being attained in our country.
Of course there are some studies that can not be ignored, and one of them is the China Project. It was spearhead by T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D, of Cornell University, and it is the most comprehensive study on the connection between diet and disease in medical history- lasting several decades and studying populations with a full range of dietary possibilities.
I encourage everyone to pick up a copy of this book. In it are not only Campbell’s personal observations- but also 750 outside references, with the vast majority of them primary sources of information, including hundreds of scientific publications from other researchers published in the most reputable scientific journals.
In sum, the China Project showed a strong correlation between cancer and other diseases and the amount of animal protein, not just animal fat, and dairy products that are consumed.
So those findings would indicate that even low-fat grilled, skinless chicken meat and skim milk are implicated in certain cancers and diseases.
I can only imagine how unsettling it would be if you had a job where you spent years telling people to eat lean animal protein for long-burning energy and skim milk for calcium to hear about this.
Especially if they had spent a lot of money and time getting a degree and studying textbooks that told them the exact opposite. And when people feel unsettled, they also feel threatened that they are invalidated and somehow discredited.
When people feel like that, it is easy to get closed off to new information, and get really defensive about the validation of the particular belief system they had been trained under.
So let’s talk about something related to my blog, The Green Smoothie. People are often taught that fruits and vegetables are full of antioxidants and fiber….but it is not often that people discuss their high enzyme quantity.
Enzymes are chemical protein complexes and bioenergy reservoirs, which are necessary for digestion, metabolism, and many other processes of the body. Enzyme preservation is a key component of my nutritional and anti-aging theory, think of foods that increase metabolism, though no one would ever learn about it in a typical nutrition textbook.
Sure we could get into studies and research if we really wanted to! Dr. Troland from Harvard University was one of the first scientists to put forth a living theory for enzymes, and said, “Life is something which has been built up about the enzymes; it is corollary of enzyme activity.”
Dr. Robert G. Denkewalter, who was one of the first to synthesize an enzyme protein, says that enzymes are “embarrassing because they can do at body temperatures and in simple solution what we organic chemists can do only with corrosive agents and at high temperatures and with laborious processes.” Etc. Etc.
But what I focus on in my blog and in my nutrition advice is supplying people with the basic information of what enzymes are…and how to just make the Green Smoothie!
People feel so great from drinking it, and having so many high quantities of greens in their diet, that the results speak for themselves. They do not feel heavy and tired, the way they would if they ate an egg white omelet with whole wheat toast and then a banana after that.
My point is that there is not only one way, one perspective, and one valid system of training. To claim that only a doctor, registered dietitian, naturopathic doctor, Ayurvedic doctor, nutritionist, someone tied to a pharmaceutical company or anyone else is the ONLY person that can be a nutrition expert is close-minded and can dangerously suppress someone from furthering their learning and being open to expanding their knowledge base.
NO ONE, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE HOLDS THE MONOPOLY ON THE TRUTH IN REGARDS TO NUTRITIONAL ADVICE.
I am a Certified Nutrition Specialist and am will shortly complete my degree to become a Clinical Nutritionist. I am also a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Georgetown University. These are great to have on paper. But do I think studying this for 300 hours out of a textbook or that for 1200 hours or whatever automatically makes you an expert? Absolutely not!
Every individual involved in nutrition should be constantly learning and seeking information, and base their theories and beliefs on not just what is in one system’s textbooks, but from a wide range of information.
I consider the thousands of hours I spent in 3 years studying in over 50 countries around the world, and additional years working at a longevity center in Manhattan, with a natural detoxification center in Sydney, Australia, and working with dozens of other nutrition specialists, medical doctors, Ph.D’s and many others the real basis of my nutritional education.
The information I present in my blog is the result of a long process of investigation, work, and experience to seek answers on how to attain better health.
In this critical time it is so crucial that we are all open to different approaches to health and nutrition, and follow the path that makes the most sense to each one of us and works for each of us individually.
In love and health,
Kimberly
PS: There are many progressive sources of information that are perhaps not commonly known to the general public, but come from individuals with backgrounds as medical doctors, biochemists, physicists, and Ph.Ds. Just because their work is not as mainstream as the existing prevailing viewpoint in no way makes their work any less valid.
Here is a very limited and partial list of some people whose work would be fairly easy for you to get your hands on and explore, should you be interested: Dr. Jeffrey Bland, Dr. Dean Ornish, Dr. Ann Wigmore, Dr. Gabriel Cousens, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Antoine Beauchamp, Victor Klavinskas, Dr. Pritikin, and Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, to name but a few.
48 Comments
Trackbacks/Pingbacks
- Yoga - Ayurveda... Sources of Nutritional Information: NO ONE holds the Monopoly on Truth « Kimberly Snyder's Health and Beauty Blog...
I feel fantastic, healthy and energetic and I am sure it’s directly linked to what I eat. I blend one amazing green smoothie a day, I eat lots of fruit, veg and berries. I’ve recently started using coconut oil and I rarely buy anything packaged. I start my day with porridge – some people don’t think oats and bran (grains) are great – but they make me feel fab. Although I am going to try raw porridge one day.
I used to be a big meat eater but noticed how much better I feel when eating natural, unprocessed, mostly all vegetarian food. My stomach is doing great too, it is so important for well-being to have happy bowel, seriously!
My father is almost 60 and very very ill, he’s got every disease you can imagine from diabetes and high blood pressure to a lung disease. He has been drinking, smoking and eating crap all his life and no exercise; lots f sugar and fat, I believe cakes and bacon are his favourites and he is not changing his habits even if he can barely breathe now. It makes me really sad. Yesterday I cooked him and my grandma amazing vegetarian stuff, eggplants, quinoa salad, artichoke dip, all sorts. My grandma was wondering how to eat ‘such strange food’ (although she liked her spinach-sprouted peas-parsley-rocket-kiwi-lemon-banana smoothie today). We all ate happily though but afterwards my dad had the guts to say his stomach was aching and my grandma thought it was because of the ‘weird food’. Agggh. If he can stomach a Big Mac and not something of the ground something is wrong.
Seeing my dad being so ill really makes me want to live well. I LOVE fresh food and I am slowly but eagerly getting rid of old ‘bad’ habits and towards raw/veggie diet. For soooo many years I struggled with diets and things and now I have just decided to eat what makes me feel good and right now I feel absolutely amazing. My skin is doing so well too, I suppose I just feel like I should.
Kimberly, thanks for your blog, it really inspires me and you look amazing! You glow, you must feel great! Take care.
Hi Laura,
Wow, thanks for sharing! That is absolutely fantastic and I commend you for taking such strong steps to further your own health. I am so happy to hear you feel great.
When people change their diets or eat a lot of different foods that their bodies are not used to digesting- especially going from high proteins to vegetarianism, a lot can get stirred up. A typical cleansing response is to initially feel sick, as some toxicity is awakened.
Hopefully your dad will be open to making small and steady changes. Even if you upgrade some of his food choices, and working on making one meal a day healthy, etc., he will start to feel better and be more open to bigger shifts.
I do feel amazing, thank you! I didn’t before, and I am so happy that I have come upon this very natural, unprocessed way of eating.
We truly are what we eat- our constitution, blood, cell, skin and organs are derived from our food sources.
Well come visit me again!!
All my very best and take care,
Kimberly
We have to experience what works best for us and individualize our diets.
Exactly! As you wrote once, a 100% raw diet will be great for some people, and it won’t be perfect for others. The same goes for vegetarism, gluten-free diets, etc. Everybody has to find what works best for them, and stick to it. But I admit it can be quite a long journey.
As for alternative medical sciences, I know from personal experience (read: Chinese herbology and acupuncture) that they can be fantastic! I regulated my menstrual cycle (which had never been regular in my whole life) with just a few needles! Needless to say it was much less harmful than taking some pills!
Being narrow-minded will do no good to anyone!
Have a nice day,
Ophélie
PS: I finally got my hands on the Solution! Can’t wait to try it tonight!
Ophélie,
Great, thank you so much for sharing!!
That is awesome about your experience with alternative medical sciences. Incredible, and wonderful that you got to avoid liver-damaging meds.
And yes, I am a huge believer in individualizing the diet. I am also so passionate that people should be able to have access to information from different sides- not just one. Clearly the way the health of America is going, something is not working.
I am excited for you to try The Solution! Let me know what you think, and keep in touch!
All my best,
xx Kimberly
I love your blog keep posting! I don’t comment all the time but I do read all the time and take notes. Also, when is your yoga dvd coming out?
thx! : )
Hi Kat,
thank you and yay!! I recognize your email and it is great to hear from you once in a while. :)
I am trying to get back to LA to finish the editing process, but there has just been so much going on in NY. I am dying to finish it also, and hopefully in the next few months it will be DONE!
Lots of love, Kimberly
I admire your passion for what you do, and I do agree that one can learn a lot from experience… However, you are wrong on a few points.
Registered dietitians are required to “be constantly learning and seeking information” because they are required to have continuing education credits (as are most health professionals). Also, not all registered dietitians suscribe to “one system’s textbook.” In fact, there are many dietitians who work the NDs and eastern medicine practices because they truly believe in how it helps people.
I actually think that the Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN) program is an excellent non-RD program that focuses on more functional medicine. However, my main issue with “certifications” (like the one you currently hold) is that there is no consistency. There is no way to tell who has had proper training and actually knows what they’re talking about, and who does not. You can get some of these nutrition “certifcations” online if you just pay a fee. Others require minimal training that is insufficient for someone who is dealing with an individual’s health and well-being.
I am very forward thinking in how I view health and nutrition, and I tend to side more with the alternative practices than the western ones. However, I am thoroughly disappointed at how uninified and disorganized the alternative practices are when it comes to nutrition training.
Hi Lucy,
Thanks so much for reaching out to me- I welcome your cordial dialog!
I think it is great you are forward thinking, and I wish more people in general were. However, I will say this: even in fields were the training is unified and organized, as in a medical doctor’s training, it does not automatically meant that every doctor puts out good information. A prime example would example would be the medical doctor Dr. Atkins and his diet, which endorsed the eating of copious amounts of red and other meat, which we now know to be an extremely unhealthy (and dangerous) diet.
All my best, Kimberly
Yes, Dr. Atkins was a bit off his rocker. You are always going to have quacks no matter what profession you are in, but that doesn’t mean there should not be established training and ethical standards to follow, don’t you think? Wouldn’t you say there is a huge difference between someone who paid $50 for an online certification and someone who actually went through a rigorous training program, be it conventional, alternative, or otherwise?
Well – that is the just the problem though – Dr. Atkins was not a “Quack” in the true sense of the word in that he was not promoting “fake” science. Ketosis was real and people WERE losing weight on his diet because the science behind his theory of worked. The problem was that it was solving one problem (obesity) by creating another – just like some of the other dietary approaches Kimberly talked about, like eating soy isolate. He was giving out “health” information with his medical credentials as his foundation and guiding people to fatal habits, albethey effective in helping people lose weight. I knew a woman who lost 150 pounds on the atkins diet – but who knows if she developed atherosclerosis as a result. So I am disinclined to find special solace in the “standardization” you talk about. A lot of plain “wrong” information has been standardized over time. Enjoyable debate/discussion. Good to have dialogue over these things…
Hi Tasiyiwa,
Thank you for your insightful contribution.
Yes, weight loss is possible with Atkins, but at what price?? The amount of heavy animal protein and fat that was advocated in that diet WHILE telling people not to eat fruits and vegetables was the most harmful diet for our kidneys, colons and all other organs than I can think of. The acidic digestive bi-products of such a high animal protein diet- Uric Acid, Ammonia, etc. would in turn shift our pH to be much more acidic, should we eat the way the Atkins diet advocated, and diseases tend to thrive in an acidic environment.
We don’t have to die to be thin! There are wonderful and in my opinion, much more energizing alternatives.
Please come visit again!
All my very best,
Kimberly
Great post. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Kimberly —
I’m really glad that you posted something like this and felt inspired to write to you after reading it! I have been a vegetarian for 3+ years (eating soy, dairy, wheat, etc) and in the past two months have been taking gradual steps towards cutting out dairy, soy, wheat, processed foods, etc — basically trying to eat as many raw vegan meals (including green smoothies!) as possible. I feel great and am happy with my decision but have also started to feel really stressed in situations where I’ve eaten wheat, or a piece of tofu, etc. I think the information you provide is excellent and as you say in your post – it’s important to do your research, look at many angles, etc. I’ve been doing this but in literally every book I’ve read, the authors have such strong definitive opinions about what to eat. There’s no mention of being okay to eat some foods “in moderation” or “occassionaly” etc etc etc… Ideally, yes, I would be raw vegan 100% of the time, but truthfully, even those of us with the best intentions, the strictest diets, the most attention and care to what we put in our bodies find ourselves, eating a bit of cheese, or a piece of bread, or not combining foods properly every once in a while… I’m basically wondering how bad are these “occasional slips” (for lack of better wording)for us? As a fairly conscious eater, how much damage am I really doing to myself by eating a piece of whole grain bread once a week? Or by eating melon & berries together once a month? Where can I draw the line between what is going to cause serious disease and what might just make me a bit sleepy but is otherwise not damaging my health? I’m not expecting you to tell me that it’s okay to eat a cupcake or a hamburger everyday and live a super healthy life, but I dont want to feel anxiety for having a piece of my best friend’s wedding cake or eating some pita with my raw hummus! I want to feel happy and healthy and do whatever I can to encourage that. But in instances when I’m not perfect, how damaging is it?
Thank you in advance for taking the time to respond! Much love!
Hi Eliza,
OMG, thank you so much for writing to me!!
You in NO way have to be 100% anything, or eat perfectly all the time. There are very few people that can, and I am most definitely one of them. Last night I really felt like having some cooked food, as it has been a pretty long while, and I got an Indian lentil soup and had white rice with chickpeas. :)
The most important thing is to stay on track overall, get your greens in and your salads, and you know how to come back if you go on vacation or go off a little bit.
Everyone’s constitution is different, and I don’t think everyone does great with 100% raw. I’m all about the moderation. If you eat well 85% of the time, you are FAR ahead of most everyone else. So you should be very happy with that!
If you are feeling the urge to eat some cooked or heavier food that is totally fine- and it will help slow the cleansing process so you don’t overcleanse, or ground you down should you need it.
In my future book I will address this topic- as I think it is major!
It is ALL about progress….not perfection.
Please come visit me again soon!
All my very best,
Kimberly
LOVE!!!!
Can I get an AMEN!!! hehe THAT’S RIGHT KIM! I’m with you!!
Thanks Charlene! I know you always have my back. :)
Amen, Kimberly!
I had this experience: due to a lot of stress some years ago, I broke out in hives. I used to regularly get them, and they weren’t your everyday ones either–my dr. even would measure them, because they were all over my body, some as long as my thigh! They’d usually go away in a few hours, but this time they came and STAYED. For months! I got seriously depressed because nothing helped–all kinds of drugs and steroids (which just made me achy, fat, and depressed). I couldn’t go on. My mom took me to an herbalist–I thought he was full of it, because he looked at my tongue and eyes, felt my pulse, etc. But then he started telling me all of these things he couldn’t possibly know–like that I have very vivid, realiztic dreams. Anyway, he made a mixture of herbs for me to take as a tea. It wasn’t the placebo effect, because I didn’t think it would work–but after months of agony, the hives went away within hours! Now I tell people to just be open, keep learning and listening, so that you can find what works for you.
Wishing you the best–
Morgan
Hi Morgan,
Wow, that is a beautiful, amazing story! I learned a tiny bit about tongue reading and it is really powerful, and can reveal a lot about imbalances and blocks in the body.
I am so happy you are open-minded. People are so trained to think that only traditional Western medicine has the answers- and it clearly doesn’t. There are many systems, including my nutritional theories :), that treat the body much more holistically. We can’t just think of weight loss or how to suppress a symptom by making it go away without thinking of our overall health and increasing our balance.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Lots of love,
Kimberly
Here’s a fact: 1 medium avocado has ~306 calories, 4.5 grams saturated fat, 30 grams total fat (270 of those 306 calories), and only 3.6 grams protien, 12 grams carbohydrate. Are you sure that this is a great grab and go food in the mornings over the choice of a typical energy bar? Sounds gross to me….but that’s speaking from an “RD”…..
HI Shannon,
That is a great question to ask that highlights the distinct difference in my nutritional theories from the more popular approaches.
I do not evaluate the health of a food based solely on how many calories or grams of carbs it has. I look to the ease of which a food breaks down and digests in a body.
A typical protein bar is loaded with soy protein isolates and at least 10 ingredients which are difficult to pronounce – i.e. chemicals (I am not talking about raw food bars like Lara bars, I am talking about popular protein bars). The avocado on the other hand, while having more calories and fat, is in its natural, raw state. Exactly the way nature grew it and designed it. The body can much more easily break down and digest natural foods in a clean way. On the other hand, soy protein isolates have been linked to depressing thyroid function and being a trypsinogen-blocker. If you want to read some research on that Dr. Mercola has some good online research you can check out. Soy protein isolates are extremely processed and mostly genetically modified, and soy is one of the most highly pesticide-sprayed crops. All the health concerns of putting GMO foods and pesticides in the body are a whole other conversation altogether. I am a huge advocate of eating UNprocessed foods.
I believe it is extremely limited to only look on a nutritional label and look at 1) calories 2) fat grams 3) carb grams 4) protein grams. Raw avocado fat is different than fried animal fat. Protein from raw hemp seeds is different than corrupted, heated animal protein than requires copious amounts of energy in the body to break down its complex amino acid chains and rebuild in the human body in an assimilable form.
If we only look at numbers- we fall into what I call “Weight Watcher’s Head.” Where 5 points is 5 points, whether it is an avocado (again raw fruit!) or a small bag of Doritos (chemical cracker nightmare with food colorings and preservatives). These numbers do in no way reflect how the body can digest, assimilate and use these foods- and on what impact they have on our organs and overall health.
In the GMA segment the premise was “lunch on the go.” So for a quick lunch, I absolutely believe a natural avocado is far healthier than a chemical-filled protein bar. I am not telling people to have 12 of them a day! Plus having the avocado, with all its great fat, beauty-building minerals, and fiber, will keep someone satiated with long-burning fuel throughout their afternoon, and help keep them from reaching for unhealthy other snacks, and running out of fuel- so much so that they reach for more caffeine sources like coffee. It will digest out of the body cleanly without leaving toxic residue in the body and without disrupting the organs’ functions. Not so sure about the soy protein isolate-filled, highly processed protein bars.
All my very best,
Kimberly
While I disagree with you on some things, I’m with you 100% on telling people to eat whole foods. As a soon-to-be RD, I’m often appalled at the number of RDs that recommend things like power bars because they’re “healthy”. I never thought I would hear an RD say that an avocado is gross.
I don’t think vegetarianism/veganism is for everyone (didn’t work for me), I however think it’s awesome that you present whole fruits and veggies to people in a way that seems less daunting. I think our country would be a lot healthier if we could get people to realize that it doesn’t have to be time consuming to eat REAL food and that most packaged food is not REAL food. Many of the people I’ve counseled complain that they “just don’t have the time” to eat healthy.
I think if we could all be more open to each other as nutrition professionals we could learn quite a bit from one another.
Thanks Taylor- Being open minded is a beautiful quality, especially your going into the job you are about to start. :)
Kimberly, not sure if you did this any where on your blog or not, but would you share your “typical” day diet for us? I am curious what all you eat on a typical day! Thanks!
Hey Dorothy!
People ask me that a lot, and though it seems like a simple question, there are various transition stages before anyone could eat the way I eat- so I don’t like to overtly put it out there, and people try to follow that and end up overcleansing- and feeling sick or getting frustrated because they feel they can’t maintain it.
In my book I will be annotating in detail what to eat in each phase of the diet, and when!
I eat very seasonally too- so my fruits and vegetables shift with the seasons. In general I eat a lot of Green drinks, salads, and at least 1 or 2 avocados a day.
I want everyone to focus first on the Greens, and then they are already way ahead of the game!
Hope you are doing well and feeling great. :)
xx Kimberly
Thanks, Kimberly. I am getting my greens every morning after my probiotic. Other than keeping me very regular (!), I haven’t noticed much else. Maybe I need to start revamping the rest of my diet!
Sorry, forgot to ask you when your book (and yoga DVD!!) are coming out?
HI Dorothy,
I was editing the yoga video this weekend! I am pushing to get it through as soon as possible. :)
Yes, if your mornings are pretty good with the Green Smoothie, I would next start looking at lunch. Check out my Post 4th of July cleanse, you might find some good ideas in there to starr adapting your lunch patterns.
xx Kimberly
Hello Kimberly,
I enjoy your website and have learned a lot. I have
been inspired to change how i eat and feel much better than I have in years. I appreciate knowing your background in nutrition.
Aside from that, what type of recipe do you use to
put hemp protein in and is there a better brand or brands of hemp protein? I shop at whole foods and I
could not decide which one to buy.
Thanks for your time and your blog.
sincerely ,
Shirley
Hi Shirley!
Thanks so much for reaching out and emailing me, and the support! That is wonderful to hear that you are feeling better!!
As for hemp protein, I like the Nutiva and Ruth’s brands. You can put them in your Green Smoothie or other smoothies. You can also get hemp seeds, and again Nutiva is a great brand for that, and the seeds are YUM on salads.
Come visit again!
All my very best,
Kimberly
Just wanted to commend Kim for keeping it cordial and professional. The discussions on health do not need to have hostile/sarcastic undertones. The common goal is to help people and improve their health and there’s love in that goal.
Thanks Kat! Yes, there is never a need to get heated, defensive, hostile or feel threatened when someone has a different perspective from yours, especially when it comes to the myriad of different perspectives that are present in health and nutrition.
Om Shanti
xx Kimberly
Gosh, who knew this would be such a topic?
I was thinking after reading this post about how eager some people are to spend a lot of time and money and sacrifice their health for dubious quick answers. I’m not holding myself out as perfect, but there are a number of clearly unhealthy women in my office who are forever trying different schemes to lose weight and look/feel good. They’ll spend tons of money on little contraptions, or supplements, buy shelf-stable processed foods (for the diet) and then wonder why they lose a little, but feel sick and tired and look bad. So they’ll load up with sugar free Red Bull and coffee and buy expensive make up and serums and end up just crashing.
But when I offer some green smoothie to them, and tell them that–even buying all organic–they could have this to get them through the day for cheaper than their 2 Lean Cuisines and 6 diet sodas, plus they’ll feel better and their skin will clear up, they just say ewww.
It’s almost like people enjoy ignoring the obvious and the easy…it has to be ‘cutting-edge’, expensive and unpleasant (and counter productive), otherwise it’s not “worth it”, I guess.
Have a wonderful weekend, Kimberly! You brighten my day!
Morgan
Thanks Morgan,
You brighten my day also! )
Yes, our country is obsessed with the idea of quick fixes and easy answers. But the ironic thing is that shifting into a long-term, healthy diet, away from all the caffeine, chemicals and processed, dead foods, would be much easier in the end! We wouldn’t have to constantly waste so much energy and time having ups and downs in energy, our weight, our skin and our health. Balance is the key for great health and a peaceful mind!
Thank you so much for commenting. I love to hear from you. :)
xx Kimberly
Hi Kimberly,
I agree with your post that no-one holds the monopoly on nutrition information – I certainly don’t! I’m a registered dietitian, aspiring yogi and foodie. I’m passionate about the environment and eating organic food. Originally from Europe I’m now fortunate to live in the yoga capital of the US, Encinitas, CA and I am constantly learning about nutrition and not always from research either! People travel on their own journeys and health is one of the journeys. We are all different, one diet does not fit all, and I pride myself in providing accurate info that works for my clients. I also follow a whole foods philosophy growing my own veggies and belonging to a csa. Through my yoga studio I have come to learn new aspects of nutrition that were out of my traditional realm of education and that have helped me so much. Initially I battled with my ego with my ‘I wasn’t taught this in school attitude’ but I was also completely open to learning another perspective. Now I food combine, don’t eat wheat and my energy has improved to no end. I just wanted to say that I’m a registered dietitian, I don’t purport to know everything, and I am open to new teachers and ideas. Goodluck with your succes!
Hi Ilona, that is great you are food combine properly and are into yoga as well! But most of all that you are open to learning more info. that is not standard and beyond the textbooks!!!
Great luck to you as well on your path!
All my very best,
Kimberly
Hi Kim!
Thank you very much for posting this article. It is great for all the suggestions about what to read and people to look for. I am also looking forward to your book. I like to read and I tend to take time in discovering explanations. In my family, medicine was always discussed as an after dinner conversation. I am the youngest of seven; two of my brothers are doctors, and one of my sisters is a dentist.
With the age difference of me being about 13 years younger than them, I was able to view human heart and a fetus at the very young age of 11, both of which fascinated me. Thus to this day, I love biology.
In Mexico, for a student’s last year of medical school, they can have access to human body parts from the laboratory. Of course you need a permit and all that, and one of my brothers showed me things like that and also how fat itself looks.
My sister explained to me how bad soda was for your teeth and how eating fruit is good for your gums and things like that. My mom always thought that buying processed food was a waste of money and very unhealthy, and my dad loved to prepare his special tea for me when I was close to catching a cold. It was a tea of Bugambilia flowers, cloves, honey, garlic, cinnamon and lime. He is a big believer in the fact that the indegenous people knew more about medicine than today’s practitioners.
Of course big discussions were had at the table with two doctors in the family. My father would always end the disscussion saying something like “I only said that because I am an Aztec emperor” therefore: end of conversation. It was quite funny.
Of course I am just sharing with you the positive influence that I have from them. Two of them are heavy smokers, one has passed away and my parents are not very healthy. But at least my growing up around them was a good experience. We were only allowed to have one glass of soda a week and during the week we only would drink water. During the spring we prepared limeade and I never used a microwave until I moved to US.
BTW, when I moved here was when I start gaining pounds by the day. Coming from eating mainly home prepared food to processed food had put upwards of 40 pounds on me in just 3 years! And this was when my search started for going back to my roots, so to say, and beyond. I liked the movie “Supersize Me” because that was me. I started eating McDonald’s twice a week and 40 pounds later, OMG, it was bad.
For the last five years I have been searching answers about what to eat in an ALL PROCESSED FOOD country coupled with a busy life, and I end up going back to doing what my mom used to do: preparing my meals! I just needed more variety but I enjoy it very much! Preparing my juice in the morning with a whole head of romain lettuce is, like a co-worker described, like gardening. It makes me feel so content! Thank you for sharing your experience. I have incorporated a lot stuff in my new diet and I feel very good. I wish had more time for learning more salad recipies and have more access to organic food! We go almost 3 times a week to WF to get our veggies but sometimes I have to go to the corner to get my watermelon because I cannot carry everything from Manhattan to NJ with a 20 minute walk from the PATH train to get home. Anyway, THANK YOU FOR THE FANTASTIC YOGA CLASSES AND THE FOOD SUGGESTIONS!
Hi Claudia!
Wow, thanks for sharing.
You definitely have a very interesting background, with many different influences on health.
I can not even imagine you being overweight- and 40 pounds!! Yes, processed food affects our bodies in many ways, and it really isn’t as simple as how the calories add up. I am so happy to hear that you are open to learning and being aware of nutrition in a deep way, and understanding more.
I understand how things can be heavy to carry! We take carts to Chinatown and the farmer’s market. It really helps, and turns out to be way cheaper!
Well I really enjoy hearing back from you, and all that you have going on and where you come from. And it is a great pleasure to have you as a yoga student!!
Thanks so much Claudia, for being you. :)
All my very best,
Kimberly
Wow!
I found your page this morning after going on an impromptu juice fast after slipping into some heavy [vegan! lots of rice and nuts :) ] winter eating. I’ve skimmed through almost the whole site and learned so much. I want to thank you for creating a business that is something I question can even exist within capitalism anymore:
1) creating a product or service based on a genuine desire to help that does not manipulate the emotions to create a desire to throw money at said product or service. You lay it out like it is: getting back to basics, buying real food. Anyone can do it!
2) Relating your message to the larger systems with which it is a part of – essentially, relaying the message of oneness.
3) Leading by example! I could tell by the first picture I saw of you and your vibrant smile that you walk the talk. It sounds obvious and simple, but you really can’t fake authenticity.
I have not been inspired or impressed by an individual in such a long time and your perspective on this particular post has given me some ideas to use in my last research paper for college.
Oh yeah, and I noticed in one post as I was skimming that you mentioned your birthday was around mid-February. I’m a February 5th-er Aquarian… Many of my ladyfriends are born the same week as me and we all have that wide, beaming, verging-on-cheesy because we’re gonna explode with happiness smile. :D Thank you so much for sharing your journey and the knowledge you have with the world!
some energy bars are just too sweet for my own taste. is there a sugar free energy bar? -.,
Hi,
This post has compelled me to comment. Thank you so much for sharing your perspective. I myself am a medical doctor (OB/GYN) and have recently been reading more about nutrition through websites like this. I find this topic fascinating, not only for application in my own life, but in my patients’ lives as well. I hope that this reading will help to fill in the gaps that unfortunately “western medicine” leaves for so many women. Thanks again and keep sharing!
Hi Rebecca,
That is wonderful. I love to find open-minded doctors. I find that dietary suggestions and improvements, which are usually missing from most doctors’ protocols, are essential for preventing health issues and also getting to the root causes of existing ones. xx
WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..more wait .. …
Fantastic post. I found it really handy.
Another thing I have really noticed is always that for many people, less-than-perfect credit is the consequence of circumstances past their control. For instance they may have already been saddled having an illness so they really have more bills going to collections. It could be due to a occupation loss or the inability to go to work. Sometimes divorce can send the money in an opposite direction. Many thanks sharing your thinking on this blog site.
I think this is one of the most vital information for me. And i am glad reading your article. But should remark on some general things, The site style is great, the articles is really great : D. Good job, cheers
Superb post, I cannot wait for your next one.
Nice.