As new diet books and articles come out, we throw ourselves back into the Matrix of confusion when it comes to what we should be eating. We adhere to all of these rules put on by self-proclaimed diet dictocrats: Low carb, low fat, high protein, eat a grapefruit before a meal, don’t eat after 7pm, don’t mix carbs and fats together, don’t eat cooked food, be a vegan, be a raw vegan, eat only fruit…you get the idea.

These are all rule-based systems that lead us down the rabbit hole of confusion and frustration over what we should or shouldn’t eat. In order to see past the confines of rule based systems, we should look at the bigger picture in assessing our individual nutritional needs.

I think a great place to start is by asking the following:

What do you want your food to do for you?

Most diet “system” has some validity to it, however it may not fit the specific needs of you at the present time. If you just ran a marathon, it may not be a good for you to eat a giant steak with blue cheese and no carbs. However, the beautiful thing is that your body would tell you that if you listen in. Contrarily, eating a bunch of carbs, especially refined carbs while sitting at a desk all day probably isn’t the best choice either.

The body does not adhere to “rules” in the traditional sense, it simply responds to the stimulus you give (or do not give) it and sends a signal to you saying what it needs at that point in time. If you learn to listen, it will tell you what you need. And then, you can transcend the walls put up by fad diet books to see that rules prevent possibilities, and the possibilities are vast indeed.

So what is it? The blue pill of systems-based nutrition or the red pill of self-discovery through instinctual eating? I guess the answer lies in how far down the rabbit-hole you want to go, right?

Charlie Reid Uncategorized