Common Sense Nutrition Part 1

Nutrition is very simple. I know there are many people claiming the opposite. However, if it was truly that difficult or complex that we’d have to consult experts before putting anything in our mouth, I guess as a species us humans wouldn’t be where we are today. Somehow we always figured it out. How did we do it? By using common sense, intuition – and experimenting – trial & error. That’s what I want to remind you of, because you know a lot – a lot more than you are probably aware of.

My goal is not to answer all your questions and doubts or to tell you what’s right or wrong. My goal is to empower you, which means to guide you to get back in touch with your own inner nutritionist and your inner knowing, the part of you that’s exploring, intuitive and knows quite well what ideal nutrition looks like for YOU.

So rather than you asking me whether a certain food – for example milk – is good or bad, I actually ask YOU:

• How do you feel when you have milk?
• Does it affect your digestion, your energy level, your mood, your body temperature, your skin, your sinuses?
• Does it make a difference if it’s an organic milk or a non-organic milk?
• Does it make a difference whether it’s whole fat or low fat?
• Does it make a difference whether it’s a raw milk or a pasteurized or even ultra-pasteurized one?
• Does it make a difference if it is pure milk or milk fermented into yoghurt or cheese?
• Does it make a difference whether you have it in summer or winter?
• Does it make a difference if you DON’T have it?

That’s what I want to convey to you. Rather than looking for the answers outside as your ONLY source of information, start to also listen to your own inner body wisdom. Because the body is talking to you constantly in its own special language and it will always give you feedback, if you listen to its subtle signs. Today we are often so out of touch with our body and its language that many of us do not understand it anymore. We live in our heads, which can disempower us – or even mislead us, telling us that we do really need that 5^th coffee, when our heartbeat or blood pressure is already screaming nooooo. So we want to bring head and heart back into partnership, we want to EMbody.

How do you relearn the language of your body?

1. First of all, set the intention to do so. Take the conscious decision to pay more attention to your own body.
2. Then slow down, because you probably know from experience how hard it is to listen to anything or anyone when you are on the run and doing 15 things simultaneously.
3. Then ASK your questions to your body – no questions, no answers
4. Next, listen for answers, which might come as physical sensations (usually either contraction or expansion), thoughts, feelings, images… immediate or at some later point. Be patient.
5. When you get your answer, it is crucial to trust it. Act upon it.
6. Then observe and learn to verify if it was indeed helpful or not.
7. Restart the process and practice.

Just like you have to repeat vocabulary when you learn English, you also need to study and repeat the vocabulary of your body. It takes time, but is so much worth the effort.

Learning to listen to your own inner body wisdom is a skill that goes far beyond food and nutrition. When we are not able to assess whether a certain food is good for us, we are most likely not able either to assess whether a certain job or relationship is good for us. In general the way we do food says a lot about the way we do Life.

In part 2 you will learn what Real Food is and how to distinguish it from edible food products.