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Eating Simply
Healthy Eating Doesn't Have to be Complicated

by Don Bennett, DAS

How many of us have wanted to be healthier, and have adopted a healthier lifestyle, only to find that the way we were taught to prepare our food was involved. Well folks, it doesn't have to be. Food preparation can be as simple or as complex as you like, but many people who've been looking for a healthy diet have been introduced to an overly complex array of recipes, some of which are heralded as being necessary for healing and optimal health. In my experience, vibrant health doesn't require a lot of fuss in the kitchen.

There's an old expression, "The simpler thy meals, the healthier thee shall be". There are a couple of reasons for this. For one thing, the less time-consuming it is, the more likely you are to stick with healthy food prep; and the longer you stick with it, the healthier you get. Also, the less ingredients in a meal, the easier it is to digest; and the easier your digestion the less energy is required for it, thus more energy available for healing and maintaining robust health.

Some concoctions we learn to prepare are promoted as being "healing", and we are advised to make it part of our dietary lifestyle. Yet I've seen what some would call miraculous results in health restoration without these recipes used at all. More often than not, what accounts for the majority of healing is what you stop doing that was damaging your health.

There are many misconceptions regarding what we humans should be eating. Some folks are under the impression that cow milk products are needed for good health, yet dairy products contribute to some of the most devastating diseases we face today. Some people are told, in a very convincing manner, high fat is best, no, low fat is best. And then there's high-protein-low-carb, no, high-carb-low-protein. When you have one book and expert saying one thing, and another book and expert saying the opposite, it's no wonder so many people give up trying to find the truth, and continue to eat the way they've always eaten.

The dietary requirements of biological organisms aren't some big mystery or pseudo-science (although there can be loaded studies and faulty research). It isn't the great unknown and therefore a guessing game at best. It is indeed known what humans should eat for optimal health. The reason for most of the misinformation? Self-interest on the part of industries, and the desire to tell people what they want to hear. When something becomes a marketable commodity, the truth very often takes a back seat to information that supports that which is being sold. Even when promoters honestly believe their products or programs are the healthiest way to go, but then discover new information that suggests otherwise, it's often too late; dollars are flowing, and "marketing momentum" prevents any change that's in your best interest. The phrase, "Let the buyer beware" has never been more relevant when it comes to diet programs.

Within this website there are several articles which explain the ways in which one can simplify their diet (and thus their life). In general, the more fresh, whole, ripe, uncooked, organically grown fruits you get into your body, and the less cooked stuff you consume, the healthier you'll be, and the better odds you'll have of never getting a diagnosis of something serious. If you like sprouting and soaking and marinating and spending tons of time in the kitchen preparing raw food dishes, that's fine; just know that it isn't necessary in order to be super healthy, and that simply prepared meals can often be the tastiest and most satisfying (and the healthiest).


To learn more about Don's insights into healthful living, check out his books here.

Related articles:
Why Most Diets Don't Work
The Benefits of Eating Uncooked Foods
Raw Foods - What People Don't Know
Raw Food Studies
Why Eat Raw Foods?
Healthful, Raw-food Trend is Picking Up Steam - USA TODAY
The Natural Diet Primer

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