ME AND MY BIG MOUTH....ROUND 2

Okay. So, last week I posted about getting into a social media debate regarding nutrition, weight loss, health, and a few other things that weren’t really relevant.

The point of my post (before this debate happened) was that what you’re eating can have a direct effect on your health. I still stand by this statement.

I was also told that because I have a link to a guide that says “Natural GLP-1 Boosters”, I “obviously” am not interested in science. When I explained it’s a list of healthy foods (general and specific) and recipes to go along with, I was then told “Food Isn’t Medicine”.

I beg to differ. 

While I agree that food is not MEDICATION, I do not agree that food cannot be “a compound or preparation used for the treatment or prevention of disease”, as MEDICINE is defined in the dictionary.

BUT….

In the interest of playing devil’s advocate, I’m going to throw this out there….

Who cares?

So what if “food isn’t medicine”? Does that mean it’s going to HURT you to eat an apple instead of a cookie?

Which is providing more NUTRIENTS – the apple or the cookie? This DOES NOT mean eating a cookie is bad. I LOVE cookies, especially chocolate chip, if anyone is interested in sending some my way!

But your body is going to get more essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients, water, even a TINY smidgen of protein) from the apple than the cookie.

Truthfully – you can eat a 100 calorie apple and a 100 calorie cookie and you’re going to get the exact same number of CALORIES from both foods….100.

No debate or argument there.

But that apple IS going to provide: calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, zinc, copper, iron, phosphorus, vitamin A, B-1, B-2, B-3, B-5, B-6, Folate, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, choline, fiber, an itty-bit of protein, and other phyto-compounds that are still being studied regarding their health benefits for the body.

The cookie is not. Unless it’s made of whole, nutrient-dense ingredients.

But, I’m still playing devil’s advocate….even if you DON’T believe that food can help prevent certain diseases, or even treat them, does it matter to eat them anyway? You don’t believe that lean protein, complex carbohydrates, or healthy fats can make you feel fuller for longer or slow down glucose entering your bloodstream – does that mean they don’t have other benefits for your body and overall health?

If there are no studies that show GLP-1 (a hormone produced by your body that increases insulin to regulate blood sugar levels, makes you feel fuller for longer, and helps suppress your appetite) can be stimulated and increased by the foods you eat, can you not eat those healthy foods anyway for the additional benefits they provide?

I understand there is an entire culture, a stigma, and other traumas around weight, weight loss, diets, fitness, etc. No debating that.

But I will not back down from my statement that food directly affects your health. I’m not out to demonize cookies or potato chips – I LOVE cookies and potato chips. I tried potato chips dipped in chocolate for the first time over Christmas and they were freaking DELICIOUS!

But eating foods low in nutritional value, over time, will cause issues with your health. THERE IS NO SET AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THIS TO HAPPEN. Sooner, later, or perhaps never if you’re incredibly lucky.

Everyone is UNIQUE!!!! I’ll say it over and over until people get it. And I don’t mean special like a “snowflake”.

Just because “Jane” can eat whatever she wants and still has great cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, etc., numbers DOES NOT mean that “Sally” can do the same thing and have the same numbers.

It doesn’t matter which one of them is “bigger” or “smaller”. Your health, your weight, your biomarkers are going to be different and that is between you and your doctor what those numbers should be.

But food can and does affect your health, your weight, and dysfunction/diseases in your body. Food is not MEDICATION. There are conditions and diseases that 100% require medication. But that does NOT mean food isn’t directly related to influencing, causing, improving, or reversing certain medical conditions/diseases.

People change their health all the time by changing what they’re eating. It doesn’t mean we have to villainize all “junk food”. But it also doesn’t mean we have to go completely in the opposite direction and treat grilled chicken and vegetables like they’re the “bigots” of the food world.

Eating healthy is about finding the BALANCE that works for your life and your circumstances. And that’s up to you, the people in your life, and even your doctor to determine what that looks like.

A nutritionist, a dietician, a trainer, a nurse, or a health coach can help you FIND that balance, but the final choices ultimately come down to you, and that’s how it should be.