Although many people seem more concerned about healthy eating for weight loss, there are many who simply want to eat healthy food and a few who have a problem gaining weight. The funny thing is, when you eat healthy, natural food, and an abundance of it, you can either lose weight or gain weight, depending on what your body needs to do. In both cases, your health can only improve.
The current dietary recommendations that come from governments and doctors is far from either natural or healthy. Although doctors are deemed to know what they are talking about when it come to healthy food, few really do. The reason is that it not part of their training.
Certainly it should be, but most medical schools give scant (if any) regard to healthy food. So doctors are really not in a position to guide government.
Myths abound, too. And have for decades.
Milk and Dairy
The myth that we need milk for calcium never seems to fade. How on earth can 
a human need a baby food from another species, one who matures in 1 year when humans take about 18 years to physically mature? Why would an adult need a baby food? We were weaned long ago.
The best milk for a human, baby that is, is human milk.
And when you consider how milk is produced, the odds that it is unhealthy increase exponentially. The cows have their calves taken away from them mostly at birth, or after the colostrum has finished. This is the worst thing you can do to any mother. Tell me this doesn’t adversely affect the milk, and so you the end user.
Often lactating cows are given antibiotics for mastitis and other infections, which then become part of the milk. The milk is then homogenised and pasteurised, two processes that so denature milk, it becomes almost unrecognisable for your body to digest and utilise. If the milk is further processed by removing the fat or lactose, then I suggest the end result is even more unrecognisable by your body.
One cardiologist in America claims that he would be out of a job if people stopped consuming dairy. Maybe a slight exaggeration as there are many reasons for heart problems, but he makes a valid point.
Most people find problems with milk and is it any wonder? They suffer, at the very least, with phlegm in the throat and some have an outright allergy to it.
Meat and Animal Protein
Another myth is that we need animal protein for our protein sources, and also for some nutritional needs, such as vitamin B12 and omega 3 fatty acid.
Humans need about 11% protein. This is achieved when you eat a variety of plant based food. All plants contain protein, come more than others. For example, nuts, seeds and legumes are higher in protein than other plants.
Vitamin B12 is found in mushrooms and other fungi as well as algae.
Omega 3 fatty acid is rich in linseed, chia seeds and leafy green vegetables.
The fact is humans are at the herbivore end of the omnivore. They have all the characteristics of herbivores. For example:
- we have no claws (carnivores have claws)
- we sweat through skin pores (carnivores have no skin pores and sweat through their tongue, which is why they pant)
- we have teeth that grind rather than the spiky teeth of carnivores for catching and tearing
- our intestines are about 10 times our body length (carnivores intestines are three times the body length)
- our stomachs have weak hydrochloric acid (carnivores stomach acid is about 20 times stronger), which means we don’t have the ability to digest meat, especially cooked meat
- our salivary glands help pre-digest fibrous plant food (carnivores saliva does not help pre-digest meat)
- our saliva contains the enzyme ptyalin which helps to pre-digest plant food (carnivores have acid saliva without this enzyme)
The pH of our blood MUST be alkaline – at a steady 7.4, with very narrow limits. To attain this, a diet high in alkaline forming foods (plant based) is required. Acid forming foods are all animal protein and processed food.
Healthy eating for weight loss, for weight gain or simply for better health also means putting processed food and junk food behind you. Processed sugar (not the natural sugars found in whole fruit or honey) promotes inflammation throughout your body. And it is inflammation which is behind just about every condition, from high cholesterol to body pain.
Processed flour, rice, pasta, etc strips part of the natural food away, food which the body needs for digestion, making it more difficult to digest. When the food is deficient in the nutrients required for digest, it is pulled from your body tissue. This is how most tooth decay and osteoporosis occurs.
Many oils are detrimental to our health, such as canola oil which is often sold as vegetable oil. This, and most other oils, are unstable at high temperatures.
How You Cook
Raw food is much healthier than cooked food, as cooking kills many essential nutrients and de-natures others. So a diet high in raw food is recommended. However, most people would prefer not to eat a diet which is 100% raw, so here are some of the worst cooking types that should be avoided. These include:
- cooking in a microwave
- using non-stick pans and utensils
- BBQ and frying at high temperatures
- boiling food in a lot of water
Chemicals in Our Food
Chemicals in our food can be the source of our ill health. Pesticides, fertilisers and herbicides all take their toll on our health. This means buying organic food or growing your own organic food is much healthier for you. In fact, growing your own food has a double health benefit as gardening is good for your health as an activity.
GM ‘Food’
If you are unaware of the dangers of GM food by now, you may have been 
hiding in a gibber hole for the last decade! (A gibber is a rock in Australia.) GM food is so de-natured, you would be heading for serious body organ disfunction if it is a part of your diet. Organic food has a pure origin, another good reason to go this way.
Healthy eating for weight loss, for weight gain or simply for health may mean that you have to completely change the way you eat and the way you think about food. This serious quest for health can’t be rushed. Don’t try to change everything at once. Do one small change at a time and make sure this is in place before moving on to the next change. Only then can lasting changes happen.
If you are impatient in your desire to achieve better health or healthy weight loss or gain more quickly, then homeopathy may be able to help you. Feel free to ask me questions.
Here, you can learn more about healthy eating for weight loss, gain or simply for better health.
Disclaimer
The material on this website is not intended to substitute or replace advice and/or consultation with your preferred healthcare provider. We recommend you always seek assessment and diagnosis where appropriate. Serious injury, ailments and chronic conditions should never be treated without seeking professional advice.