I have this pesky habit of questioning things. I probably never outgrew my need to know “why” from when I was a toddler, and as I grow older I find myself challenging the status quo. This tendency can be annoying to others when it lengthens meetings or causes more work, but it’s one habit I just can’t seem to quit.
And I don’t want to. I learn too much this way.
When I noticed my health seemed to be deteriorating and my waistline was enlarging even though I was eating what I thought was “healthy”, instead of expecting different results by doing the same thing (the definition of insanity, isn’t it?) I started questioning everything I knew about health. I started with food.
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Here are some questions to start with:
- What if eating fat (but not just any fat—good fats, like coconut oil, real butter, animal fats from pasture-raised animals) doesn’t make you fat?
- What if the good fats don’t cause heart disease?
- What if what we know about cholesterol is a myth? What if the connection between saturated fat, cholesterol, and heart disease is based on junk science and a hypothesis that had been debunked numerous times, yet still (shockingly) prevails?
- What if chronic cardio doesn’t make you thinner or healthier?
- What if calories don’t really matter (at least not as much as we think)?
- What if sugar is the main culprit in not only obesity and diabetes,but also heart disease? What if sugar is not only bad, but--gasp--toxic?
- What if grains (especially those heart-healthy whole grains we’re supposed to consume in excess) have the same negative effects, and are linked to numerous neurological diseases, too?
- What if the combination of sugar and grains is even more disastrous to your health?
- What if you could prevent or even reverse a laundry list of diseases (like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease) and health nuisances (like those pesky allergies, acne, and joint pain) by simply eliminating grains and sugar?
- What if sugar and grains are highly addictive, and, in fact, grains trigger the same receptor sites in our brains as heroin? (Could that explain why they are so hard to give up—why you can’t imagine a life without bread and pasta?)
- What if our bodies don't need a ton of carbohydrates to function efficiently, and would prefer to burn fat for energy?
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What if?
What if the answers to these questions defy conventional wisdom and are, therefore, a big reason why people are so apt to write them off or ignore them? Will you do the same thing?
Or…are you afraid that what you find out will cause you to change your eating habits, and that’s just too hard?
Intrigued? Before you commit to your low-fat, chronic cardio plan to get "healthy" this new year, invest a few hours here:
- Watch Fat Head (available on Netflix)
- Read Gary Taubes: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/07/magazine/what-if-it-s-all-been-a-big-fat-lie.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm
- Watch Dr. Terry Wahls (almost 20 mins., but well worth it): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLjgBLwH3Wc
Then, if you still think conventional wisdom is the way to go, have at it. But if you're really willing to make real changes, it's not as hard as you think. I'll be happy to post some tips and additional links if you're interested.
