Eat Like Your Life Depends On It

“When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is right, medicine is of no need.” Ayurvedic proverb.

Let’s just rip the bandaid off and get this out of the way. I have agonized over how to address the touchy subject of diet. I won’t address everything here today. It cannot be done. Volumes are written every day about diet, health, exercise, etc. Virtually every word of it written by people more credentialed than myself. But here is a thing that I have learned through very hard-earned experience, replicated by numerous people who have ventured down a similar path as I:

Diet is the most powerful mechanism you can control to impact your health and wellness.

Youth is a fantastic ally, but she is fleeting. Exercise is critical to living your best life, but its effectiveness will be muted by age. Both youth and fitness are awesome, but they can be confused for health, and that is a mistake that can eventually extract a very heavy toll.

Do you know of overweight or frail, sickly children? Do you know of children with skin conditions or developmental issues? Do you know of children with metabolic (type 2 diabetes, for eg.) or “idiopathic” chronic illnesses? Then you know of children being affected by a diet against which youth serves as no shield.

Do you regularly exercise? Are you a green smoothie-guzzling cardio beast or a protein shake-crushing cross-fitter? Are you eating less and moving more, just as the doctor ordered? That is all well and good, but eating less is a recipe for hunger, a battle you are destined to lose, and moving more eventually leads to more trips to that doctor. Father Time is undefeated. At some point, your body will betray you. The shots, the pills, and the surgeries will follow. Some will dodge those bullets longer than others, and I do not contest that the benefits of regular exercise are substantial. But the bill will one day come due.

I would love to see young people maximize their potential by adhering to a diet that empowers and nourishes them, builds and propels them. Instead, our modern food environment is one in which a young body must exert precious energy combating the effects of sugar, ultra-processed gruel, and edible food-like products designed for profitability and longevity on the shelf rather than nourishment.

By the time we’re middle-aged, we’re over-fat, under-muscled, and addicted. We presume that our growing list of maladies (from the minor to the major) is the natural course of aging. And I don’t contest the impact of aging. But 40 doesn’t have to be old. We expedite our premature and progressive descent into “middle age” with the 1 - 3 lbs of stuff we put into our faces every day. When those inputs change, the difference in our physical and mental states can be shocking in both their scope and rapidity. I’ve experienced it and I’ve watched others experience it. Their breathless disbelief is as inspiring as it is gratifying.

A calorie is not a calorie. There is no such thing as an empty calorie. Eating less and moving more is a bandaid, not a solution. These are marketing ploys meant to distract us from a harsh reality - our food system is designed to maximize profit. AT ANY COST. You must decide to stop paying the price. And then you must find the right tools to break free.

Once you are on the other side, you will be struck by the blinding clarity you gain. It will seem as obvious then as it does unbelievable now. Diet has as much power to do us good as it is currently doing most of us badly. It is the bang for our buck. It is the 20% effort for the 80% gain. It will be the benchmark against which all of the other interventions we employ will be measured. Yes, exercise. Yes, meditate. Yes, journal. There are many very effective and impactful habits we can deploy to improve our quality of life. It will be our diet that will prove foundational.