On health and nutrition – my philosophy

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When I began learning about nutrition around 1992, I soon became confused by the large amount of information available. Each book I read made sense and each theory was supported by scientific studies. Often, they directly contradicted each other. Finally, in total frustration, I thought: it is impossible for all this to be true at the same time! There has to be a way to know what the truth is. And the truth has to be something independent of science because it was there before we had science to tell us what the truth was.

Tradition was the storehouse of practical truths, but we have discarded most of them as superstition. So what else can we use to gage the validity of information? It seemed to me that common sense may be the answer. Webster's dictionary defines common sense as "sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like; normal native intelligence." So I decided then that I will accept information as truth only if it makes sense by this definition and also in the context of facts I already know to be true. Regarding the question what is healthy eating, I believe that the knowing of the "right" food is built into every species on the planet. Animals recognize appropriate food instantly. Any species lacking this critical knowledge would become extinct in less than an individual's lifetime.

Therefore, given the fact that we have walked the planet successfully for over a million years without anyone telling us what to eat, we too must have this knowledge built in. It seems, we have been forgetting it gradually, as we have given up our power of "sound practical judgment" and allowed others to tell us what's right for us. Our body's innate wisdom is being drowned out by the noise of today's lifestyle, advertising that advocates overindulgence and social pressures that drive us to excess in work, play, eating, drinking and sex. This is nothing new. Affluent civilizations of the past, like Classic Greece and Rome, have also fallen prey to their own abundance.

Today, in spite of our doctors' best efforts, the number of their patients grows year by year. Diabetes, arthritis, heart disease etc. are the result of the pressure cooker of stress, long-standing malnutrition and uninformed lifestyle choices. Malnutrition means that you have been missing dietary nutrients or eating wrong-for-you foods for years. If you have any of these diseases or disorders, it may have taken you decades to get here.

So what can we do to heal ourselves? Clearly, taking our bodies to be fixed like a car, isn't working. How can we recapture the carefree well-being of our childhood? For you know in your gut that great health is not merely the absence of physical disease or pain, but feeling energetic . vibrant. joyful. glad to be alive!

You can begin by remembering that the knowledge needed to survive is in your body and begin listening to it. Your body is not a mechanism but an intelligent, self-correcting entity which fights valiantly to maintain its equilibrium. This system is constantly being pushed out of balance by daily events and the choices you make to cope with them. To stay healthy, you need to become aware of your body and its changing needs.

My mission is to help you discover what nourishes your special individual bodymind system so you can recapture your glowing health. I will work with you to help you rekindle your intuition about the foods your body needs and relearn how to listen to the still small voice of your own innate wisdom. I will help you become the expert on your own body that you were designed to be, so you can once again experience the joy of being you!

About Agnes • Education and Affiliations

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