It's clear that the body is designed to recover from illness, but it requires proper care and maintenance. Many people enjoy a grace period during the first 25 years of life, where the mistakes we make in our diet and lifestyle don’t seem to catch up with us until later years. This highlights the body's remarkable ability to heal, but we shouldn't take that for granted.
The psychological effects of a poor diet on both growing children and adults are increasingly recognized by neuroscientists and educated doctors. Our emotional well-being is directly linked to our biochemical makeup, including hormones and overall balance. While we often associate a poor diet with issues like obesity or dental problems, we tend to overlook how processed foods can impact our happiness and anxiety levels. Fortunately, this perception is gradually changing.
On a positive note, our chemistry shows that for every mistake we correct, there’s an immediate improvement in our overall well-being. This means the body has a remarkable capacity to forgive—up to a point. As we age, however, our chemistry becomes less forgiving.
Here is a list of the 13 dietary mistakes commonly made by people around the world.
1. Consuming processed foods. Technically, we process food when we chew it, transforming it from one form to another, but that’s not where the issues arise. Processed foods often contain synthetic ingredients, such as unnatural preservatives, food coloring, and refined sugars. They may also be prepared in ways that harm our chemistry, such as through frying.
Processed foods include a range of beverages, particularly ultra-processed options like energy drinks and sodas—brands that proliferate worldwide, contributing to a rapid, detrimental impact on our physical and mental health.
It should be glaringly obvious that candies, cookies, breads, cakes, pastries, and desserts containing highly refined sugars, artificial flavors, thickeners, binding agents, eggs, milk, preservatives, and food coloring are processed and ultra-processed foods that should be eliminated, especially from children's diets.
We don’t have to give up dessert and be miserable. Instead, we should demand that companies create fresh, pure, and clean products using minimal sweeteners—preferably in their whole form, rather than highly refined ones. This approach can help reduce overwhelming cravings and addiction in both children and adults.
2. Overeating is another major dietary concern. It’s rare to find yourself overeating natural, pure plant-based foods; the real issue lies in what you're overeating. Most overeating patterns involve consuming the wrong foods, creating a two-fold problem.
We all know the negative side effects of overeating. It’s not just that being overweight can be aesthetically displeasing and lead to psychological issues like low self-esteem and body dysmorphia. The risk of various health conditions also increases with weight gain. Currently, the global obesity rate stands at approximately 13%, while in the United States, it is significantly higher at about 42.4%. Two of the most common health risks linked to being overweight are cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Addressing overeating is essential for both physical and mental well-being.
3. High-frequency eating. The human body was not designed to graze like cows throughout the day. Animals evolve as opportunistic creatures, meaning it likely wasn’t safe for our ancestors to sit down for several meals a day. We had other responsibilities—caring for shelter, raising young, tending to the land, and foraging for food. When we eat too often, we pile new food on top of food that’s still digesting, which can lead to poor digestion. This means that the old food may linger too long, or the new food doesn’t get fully digested, leading to complications.
Our bodies are optimized for consuming food, digesting it completely, and then feeling empty. Of course, there are exceptions for individuals with certain conditions that may require more frequent eating, but these are often the result of other dietary mistakes and weaker chemistry. With dietary and lifestyle improvements, many people can enhance their chemistry to the point where they don’t need to eat more than three times a day. Like the first two mistakes, the issue with high-frequency eating isn’t just about the frequency; it’s also about consuming the wrong foods too often, keeping our bodies constantly working to eliminate our dietary mistakes.
It’s unlikely that a person would have a problem from eating too many salads, apples, or celery each day; you don’t often see that. Instead, we tend to eat more frequently to feed cravings and addictions.
4. Consumption of intoxicants like alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. These substances fall under the category of dietary and lifestyle mistakes, as they are consumed and enter the bloodstream, significantly affecting our chemistry.
5. Consumption of too much protein. One of the biggest mistakes in the modern world is the belief that protein should be the primary nutrient in our diets. We often gravitate toward protein because it is stimulating and makes us feel full, leading to an obsession with consuming excessive amounts for health. However, it’s important to remember that any type of animal protein stimulates our chemistry, and this stimulation can be mistaken for energy and empowerment. Many people have conditioned themselves to feel that their meals are incomplete without a portion of animal protein atop every salad. This mindset represents a significant dietary mistake. Remember that you need more protein at different stages of life, particularly during the first 18 years of growth. After this period, your protein needs decrease significantly. This is simple chemistry. You certainly don’t need to consume large amounts of protein when you’re ill or recovering; that belief is a substantial dietary mistake perpetuated by the medical industry for over a century.
Animals are not the only source of protein in our diets—plants also provide protein in smaller amounts that are highly absorbable. When people begin to reduce their animal protein intake, they may initially feel weak because they’re unsure how to obtain enough calories. However, if you consume a wide variety of produce, you will get sufficient nutrients. Worldwide famine and starvation are not primarily due to a lack of animal protein; they stem from not getting enough calories from clean sources, like plants. Always remember that nutrients can also feed pathogenic cells simultaneously. When pathogenic cells are present in the body, which is always the case, they need food as well. Some pathogens thrive on excessive protein intake, as it provides them with the nutrients they need to survive, move, divide, and multiply. Therefore, it’s important to reduce your intake of animal protein, which includes red meat, poultry, fish, pork, insects, and even roadkill.
While you can be healthy while consuming animal protein—it’s not a taboo—it’s crucial to monitor how much you eat. A good rule of thumb is to consume small portions of animal protein no more than once a day or every other day, and always accompany it with a large leafy green salad.
Another significant issue with protein consumption is that the sauces we use are often loaded with refined sugars. It's important to pay attention to this and clean up your intake of these substances.
6. Poor Food Combining
Food combining is not a myth. To understand its effects, try combining foods poorly and observe how you feel afterward. While some people have strong digestive systems and excellent metabolism, they may not immediately notice the consequences of poor combinations. However, these effects can accumulate over time.
Poor food combining can lead to indigestion, which occurs when food is not properly digested. The digestive system produces enzymes to break food down into liquid form, and different foods require varying amounts of time to digest. Generally, denser foods take longer to break down. As a rule of thumb, avoid combining slow-digesting foods with fast-digesting ones. For example, fruit digests quickly, while meat digests slowly; consuming them together can lead to digestive discomfort.
Protein should be separated from carbohydrates like bread and rice. Interestingly, protein paired with rice or in a sandwich ranks among the most popular food combinations worldwide. This preference didn’t develop from intentional traditions; rather, these combinations taste good and are filling. However, they may not represent optimal dietary choices.
A large leafy green salad complements any meal. Leafy greens are beneficial due to their richness in minerals and nutrients, and their fiber content helps us feel full, supporting our ability to recognize satiety and prevent overeating.
7. Eating Late at Night
Whether we realize it or not, our bodies follow natural rhythms and patterns. As the sun sets, our metabolism gradually shifts from an active state to one that prepares for rest. Our digestive system and overall chemistry are more efficient at certain times of the day and more relaxed at others. Eating late at night places a higher demand on a resting body, which can lead to poor digestion.
It’s advisable to eat earlier in the day. Interestingly, many people have reversed their eating patterns. Ideally, the largest meal should be an early lunch, allowing ample time for digestion before bedtime. If dinner is the biggest meal, the body may feel sluggish as it focuses on digestion instead of waking up and adjusting to the new day. Going to bed with a full stomach can also negatively impact the quality of our sleep.
8. Rushing to Eat and Eating Under Stress
In my view, anxiety is linked to much of our psychological suffering. When unchecked, anxiety leads us to engage in self-destructive behaviors. Originally, anxiety was designed to heighten our awareness of emotional and physical dangers. However, in the modern world, it has become chronic, and many of our worries are unfounded. When anxiety persists over time, it infiltrates every aspect of our lives—we think anxiously, eat anxiously, and even make major decisions while in a state of anxiety.
When we eat under stress, our body chemistry is not conducive to proper digestion. We often gravitate toward unhealthy foods or overeat to numb our feelings or distract ourselves from emotional discomfort. There are many subtle and complex behavior patterns involved; for instance, we might rush our meals simply because we feel we don’t have the time to fully appreciate the experience of eating, missing out on moments of gratitude and relaxation.
9. Being Scared of Fruit and Avoiding It
Avoiding fruit is a significant mistake, though the previous ones may be more destructive. Eating more fruit can provide the energy and stimulation we need, along with essential nutrients, reducing cravings for unhealthy foods.
Fruits are rich in antioxidants, which are not as readily available from animal-based foods. Antioxidants play a crucial role in slowing down cellular damage in our bodies. Additionally, fruits are packed with various vitamins and micro-nutrients that, while not widely recognized, offer numerous health benefits. Many people fear anything labeled as "sugar," which is misguided. Embracing fruit as part of a balanced diet can enhance overall well-being. The naturally occurring sugars in fruits and starchy vegetables are compatible with our chemistry and serve as excellent sources of immediate fuel. Fresh plums, for example, are highly beneficial for the digestive system due to the healthy bacteria that naturally reside on the fruit, which helps support our gut health.
It's important to understand the difference between good bacteria and bad bacteria. They are distinct entities; good bacteria do not transform into bad bacteria, and vice versa. In the world of bacteria, some have evolved to support our health, while others can pose risks. Remember, you are composed of approximately 89% bacteria and 11% human cells, so there's no need to fear friendly bacteria. Instead, focus on protecting yourself from harmful pathogens. Don’t feed your pathogens; feed your friendly bacteria.
When eating, relax and take your time. Look at your plate and appreciate what you’re consuming. Take deep breaths before you eat to calm your mind. Being present during meals can help you become more attuned to your body’s signals, making it easier to recognize when you’re full.
10. Eating Poisonous Fruits
This dietary mistake may seem unusual, but it’s significant nonetheless. While it could arguably be considered the first dietary error, it often gets overlooked: eating berries from poisonous bushes. Some wild fruits are toxic to humans, and it likely took many unfortunate test cases before we learned to avoid them.
This mistake also highlights a more complex issue related to refined foods, alcohol consumption, and heavily processed desserts. It’s akin to picking berries from a poison bush—tempting because they look appealing and taste good, yet potentially harmful if consumed. It’s essential to be mindful of what we eat and to recognize the risks associated with seemingly innocent foods.
11. The Consumption of Dairy
Consuming dairy is a significant dietary mistake because humans are naturally prone to lactose intolerance. While we produce hormones from birth that allow us to digest mother's milk for a time, our bodies gradually reduce this hormone production as we age, leading to lactose intolerance.
If we were only consuming human milk for an extended period, the intolerance might be manageable. However, since we consume milk from animals that are 5 to 10 times larger than us, like cows, the compounds in their milk can be overwhelming for our bodies.
While the issue of consuming secretions from large mammals could rank higher on the list, it’s still important to address. Consider eliminating cow's milk from your diet, as it is generally incompatible with our digestive systems and can cause irritation, leading to inflammation. You might wonder how 19th-century Europeans seemed so healthy while consuming large amounts of milk, but individual tolerance can vary widely.
Well, as you know, the body is a highly adaptive machine. If you consume dairy for an extended period, you may adapt to it, provided you are healthy enough. Additionally, people in the 19th century didn't eat highly processed foods; their meals were sourced directly from farms. They drank clean water and breathed fresh, pure air.
12. This dietary mistake often goes unnoticed: the use of non-organically grown foods. We have become complacent as an industry, using various herbicides and pesticides everywhere. These are slow poisons. It’s not just about individual doses being harmful; it’s the cumulative effect of thousands of doses combined with other mistakes over a lifetime that sicken humanity. These chemicals also disrupt the soil microbiome and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions by destroying bacteria that capture carbon and retain it in the soil. Even if future scientists prove otherwise, that doesn’t make pesticides safe; they are still poisons. Consuming poison in low doses doesn’t make it acceptable.
We have accepted pesticides as a necessary evil to make farming practices practical, keep prices low, and maximize crop yields. This mindset stems from outdated 1950s practices driven by greed and corruption. Organic produce is the solution, and many new technologies for growing crops make pesticides obsolete. Vote with your dollars—show the industry that “conventional” produce means “poison produce.” It’s not conventional at all!
13. Following fad diets, high-protein diets, and fruit-restrictive diets are all mistakes that lead to further issues. We don’t need these diets to improve our lives; rather, we need to understand what the body requires and follow the program prescribed by nature. It should be obvious who the true carnivores are in the wild: they are the creatures with short intestines and remarkable hunting skills, equipped with speed, sharp claws, night vision, enhanced hearing and smell, and massive sharp teeth, with few options beyond their prescribed prey.
Humans, with our long digestive systems and slow food transit times, are poorly suited for processing dense flesh. While we can eat meat, we have evolved alongside omnivores like bears and pigs. Our closest relatives, chimpanzees and gorillas, primarily consume fruits, leaves, flowers, and seeds. They may hunt and eat insects or small animals, but this is not their typical diet.
In conclusion, people often overlook the intricacies of how, as a civilized species with access to advanced technologies, we still consume low-quality food. How did this happen? Historically, we didn’t always understand the potential dangers of food. Over the past 150 years, the ways in which we have domesticated ourselves and accessed food have changed dramatically. Most people are now part of a consumer-based system that is often corrupt and manipulative. The food industry capitalizes on human weaknesses to enrich itself, having profited from feeding anxiety and disease for nearly two centuries. This is a systemic issue involving both industry practices and public demand. Currently, many people choose to eat poorly, as evidenced by the options available; demand drives supply. You are the only one who can change your situation; don’t wait for the industry to change its ways—it likely won’t. Over time, it’s probable that they will find new ways to profit at the expense of people, animals, and the environment. I understand this may not be the uplifting message you were hoping for, but we must confront the uncomfortable truth.
We confront this reality when we address our anxieties and focus on personal growth. By empowering ourselves to break free from subconscious trauma and the emotional patterns that drive our addictive behaviors, we can heal and transform our reality. While the problem may seem vast and daunting, it’s far more challenging to remain stuck in the same patterns that lead to increased anxiety and addiction. Embracing change is the path to a healthier future.