Confused about food? You’re not alone. And talk about information overload in the media. Chocolate is good for you, chocolate is bad for you. Fat is good for you, fat is bad for you. You’d be easily forgiven for having a mild headache when even thinking about what to eat for dinner tonight.

And a balanced diet? What does that even mean? For most of us, food is too damn confusing therefore we end up giving up. But if you’re interested in beginning to learn the ropes for wellness, read on.

Where do I start?

As most natural health practitioners will tell you, what you should or shouldn’t eat is not the same for everyone. However, there are some guidelines you can follow that most natural health practitioners will all agree on so let’s start there.

Sugar is bad

Evil even. And reducing your sugar intake is one of the most positive steps you can take on your journey to wellness. The good news is that the media have it right on this one now (it only took about 30 years to get it right) so you’re probably already aware of this one.

Fake sugar (artificial sweetener) is worse (and it’s not a real food)

More evil even. Aspartame (can be identified by number 951), cylamate (952) and saccharin (954) are the main culprits here in Australia but others include Acesulphame-K (950) and Sucralose (955). Diet drinks are NOT good for you. At all.

Too much wheat isn’t good for anyone

Too much of anything can throw your body out of balance. Take a look at what you’re eating on a typical day. Do you eat toast, wheatbix or museli for breakfast? A sandwich or wrap for lunch? Pasta or bread for dinner? What about crackers as snacks? All of these things include wheat. And having wheat 2 or 3 times a day is wheat overload. Being more mindful of how much wheat you eat is a good first step at reducing it.

Water is good for you

Sugary juice or soft drinks and diet drinks do nothing except spike your blood sugar. But if you take the approach of beginning to water down your juice a little at first and getting more and more diluted over a number of weeks or months, you can easily wean yourself off needing to drink sweet drinks. Head towards drinking only water and herbal tea. I won’t even mention coffee – you’ll switch off right here and that’s no good for you OR me!

Basic is best

If it comes in a wrapper, chances are it’s not great for you. So a good rule of thumb is to eat food as close to its natural state as possible. So that means: vegetables, seafood, meat and fruit. Just as they are and cooked if you have to. (Note that as close to natural state also means organic, but that’s a post for another day).

carrots

Basic is Best

Simple enough? Five simple rules to follow to reduce your state of food confusion. It’s not rocket science. Just simple, logical advice to get you on the right track to eating better every day.