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1.There is no “perfect” diet or Perfectly Toxin-Free Place
We live in a toxic world. We cannot totally get away from toxins in our air, our water, our soil, our food, our clothes, our packaging, and other places.
Pretty much every food can have both beneficial and harmful effects on a person, depending on their existing health status. What foods and supplements work perfectly well for you, might be terrible for someone sensitive or chronically ill.
People have adapted and survived and thrived on many different kinds of foods throughout the earth for thousands of years.
What if we try to find “healthier” options and “better” options, not “the best” or “only” options?
2. Trying to Follow Nutritional Advice Perfectly Will Lead to Frustration and Stress
100% compliance is not realistically possible for the majority of us. We have work. We have stress. We have families to care for. We have unexpectedly bad days. We have social commitments with people who may not care at all about our nutritional choices. We have days where our body says “I’m going to eat and drink whatever the heck I want to today.” Also, if we are only focusing on a certain “protocol” or “standard” we may miss out on important clues our body is telling us, trying to intuitively guide us to what we really need, not just what we “think” we need.
What about the idea of following nutritional principles 80-90% of the time? How does that sound to you? You can make forward progress for your goals, moving toward balance, but you’re not going to beat yourself up when sometimes that doesn’t happen.
If we have to avoid everybody else’s food in order for us to eat “perfectly”, this could isolate us from others. Connection and socially engaging with others is an important way that we stay healthy. Trust me, I’ve been very restrictive before, and it is just not enjoyable or sustainable long-term.
Parasympathetic vs Sympathetic
If we have a fixed and rigid standard of reaching 100% all the time, this will add to our anxiety and overall lack of balance. When we put our body into this “stress mode”, do you know what happens? Our digestion, our energy, and our body’s physiology automatically becomes impaired, because the nervous system is shifting into a sympathetic “anxiety and control” response, vs being in an “I’m okay. This isn’t a big deal. I’m calm and relaxed.” response. This means that the changes or goals we are striving after will be automatically harder to reach anyway, because the body is moving to a less healthy place. We might end up reacting to minerals and foods more negatively. Our detox pathways will not be functioning as smoothly. Our sleep may become worsened which will affect everything else…etc.
*Notice: I’m glad to provide these resources to empower your personal health journey, not as a substitute for professional medical care. While I encourage sharing links, please respect the intellectual property of Mountain and Meadow Health, LLC. You are responsible for your own health outcomes. Consult with your trusted health advocates before making significant changes. Contact Evan Ritter for professional licensing.”
