Good morning everyone! Thank you for your patience. These past two weeks have been insane, but in the best way possible. I have been getting home almost every night after 9pm and then I eat, shower, and head straight to bed. It’s been a whirlwind, but it’s also been really awesome and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Now, for the nutrition….
So, first bear with me and let me tell you a little story about me… When I was a young girl, I really thought I knew it all. I know, you’re shocked. Haha When I was little, whenever my mom would try to read a book to me I would tell her, “No mommy, I read to you!” This was before I even knew how to read. But I was convinced I could do it. Some of you already know this about me. I am a reformed know-it-all, something I am not proud of, but it’s true. I really thought that the ability to know everything was an attainable concept that I had fully achieved. Well, as life will often do, I was thrown multiple curve balls over the years that shattered my foundation into rubble. I realized, through many hard life lessons, that I actually didn’t know anything! Please read that sentence again. I’ve truly come a long way to be able to say that (haha). I can now admit, I don’t know everything and you know what? THAT’S COMPLETELY FINE. I’m just like every other human trying to live on this beautiful planet.
I remember reading this quote on Pinterest years ago and it hit me like an epiphany. The quote was by Socrates, and it goes like this…
“True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us.”
He is also known for saying, “True knowledge exists in knowing that you know nothing.” And Plato said something very similar, “I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing.” And even Confucius is quoted for saying basically the same thing the other two said.
Here are these wise men who are regarded in history for being leading philosophers and they could admit this about themselves. WOW. Talk about an ego check. After many trials and tribulations, I’ve completely changed my tune and I’m now someone who embraces the uncertain and unknown (or at least, I try to). Now, my family and Troy might not always agree with this, but I really do think I have changed my ways a lot and I know I’m not done growing and changing. It’s all a part of this beautiful journey called life. There is always more to learn and no one will ever know it all.
I have come to love the fact that I don’t know everything and I realize the peace that comes with saying that’s ok. Also, it would be a burden for me to have that type of knowledge (all knowing) as I would feel an enormous responsibility and pressure to do something important with it. I think that letting go of thinking I had all the answers has made me a better person and it has definitely made my life less stressful. I say this because I want you to know that I may not have all the answers, but I’m constantly learning and expanding and I encourage you to do the same.
Now that I’ve gotten all philosophical on you, lets reroute this back to the discussion of nutrition and wellness. Today, I wanted to talk to you about Bio-Individuality.
When I started nutrition classes I wanted “the answer”, the “key”, the “map”, or whatever you want to call it, to optimal health. I wanted the one-stop-shop understanding to nutrition and what the perfect diet was. Needless to say, that’s not what I got. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, NUTRITION is the ONLY science where people can present different thoughts or methods that are diametrically opposed to each other, while both are proved to be true. And while I’ve “grown a ton” in my knowledge and beliefs, this still really erked me. I so badly wanted one thing with clear guidelines and one answer for all, and throughout my entire program I never received it. However, what I did gain was a broad concept of this, just not one precise answer, because I learned that since each body is different, there are several paths to optimal health.
Bio-Individuality, is the concept I was taught throughout my nutrition/health program and before I started, I wasn’t familiar with. Basically, all that it means is that what works for you may not work for another person (ie: your saving grace may be someone else’s poison). And just because it works for you now, or has worked for you in the past, doesn’t mean it always will. For example, just because I eat a primary clean diet that limits alcohol, sugar, dairy, soy, caffeine, gluten, and processed items, that doesn’t mean that’s going to work for you or that it will work for me forever. I know some people who don’t eat any animal protein (meat) and use beans as their main source of protein and this works so much better for them. I know others who benefit from eating rice, corn, and soy. Some people can handle organic, unpasteurized dairy and its suitable and possibly even beneficial for them, but it causes problems for me. The point here is that nutrition is individually based on a case-by-case subject, at that given specific time.
While some people will be upset to hear there’s no “perfect diet” for everyone, there are some common points in all the different diets. What I can do is share with you the similarities and the differences to help you figure out which one may be best for you.
Taking on this approach, what works for me may be totally different than what works for someone else, is a great philosophy to apply to other areas of your life, as well. And realizing that just because it works for me now, it might not always work for me. What a liberating notion. (Talk about doing a complete 180 in my thinking!)
So, in terms of diet, there are some consistencies, like having too much alcohol or sugar is detrimental to all individuals. Just as consuming too much water can be, too. Too much of anything is exactly that - too much! Keep everything within moderation.
There are certain things I have found in all my lectures and almost all doctors believe in. These are: fresh, organic fruits and vegetables are very beneficial for your health, just as getting adequate exercise, sleep, and enough water is. Where they can differentiate is on certain types of vegetables, fruits, exercise, or the amount of sleep and water. But you knew all this didn’t you? These are known facts, almost like laws of the Universe. We all know that 10 cups of dark roast coffee from Starbucks everyday isn’t healthy. We know these things. So why do we do them? Well, we choose to. Yes, we have a choice. We have that ability to decide what we will and will not put into our bodies. What we do and don’t want. We are in full control of our choices. Which leads me back to bio-individuality. On some level or another we know what is good for our bodies, we just have to deeply connect with that and honor it.
Knowing your body and it’s wants and desires is so important to this concept of bio-individuality. Without this knowledge, how are you supposed to know what works for you?
So today I want to challenge you, in the name of health, to really get to know yourself. What is your Bio-individual uniqueness? What do you know about yourself? What don’t you know? Can you handle dairy? Can you handle caffeine? How much sleep do you need? How much water do you need? What foods make you sick? What foods do you love? What foods do you crave? How do you wind down after a stressful day? How much exercise is right for you? Which exercise do you enjoy the most? Are you sensitive to something (emotional/physical), and if so, what is it?
Learning to listen to your body and being true with what you need is the ultimate goal to optimal health. I want that for each and every one of you. I wish you nothing but health and happiness and well-being and I look forward to bringing you some exciting information as soon as I have a little more time. That’s it for now! Hope you all have a blessed day!
Light and love,
xx Kimberly Ann
