It’s strange, but when I immerse myself totally in reading about health and healthy diets I always seem to have this craving for chocolate. And I think I’ve worked out why. I need balance. When I saturate myself with the subject, I am in danger of overthinking everything. Thinking about food for hours on end is counterproductive. It should, rather, be something you consider quite carefully then make as informed a decision as you can. After that, it’s simply a case of acting upon the perceived solution rather than always going back to the problem.
For example, say the problem is a lack of Omega 3 or an imbalance because of too much Omega 6 in the diet (most of us have this problem, by the way). The solution is to find foods that will help everything from the alpha to the omega, if you will pardon my little Greek pun. Then you simply add in a little more Omega 3 in the form of chia seeds, flaxseeds, walnuts, oily fish or algae supplements (and whatever the experts tell us next) and tweak the rest of your diet so you’re not consuming so much Omega 6. Eating meat from animals that have been grassfed is a big help. Having a less grain-based diet yourself will help, too. Steering towards wild rice, quinoa, black beans and kidney beans might be a good idea too.
Ban the cheap vegetable oils from your shopping list altogether. Go easy on the olive oil. Use coconut oil—saturated fat that don’t oxidise easily—for cooking. (Another option is ghee, which is clarified butter and which has a higher smoke point than butter). Keep away from corn, canola and soy, which means keeping away from lots of packaged products. The best advice I think anyone could give would be to keep away from packaged foods as much as possible. Learn to cook your own versions and take control of what you put on your plate.
And have a piece of chocolate because you want to, not because you’re going cross-eyed reading what all the experts say about health.