People are always asking me about food.
They want to know what I eat and how much of it I eat. They want to know what they should eat and what they shouldn’t. They want to know if they should eliminate grains and dairy and if it’s okay to eat red meat (yes, please eat that ribeye!).
I don’t actually mind the barrage of food related questions because to be honest, I really like food. I like talking about it, cooking it, experimenting with it, sharing it, and especially eating it. I get seriously worked up about food politics and educating children on the subject of nutrition. Since I first watched the documentary Supersize Me in 2004, I’ve grown progressively more passionate about the subject, devouring books and documentaries such as In Defense of Food and Food Inc.
Food is a prominent part of my life.
The queries I often get about food are of the “should I eat this nature.”
“Should I have a protein shake after I workout?”
“What about rice? And corn? What about chickpeas, are they okay to eat?”
“I heard fish is good for you but I don’t really like seafood; what should I do?”
“Is it okay to eat cheese? What about bread and pasta?”
My answer to these queries is (almost) always the same: Maybe. Sometimes. It depends.
It might not be the answer they were looking for, but it’s the truth nonetheless. It’s the most honest and informative way I can possibly answer questions such as these. And while at first it might not seem overly illuminating, this response is invaluably helpful. You see, I’m not in the business of telling people exactly what they can and can’t eat–but I am in the business of educating people when it comes to food, and teaching them sustainable eating habits for life.
Everyone is different, from food preferences to food sensitives; there isn’t a one size fits all approach when it comes to nutrition. I don’t care what anyone tells you, there is no such thing as the “best diet of all time” except the one that works for you. So, rather than give you a generic list of foods to avoid, I’m going to help you figure out what that means for YOU.
This is going to require some thinking, experimenting, and introspecting on your part. I’m not going to tell you exactly what to eat and when to eat it. But I do hope that after reading this list, you'll have a better idea of how to approach nutrition and how to enrich your life through food.
The Five Foods You Should Never Eat
1) Food That You Don’t Enjoy.
This one is perhaps most important because at the heart of it, food might be sustenance but it’s also love. It’s pleasure and enjoyment and culinary rapture. It should taste good, bottom line. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told by clients that they hate fish (or chicken breast or brussels sprouts) but they just keep eating it because they think it’s good for them. This is madness.
Listen. If it doesn’t taste amazing, it isn’t good for you. Sure, it might have nutritional benefits, but so do a million other foods that you might actually enjoy. “Health food” isn’t just steamed broccoli and bland chicken breast. You can be creative and play to your taste buds while still keeping your health and your physique top of mind. My #1 food rule is and will always be: Only eat food that rocks your world.
2) Food That Makes Your Tummy Feel Yucky.
Or your head. Or your joints. You get the idea. In my case, any time I eat tortilla chips (I have a processed corn sensitivity) I end up reeling for days afterward. I get bloated, lethargic, and generally uncomfortable. This happens to me with any type of processed corn (corn starch, corn syrup) as well as with certain types of dairy and grains. With time, awareness, and patience I’ve learned to detect foods that will not leave me feeling amazing. As a result, I choose to avoid those foods 99% of the time because I don’t want to feel yucky–it’s as simple as that.
