Do We Need a Nutritional Philosophy?
What comes around, goes around, says our cartoon And there are common responses to this "Yea, yea I know my nutritional decisions make me what I am, "As you sow, so shall you reap"
But if we subsitituted our friend in the cartoon with today's matter science nutritionist we might get an idea that what is being done today in nutrition circles is not working
Perhaps it argues for a different nutritional philosophy?
Intellectualizing With Speculation
We don't currently have a philosophy behind our current nutritional discussions these days We have a matter science or molecular nutritional way of assessing our foods and supplements This information often debases our choices on "too much sugar, too much fat, not enough protein, not enough calcium, not enough too little protein, this lycopene will make you better" approach And confusion reigns!!
And the molecular approach does have a place But perhaps there's a way to add to the present nutritional way of doing things
But philosophy or the study of how we obtain knowledge, in this case nutrition, currently reactively intellectualizes about nutritional choices For example, if refined sugar is bad, then there can be lots of choices that give you natural sugar If being vegetarian seems like a good idea, then we can give you a lot of non meat choices
The application to our daily lives doesn't match with a body of knowledge with one pointed focus A hodge podge of information The application of the knowledge is not married to a grounding philosophy of nutritional thought Mere speculation about foods that may or may not be good for us I would submit a lot of conjecture and less trust by the consumer as to what the real truth is since it changes year by year
But nutritional philosophy should be utilitarian, that is, it should not be divorced from practical life circumstances
And I sense currently that people want more and better advice as to what to eat grounded on, you guessed it, a philosophy
Nutritional Philosophy Based on Nature
What separates the current matter science nutritional utilitarian approach from the energy science nutritional model is that the latter is grounded in a deep philosophical tradition whereas our matter or molecular approach is not
Furthermore the energy science nutritional model is based on a philosophy that is both theoretical and practical What good is a philosophy if it is not practical to our every day lives?
This energy science philosophy is based on the understanding of the workings of Nature herself Again not on intellectual musings about what's currently in vogue but on why to act based on the fundamental laws of Nature
For example,if one suffers from heartburn(acid indigestion) then what foods should I use and what foods should I avoid? You might be surprised! If I have a strong family history of cancer what foods should I avoid and what foods should I favor? You might be surprised!
More generally speaking, what foods are antiinflammatory, anticongestive, and antidegenerative?
Philosophy and Improvement of Quality of Life
No one gets out of this life alive And for some the quantity of life(longevity) is not as important as the quality of the life lived
We might be surprised by the fact that a sound philosophy brings about improved quality of life and possibly quantity as well
But the key is that nutrition based on a life promoting philosophy will give its users a quieter mind, weight loss, more energy, ability to wake up in the morning with energy refreshed, better clarity with decision making, a better immune system response to cancer cells, emotional stability, and more balance in life and health overall
It sounds too good to be true But what do you have to lose? No money, just a promise and a gift
Until next time Ciao To health as a Skill Love DrBill
