How to fully embrace new information…

Is it me, or is there more information around about food and diet than ever before? This is no bad thing, of course, but so much of it these days, is conflicting, contradictory, and simply confusing!

I know we live in an “information age”, but the sheer amount of new studies, new research, magazine and newspaper articles on diet and nutrition is utterly overwhelming! On the positive side, it is wonderful to have such information at our fingertips, and I am a person who LOVES learning… I am a sponge for new information. Thankfully too, when it comes to food and nutrition, I am very open to continually developing my body of knowledge, so I can find new and exciting ways to help others find better health. However, I am also a discerning customer! I have to be, and I am grateful to have enough knowledge that enables me to make very informed decisions, and very informed recommendations. I also know when to do my own research, especially if I’m “sat on the fence” over an issue. I also have my own valuable experience (working and personal) to fall back on, or glean from. Have worked with the general public for over 20 years, believe me, I have built up quite a repertoire of experiential knowledge about the effects of diet and lifestyle on our mental and physical health! The power of our diets and environments (internal and external), in other words, what we eat, how we think, and how we live our lives never ceases to amaze me, and really does determine who and what we are, and what we can become. I have seen so-called “miracles”, and I have also seen death – both from food and lifestyle choices.

Just how the general public or lay person feels about the continual bombardment of “breaking news”, “latest research”, “the new wonder diet” or what foods they should, or shouldn’t be eating, must be, quite frankly overwhelming, mind-blowing, confusing, and for some, ridiculous. An important point here too, is that for too many people, conflicting information throws them off balance, and off course. What I mean by this, is that reading something “opposite” or something extreme to a current way of thinking or a current way of eating or living can throw some people in the opposite or extreme direction. This might be running in the direction of chocolate, alcohol or sugar binges. I have seen it, and it breaks my heart. I completely understand how so many people are completely turned OFF by the mere mention of nutrition!

So my message to you today is this….

* Know yourself, first and foremost. Use your intelligence, common sense and intuition as to what feels good, and “right” to you. There really is no “right or wrong” when it comes to food. Food has only the labels that we attach to them. Food simply has an effect on the body, and on you. At a certain point, we can all sense and feel for ourselves whether coffee, wheat, dairy, wine or tomatoes are “good” for us or not. The answer is different for each individual, and something that a scientific paper or breaking article, cannot give or reveal to us. Science does not have all the answers and measuring the numerous and intricate influences of a food or pill on the individual is virtually impossible in a typical scientific model. The term here that comes to mind is “biochemical uniqueness”. We are all biologically, psychologically, and psycho-spiritually unique and special! And only we can know and care for ourselves.

* Be open to new learning, and new experiences. Read and learn from reputable sources. Try not to “close down” on all new information. Stay alert to things that you want to know and learn. New information is very valuable. We never stop learning and do not ever arrive at a stage where “we know it all”. If something confuses you, or contradicts something you believe and it affects you – ASK! Ask someone, or ask a source that you trust, and has served you well in the past. Take in the information; process it along with your past and current understanding, and build up your own body of knowledge. Then… make up your own mind.

* Put new knowledge into practise. Remember that “living out” and experiencing new information is really the only true knowledge that you can gain. You cannot simply read something and say, “I know that”. You only know something when you have lived it, felt it, and really experienced it.

* Maintain a sense of curiosity and wonder about the world… the world of health, diet, lifestyles, cultures, ways of living and thinking, and about the world in general. The only way to growth, expansion, and evolving into better, stronger and happier people is by continual learning.

Now, where did I put that new article?

Picture info: © Jason Stitt | Dreamstime.com

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