Written by: Sanchia Veale, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Have you ever wondered why, with all the diets we have around, people seem to be getting fatter?
Statistically speaking, it is guessed that more than 70% of the American population is overweight or obese, and you have to ask yourself, how many of those people are either on a diet, have tried a diet before, or, even worse, tried multiple diets? Evidence suggests that as many as 95% of those dieters regain the lost weight and, in many cases, more.
How often have you asked a naturally thin person what they eat, and their answer will generally be anything? They don't prescribe to any particular 'diet' per se. More often than not, they are instinctively led by what their body requires over what is being dictated to them by outside influences.
Unfortunately, we as human beings are being subconsciously led by the invisible forces of the money-hungry industries that do not care about our health or well-being but, instead, the bottom line of their bank balances. We have lost our ability to listen naturally to our bodies and what they need.
No two human beings are the same. We are all bio-individuals, and this concept is what is being ignored and not just by ourselves. What does bio-individual mean? It means that we are all unique in our makeup and that our nutritional, physical, and psychological requirements will differ. It also means that our physical bodies do not look the same, something that social media does not take into consideration when posting images of people with supposed perfect physiques (that have been airbrushed as well, by the way), ultimately tapping into the insecurities of everyone viewing these images and creating doubt about their being.
So, I will make a comprehensive statement here and say 'diets' do not work! Yes, initially, you will see weight loss. Still, for most people, in the long run, these diets fail for various reasons:
Food has become an obsession and all-consuming.
Diets mess with your metabolism.
Calorie restriction is not sustainable.
Diets mess with the hunger messages in your brain.
They cause stress.
They do not take into consideration our individual nutritional and health needs.
The problem is that we as humans have become very used to a 'quick fix', and low-calorie diets, or magic jabs/pills, are what satisfy those 'quick fix' ideals that we have. However, if you think of the human body, it starts as one single cell. It divides into many organs that all function together and not independently of each other but in unison. This intricate functioning of the body has been how the body has operated for hundreds of thousands of years. The modern-day diet culture as we know it has only been around for nearly 100 years. The body has been unable to adapt to the constant changes every time a new diet or magic pill is released.
So, the question you want to ask here is: how do you tap into your bio-individuality?
Remember, your bio-individuality doesn't just affect your nutritional needs. It affects your physical requirements, too; it affects your sleep needs, relationship needs, and just about any aspect of your life. But for starters, we will address the nutritional part of bio-individuality – one step at a time is the best way.
Let me outline some key factors to appreciating your nutritional requirements;
Your age
For example, our requirements in our teens will differ from those in our fifties. Your bodies are still growing in your teens, whereas in your 50s, you are all starting to go through other metabolic changes.
Your ancestry
Believe it or not, our ancestry does play a significant role in the types of foods we are predisposed to. For example, if you are of European descent, you are more likely to flourish on the Mediterranean diet; if you are Asian, your go-to foods are fish, rice, and sea vegetables.
Blood groups
Blood groups can also play a part in your bio-individual nutritional requirements. 'A' blood groups tend to be more vegetarian based, and they also tend to be more snackers than, say, the 'B' group, who prefer three-set meals.
Food allergies
Food allergies are a real issue, and it is essential to make sure that you are aware of any potential allergies that you may have. They do not have to be life-threatening, but if you have an unaware allergy, this could be sabotaging your health.
Trying to establish all these different factors may seem very daunting, and you probably think that you now have to spend a fortune going for various tests to ascertain all these other criteria; however, there is a straightforward way that you can start the process of identifying your individual needs, and that is simply through listening to your body. I mean really listening to your body. Notice how you feel 20 minutes after eating a snack or a meal. Are you bloated, tired, or grumpy, or do you feel satisfied, energized, and able to focus on things other than food?
I challenge you to this: consider how much money you spend on any particular diet you are on or how much you are spending on purchasing those jabs or tablets, or worse, all the money you spend on seeing a doctor every time you get sick. Those are costs that are going to be never-ending. And let's not forget about the price it all has on your mental and physical health. What would it look like to not have any of those costs? Financial, physical, or emotional! And to be free from the constant obsession with food and diet?
You are not alone in this journey, including the journey to freedom. Never be afraid to ask for help. Don't be frightened of failure because there is no such thing. Suzy Kassem coined a phrase that has to be one of my favourites, and it goes like this; "Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will".
Don't let it kill yours. You deserve the life you want, so don't let anything stand in your way!
Visit my website for more info!
Sanchia Veale, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sanchia Veale is a qualified Health Coach through the zest4life academy in the United Kingdom – Health Coaches Academy. Sanchia's life experiences have made her realise what a desperate need there is for what Health Coaches have to offer. Her passion is to empower people to take back control of their health and create balance in their lives through education, guidance and support. It has become her core belief that in order to truly do that people need to go back to basics, they need to go back to healing holistically; body, mind and soul. Treat the source and not the symptom.
