I had a physical last week and I wanted to share a little piece of the visit with you. I’ll preface this post by saying that I haven’t done much research on the topic of nutrition and what we “should” eat, but I did see the documentary Fed Up! and have read a bunch of articles that RM has sent me since he is much more in tune with nutrition and things like that (he’s done a ridiculous amount of research on various diets like paleo, Whole30, SCD, bullet proof, etc.) so I feel like at this point I know a lot more about food and nutrition than I used to.

But, back to my visit. As most visits start out, we recapped my last visit. My doctor mentioned to me that my cholesterol was a little high and that I should get re-tested. And by a little high, I mean VERY little: they want you under 130 and mine was 131. She said that they don’t require you to do take an serious actions unless you’re over 190, so I had a long way to go (it’s also worth noting that the last time I got blood drawn for my cholesterol test it was 5pm after a full day of eating… they want you to test after fasting usually to get the most accurate results). Regardless, in typical Monique fashion, I got instantly nervous that I had high cholesterol and asked how I could fix it. She handed me a paper, titled “Heart Healthy Steps: Top Ten Ways to Lower Your Cholesterol”, but said not to worry too much since mine wasn’t that high.

When I got in the car (after another cholesterol test, mind you), my curiosity got the best of me so I started to read through the material. I didn’t get far, though, because after I read about how to reduce the saturated fat in my diet (which was the first tip in the document) I was appalled by the information they were giving me:

• Avoid full-fat or “regular” cheese- instead, look for the terms “fat-free”, “reduced fat,” or “50% light” on the label.
• Use non-fat, FIT milk, Simply Smart or low fat 1% milk and nonfat or lowfat yogurt (containing aspartame and fructose if watching carbs)
• Avoid butter… it is NOT better than light tub margarine (without trans fats)
• Avoid foods/desserts prepared with coconut or coconut milk

If you’re shaking your head as you read these, don’t worry- I was too. Actually, as I was typing them word for word from the sheet, I was chuckling to myself. There are so many things in just these 4 “tips” that go against all the research I’ve seen recently. If you watched Fed Up or if you have read any sort of food-related articles over the past few years, you’d know that picking “fat free” or anything low fat, reduced fat, margarine, etc. is probably not your best option. Sure, the fat count may be down, but what do you think they do to make them still taste good? They load them up with sugar and other artificial ingredients that your body doesn’t know how to accurately process. They may not have a high fat content, but low-fat isn’t the end all, be all to a healthy diet. There is so much more that goes into a well balanced diet, like eating lots of veggies, eating healthy fats like avocado and nuts and nut butters, eating lean proteins and eggs (yes, yolk and all!) and also treating yourself to pizza and wine every so often. 😉

But, I feel like your traditional doctors office “send home” material is not accounting for the times and how recent research has opened up a whole new way of looking at food and what we “should” and “should not” be eating. Rather than pushing us to lower our fat by seeking out “low fat” and “fat free”, maybe they should talk to us about what foods make up our diet and what our day to day looks like. Are we eating a good mix of veggies, healthy fats, protein, carbs, etc.? Are we moving consistently? Are we drinking lots of water? These are things I wish she would’ve asked me when I asked her how I could lower my cholesterol.

At the end of the day, most of the time we should be eating REAL food in its natural form because our bodies know how to process and digest that. While I appreciate my doctor trying to help me, I was so discouraged my what she gave me as a reference/resource. Even though I am by no means a health or nutrition expert, I’ve at least been exposed to enough at this point that I kind of know what foods I should be eating to properly fuel myself for my daily activity, which is a lot more than probably a lot of people who have likely asked her the same “how can I fix it” type of question I asked.

As RM always tells me- if you focus on eating a diet that primarily comes from the ground, you’re probably fueling yourself well. Does this mean we don’t eat packaged foods or have pizza or wings or cookies? Hell, no! If you’ve been reading B2B for a while I think it’s pretty safe to say I actively strive for an 80/20 balance: most of the time I eat lots of veggies, protein, grains, etc., but I also have no problem going out for pizza and wine or a burger and a beer. These help keep me balanced and help me practice #moderation365 as Jill Coleman so perfectly says. Eating full fat foods/drinks, eating lots of veggies & fruits, eating fish and chicken (and yes, I choose dark meat over the breast meat!), drinking wine and eating pizza are things that make me happy and make me feel good, so that’s what I focus on much more than reading the labels to see how much fat or how many calories something has. If I can pronounce all of the ingredients, I feel pretty good about what I am choosing to fuel my body with.

I’d love to hear from you, though! What does your diet usually consist of? Have you changed your eating over the years as you learn more about nutrition and different foods? What are some key foods or products you like to include in your diet? Do you read labels when you shop? Do you prefer adhering to a strict “diet” or do you prefer to practice #moderation365 and take a more balanced approach?