Knowledge really is power – the power to eat well.
To emphasize, a great longitudinal study out of southern Italy with 25,000 participants found that those who were barraged with information about healthy eating were very likely to actually eat healthy. A “Duh” moment, you say, but here’s a key factor about research:
“Repetition makes an impression on the dullest of minds.” – Oscar Wild.
Whoa! I’m not saying you’re dull. People get irritated when yet another study comes out saying eating well matters. And, because people are so distracted by countless life stressors, we have to be a broken record to get through!
Furthermore, people are different, each a work of art. For nutritional research to have weight, it must be repeated in a myriad of settings, across multiple populations. Experts have to prove themselves regardless of innumerable confounders.
In short, when we say, “Studies show…” we better mean it! Otherwise, you’ll lose faith and stop listening. Or, worse, you may take one small study that could be highly flawed or only applicable to a select type of person and tout it at the water cooler as be-all, end-all.
Here’s my plea… You and your nutrition are a work of art. Rather than dismiss nutritional information that feels like a “duh,” soak it in and put it up next to all else you read or hear. Ask questions to sift out what makes sense for you. Then, apply what you can, little by little.
“Bit by bit, putting it together
Piece by piece, only way to make a work of art
Every moment makes a contribution
Every little detail plays a part….
Have to put things in scale. Have to hold to your vision.”
– Steven Sondheim, Sunday in the Park with George
Art isn’t easy. My dream for you is a lifetime of irreversible small steps adding up to you being your best, unlocking the prison of yo-yoing and dead-end fads.
“Ounce by ounce, putting it together
Small amounts, adding up to make a work of art
First of all you need a good foundation
Otherwise it’s risky from the start
Takes a lot of earnest conversation
But without the proper preparation
Having just a vision’s no solution
Everything depends on execution
The art of making art, is putting it together
Bit by bit.” – Sondheim
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