7 Ways to A Natural Diet

What exactly is a “natural diet”?

For me, a natural diet is instinctive, sensual, and uniquely human. Most importantly, it is free of nutritional supplements.

The desire to avoid nutritional supplements is, in fact, my main motivation for exploring this topic. I do not want to have to open a jar and pop a capsule in order to ensure I will get the nutrition I need to thrive. I want my food to come from living things, mostly plants, some animals, eliminating as many middlemen (or processes) as possible.

With this in mind, what is the most natural, instinctive approach to eating for the average human in a modern world?

It’s been a regular topic of conversation with family and friends, over the last few years, and this is what I’ve gleaned from the discussions:

Wild Crafting

Eat when you are hungry; do not eat when you are not. Elementary; but from this, it stands to reason that I should not start cooking supper at 5pm, which I do, anticipating that I will be hungry at 6pm, because often I am NOT. Ditto for other mealtimes. There is nothing more unnatural – less intinctive – than eating at scheduled times of day. Yes, breakfast or dinner is usually the family meal because it’s often the only family time available to us. But throughout the day, it’s easier and more effective to snack frequently on lighter, healthier foods as it suits the individual.
Eat raw. Why? Well, if you want to eat when you are hungry, then why would you take the time to cook? Just grab some nuts or some fruit and eat it. Just eat it. Keep It Super Simple. You don’t have to eat raw all the time; it’s simply important to recognize that you CAN make a satisfying meal out of raw foods, without planning or preparation. Furthermore, kids can prepare their own meals and snacks without having to use the stove or the oven.
Avoid meat. Why? Because it requires cooking, which requires anticipating when you will be hungry. From my parents, I learned a strange daily ritual of taking meat out to thaw, allowing it to thaw, then cooking and serving it. It’s a ridiculous ritual, actually, and I finally decided to eliminate it from my life at the start of 2010, when I stopped eating meat. Meat takes a long time to thaw, a long time to chew and a long time to digest. Never mind the strain on our bodies, who has time for it all? I also believe – outrageous – that we’re supposed to be left sated after eating, not unconscious (think Thanksgiving turkey with mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie). Ultimately, if we acknowledged how meat made us feel, I think we would choose to eat less of it.
Eat fish. Why? Because it’s quick to thaw, quick to cook, easy to chew and easy to digest; because some nutrients are only available from animals, ie. B12 and D, and fish can provide them; because fish can be caught in the wild or farmed without wasting a disproportionate amount of natural resources. This is a discussion for another time. . .
Use fewer dishes. Is it natural to want to do dishes 3x a day? Not for this lady. Simple raw foods often do not require any dishes, even for serving. I think it’s in everyone’s best interest to eat simply, more often than not, and in doing so, we’ll save our precious time, energy and water.
Forage. Almost everyone who has access to the outdoors, has access to food. Wild foods are some of the most potent superfoods available. Choose an area that you know is clean and free of chemicals, hopefully your own backyard, and find out what exactly is growing there. You’ll be amazed at the wild edibles that will show themselves, and you will start to see them in a whole new light. Foraging is a natural and instinctive thing for animals and humans to do, and it feeds us in a completely different way than the cultivated food we buy in stores.

Cold Glass of Water

Drink water. It’s what every living thing – plant, animal and human – needs to survive. Coffee, beer, wine, alcohol, pop and juice may all contain water, but they are NOT water. It’s best to avoid them altogether, but if that’s not possible, then we should, at the very least, drink as much water as all the others combined. The idea of drinking 6-8 glasses a day (the general rule) seems daunting to most people; the fact is, the best water available comes from fresh organic fruits and vegetables, so if we all ate more of them, we’d have no trouble meeting our quota.

These attitudes were built from tidbits and conversations with my own circle of family and friends; healthy habits are a frequent topic of discussion these days. It makes sense, though, that if we want to incorporate healthier living into our hectic lives, while still serving our basic human needs, then we have to learn from each other and support each other. It’s easier in greater numbers.

As always, any change to our eating habits is difficult with spouses and children. But we also have to be careful that we don’t use other people as our excuse for not eating well ourselves – something I still do occasionally. Kids learn through example, and adults. . .well, adults need change as much as they need stability.

It’s springtime. I’m going to make one attitude change this month and truly live it. It is a uniquely human thing to do.