Superstition, science and conscious eating

If I told you I started every morning with a glass of lemon water?

Most Intended - Who Cares ?! What about me for what Ineta drinks and when.

But given that I've been making menus for both slimmers and athletes for more than 15 years, and I still look relatively good in my own age of 53 - my followers might think - why add lemon to his water? Does this have anything to do with digestion? Maybe with detoxification? Maybe that's why she still looks so good?

In other words, does lemon have any biochemical power that I haven't learned about yet? Maybe I should start drinking lemon water myself?

You start looking for information about the benefits of lemon - and most likely find it. You discuss it with your friends and acquaintances, and it turns out they've heard something about it, too. There may even be a study that indirectly points to the beneficial effects of lemon - Bingo! You now know that lemon water in the morning helps…

This is how Myths arise.

But maybe the real reason I drink water with lemon in the morning is that I want to drink and I like lemon water. And only.

I've written a lot about nutrients and their importance, probably too much. I am very excited to study the effects of nutrition - I was interested to understand how biochemical processes take place in our body, how they can be influenced to achieve the desired effect, both in terms of healthy weight, appearance and well-being. And I share my knowledge here - on my blog.

As I became more and more aware, my understanding of food expanded. I began to believe that food was not just fuel and building materials. That food needs to be looked at more - not just how nutrient X affects my body's function Y.

Do not misunderstand me - it is useful to understand how and why something happens or does not happen in our body. And scientific research helps us to understand this, but we should not focus only on the biochemical aspects of food.

People always ask me how I eat, so I publish my food recipes and sometimes share a photo of my meals on social networks and slimming groups. But every time I do that, people ask me a lot of questions. Most of them are related to the physiological or health value of the inclusion (or exclusion) of a particular product. I'm trying to answer questions, but to be honest, it's hard to keep up.

It seems that everything a nutritionist eats MUST be scientifically justified. But the truth is, I'm just a human being too - I like to eat. I make from products that I like or are just available right now (especially if there is laziness or no time to go to the store).

Not every decision I make about choosing products is based on scientific research. I eat what I like (Shocking, I know -😊). Or because I want to share a meal with my loved ones who have different favorite dishes.

I also often avoid products / foods that I don't like. Or make me feel bad (yes, even "healthy") or ones that are not readily available to me.

But I followed what I ate. I know how many calories and nutrients I need and I can tell myself STOP. Sometimes it doesn't come easily, but I know that dropping excess is much harder than eating - it helps.

Food is much more than just its chemical composition

Just as 'health' means more than just 'disease', food is more than just nutrients. When we focus too much on the science of food intake, we overlook other benefits of eating:

• Food enjoyment / tasting;
• Pleasant atmosphere - reception of guests and meals with family or friends;
• Food presentation.

Does a food "fit us" have more to do with our goals, our desires, our lifestyle, our cooking skills, our culture, our eating habits, our access to certain foods, our taste buds and more.

Of course, there are some general principles of nutrition that work for most of us, but that doesn't mean that someone is doing the wrong thing, preferring instant oatmeal instead of regular oatmeal.

Cook deliciously, enjoy the food, but remember basic principles of a healthy diet. And while cooking, drink a glass of water, whether with lemon or without 😊.