How to Become Chief Nourishment Officer
There are two ways to become a Chief Nourishment Officer. You can have a conversation with those around you and decide that you are the best person suited for the role (example: you’re asked to bring a side dish to the gathering). Or, if you’re like me, you assume the role naturally because it’s part of your DNA (example: it’s naturally assumed you’ll provide the main dish for the gathering or, if there’s a gathering, your default thought is to prepare a dish for the event regardless of if you’re asked).
As someone who has naturally assumed this role for many years, I’ve reasoned that nourishment is not about quantity; it’s about quality. What we eat has a profound impact on our energy levels, our mental clarity, our daily life, and our long-term health. If we are to indeed provide the sustenance needed for growth and health, we have to nourish well, with quality meals.
This is a part 2 post; if you didn’t read part 1 – go back and give it a read!
Let’s Talk Quality & Quantity
What we eat is a critical determinant of health. This means that if we eat well (quality and quantity), the impact on our health is positive. However, the converse is also true. Eat poor quality or not enough food, and your health goes into demise. With this understanding, it should be the goal for all of us to eat as well as possible for the purpose of preventing illness or improving our health, right?
The Problem With Quality
Though eating well is the goal, it is not always the case. Why? Because candy is sweet, chips are crunchy, soda is bubbly, and all these items are ubiquitous in our society. This is to say, it doesn’t matter location or time of day, you can easily find candy, chips, and soda. The quantity of these items is seemingly endless. However, the QUALITY of these items leave everything to be desired. High sugar, high salt, low nutrient density items are guaranteed to negatively impact the waistline and internal health. There is no situation in which these items are quality inputs for the body. Consuming high quantities of low quality foods is – dare I say it – never a good idea.
“That’s not fair! You think we should never eat any of the fun stuff! Who do you think we are?”
That’s not what I said, friend. I said it’s never a good idea. I didn’t say that you should never do it. We are all human, and sometimes low quality items are the only foods we are craving. In other cases, low quality foods are the only items available to eat. This could not be truer than in areas considered food deserts. Food deserts are places (typically urban) that have limited access to healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. This access could be limited due to affordability (too expensive), availability (must travel long distances to find it), or long-standing zoning policies. While not ideal, people living in food deserts must do the best they can with what they have. Food deserts are part of a major public health crisis which I do not have the ability or expertise to address on this platform.
For those not living in food deserts, the challenge is making a daily, conscious decision to limit the quantity of low quality foods we eat, recognizing that sometimes you simply crave a bowl of ice cream. We have to train ourselves to stop after one bowl instead of going for the entire tub of ice cream. Or – another good option – stop eating when our body signals that it is full, or that it cannot take any more.
Defining Quality: Nourishment That Works for Your Body
Let’s get one thing clear – when I speak of QUALITY – I’m referring to nutrient dense, fiber fueled, balanced items that effectively maintain or improve the condition of the body. This includes foods that give your brain the right kind of carbohydrates to function, foods that bathe your gastrointestinal tract (stomach and such) with plant-based fiber to process food, and foods that fill your blood stream with sources of absorbable iron that moves oxygen efficiently through your body, among others.
Quality is relative, would you agree? Onions add incredible flavor to dishes and are an excellent source of B vitamins benefiting the immune system. However, onions also create stomach disturbances for many people (including myself) and can flare allergic reactions for others. Even though onions are generally high-quality, they should be avoided if your body signals that it’s not a fan.
Striking the Right Balance: Why Quantity Matters as Much as Quality
When I speak of QUANTITY – I’m referring to the amount of food we eat. This is more straightforward. It doesn’t take a qualified professional to understand that our bodies are unhappy if we consume too much of anything. Are apples healthy? Yes. Should you eat 20 apples a day and nothing else? No. I have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which can easily be flared if I overeat, no matter the quality of what I’m eating. Therefore, it’s critical for me to pay attention to portion sizes as to not spark a flare.
We are eating somewhere between 300 and 800 more calories than people were eating in 1980.
-Michael Pollan
Quantity also refers to the amount of each type of food in a particular meal, ensuring the right balance of carbohydrate, protein, and fat eat time. Disrupt this balance and you disrupt the nutrient intake of your body, and the ability for your body to function at optimum capacity.
The Bottom Line
Food with the right amount of QUALITY and in the right QUANTITY should not cause disease (speaking generally, pre-existing conditions aside).
Quality foods in the right quantity should not create a flare up of indigestion, sugar spikes, or excessive weight gain. If we can eat the appropriate quantity of foods with the right quality, we can support our bodies in functioning optimally, maintaining steady energy levels, and reducing chronic disease risk. Instead of needing a nap or suffering with indigestion after meals, we can experience vitality, energy, and overall well-being. By prioritizing nutrient-dense foods in the right portions, we empower ourselves to enjoy food as both nourishment and fuel, rather than something that depletes our health over time. The challenge now is to make sure it tastes good. Don’t worry. More on that next week. 😉
Stay Seasoned!
