Nutrition Principles That Changed My Life
Throughout my life, I’ve tried just about every fad diet that existed—and maybe you have too. To name a few of the ones I fell for…
- I counted calories (and got tired of counting).
- I did the cabbage soup diet (definitely not a forever plan).
- I even gave Atkins a go (turns out living on bacon and cheese isn’t exactly sustainable).
What finally worked wasn’t another fad—it was learning about real food and how the body processes what we put in our mouths. When I stopped focusing on losing weight and started focusing on health, that’s when everything began to change.
And maybe that’s the shift you’ve been looking for too.
Here are the principles that changed everything for me:
- No Added Sugar
Sugar has more disguises than a costume party, and it sneaks in where you least expect it—like bottled salad dressings, packaged soups, and “healthy” snack bars. If you start looking, you’ll notice it too. Once I started reading labels, I realized how much hidden sugar was hijacking my health, and I cut it out. These days, when I want sweet, I eat organic fruit—sweet from Mother Nature with no added sugar—or I create desserts using whole-food alternatives like date paste instead of refined sugar.
And while we’re at it—let’s talk artificial sweeteners. Don’t feel bad if you thought they were okay because they had fewer calories. I did too—until I didn’t. Cutting out sugar was my first step, but for a while I still used products with chemical sweeteners, thinking they were better. But I wasn’t actually feeling better, and I was still craving sugar. Turns out, that’s how they’re engineered to work—by keeping you craving more, tricking your taste buds, and even disrupting your gut. They’re fake sugar made in a lab—not from Mother Nature, and they’re no longer on my plate.
- No Processed Flour
Technically, all flour has to be processed to reach that fine, powdery consistency. But highly processed flours go far beyond that simple grind, and that’s where the real problem begins. And if you’ve ever thought, “But it’s organic pasta, so it must be healthy,” you’re not alone—I did too.
That’s why I no longer eat processed flour at all—including the “healthier” ones made from organic wheat or organic rice. And yes, that means no pasta, which is almost always made from refined flours. My favorite swap? Spaghetti squash—it gives you the pasta vibe without any of the inflammation, and it tastes better than most pasta that tastes like cardboard to me.
And here’s another tidbit: most people don’t realize that even if you don’t have a diagnosed gluten intolerance, your body still recognizes gluten as an invader and creates an inflammatory response to protect you. That’s one more reason I stepped away from most grains altogether. (If you want to dive deeper into inflammation and what it does in the body, check out my article on it [link here].)
So what do you do when you want to bake? Reach for better options. My favorite choices are almond or chickpea flour, but most of the time I just skip flour-based foods altogether and focus on fresh, whole ingredients.
- Skip the Processed Foods
We’ve all grabbed the boxes, bags, or hit the drive-through out of convenience. But let’s be real—getting sick isn’t very convenient in the long run. If most ingredient lists read like a chemistry experiment, that’s your clue it’s not real food.
One of the biggest offenders hiding in plain sight? “Natural flavors.” The name sounds harmless, but here’s the truth: most of them aren’t natural at all. Many are created in labs, and since labels won’t tell you whether the ones in your food are lab-made or not, how could you know? Some labels might say “natural lemon flavor,” leading you to believe you’re getting the healthy lemon flavor because it’s “natural.” But think about it—if it were real lemon, wouldn’t it just say lemon? Just saying…
Processed foods are usually packed with sugar, refined flours, junk oils, additives, and preservatives. Eating clean means skipping the “food-like products” and going for actual food instead.
- Dump the Junk Oils
Ever notice how almost every packaged food you pick up has “vegetable oil” on the label? Those seed oils you’ve heard about—soybean, canola, corn, safflower, and sunflower—are hiding everywhere.
Here’s the problem: they’re highly refined with heat, chemicals, and bleaching agents, which leaves them damaged before they even hit your frying pan. Once in your body, they throw off the natural balance of fats, driving up inflammation and oxidative stress. Pair that with the fact that they’re loaded with omega-6 fatty acids (already over-consumed in most diets), and it’s a recipe for everything from sluggish energy to long-term health issues.
You don’t always have to use oil at all—I often sauté vegetables in vegetable broth instead. But the body does need some healthy fat, and we can get plenty from whole foods like avocados, nuts, and seeds. On the rare occasion that I do use oil, the fats I trust are expeller- or cold-pressed avocado oil and extra-virgin olive oil—the least processed olive oil you can get. These work with your body, not against it.
- Rethink Protein
Who doesn’t love a beautiful Christmas dinner or a birthday spread with a prime cut of rib roast? That kind of meal feels special, and it should. And let’s be real—some of my best friends are full-on carnivores, so I understand how important meat is for a lot of people.
What I’ve learned, though, is that meat doesn’t have to be the centerpiece of every plate. These days most of my protein comes from plants—beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and greens. Every now and then when my body does crave meat, I choose organic, grass-fed and grass-finished, pasture-raised, certified humane, no hormones, and no antibiotics. I also eat wild fish occasionally, but even that comes with some caution given the toxicity in our oceans and waterways.
The Big Picture
If we really are what we eat, then wouldn’t it make sense to lean toward foods that nourish rather than deplete? For me, getting back to basics with simple, intentional choices worked better than chasing every diet trend.
Maybe you’ve noticed the same thing in your own life—or maybe you’re just starting to explore it. Either way, the pull toward real food is worth paying attention to.
That opening quote says it best: You are what you eat, so don’t be fast, cheap, easy, or fake.
- Fast food and “easy” fixes may seem tempting—but washing an apple is even faster than sitting in the drive-through.
- Cheap food often comes at a bigger cost later—because poor nutrition shows up in your energy, your skin, your mood, and your long-term health.
- Easy isn’t really the problem—it’s what we prepare for. With a little meal prep, reaching for cut cantaloupe can be just as easy as reaching for a cookie.
- And Fake ingredients—chemical additives, synthetic flavors, highly processed oils—will never fuel a body the way fresh, whole foods can.
You are what you eat—so why not be intentional? Why not choose real, fresh food? It truly is easier than we’ve been led to believe—and it’s a path anyone can start, one intentional choice at a time.
Want to go deeper? I share my full story, lessons learned, tools and techniques, and what my transformation to health looked like in my book The Awakened Body (release date September 14, 2025, pre-order now!). Click HERE to check out the book.