We live in a world of beautiful people, but many of us are not. Instead of six pack abs and perfectly proportioned figures, we have undefined arms and flabby stomachs. Rather than being beach-ready for the summer, we seem to store fat like a hibernating bear in the winter.

It’s not like we don’t try though, we’ve done it all: various diets, gym memberships, exercise equipment, weight loss pills, and even surgery. Despite all this effort and investment, nothing worked. The weight returned and we gave up. It feels impossible to change, but it’s not.

Since other people can look and feel healthy, you can too. All you need is the necessary knowledge and habits which allow you to change. While acquiring these may feel difficult, it isn’t. It only feels difficult because of the many misconceptions regarding health and weight loss. Once you recognize these and learn how your body really works, you’ll be able to transform into the healthy person you’ve always wanted to be.

If you’re interested, I’d be happy to share what I know. I’m not a certified expert by any means, and definitely not a guru. I am neither selling nor promoting anything. All I am doing is explaining the knowledge and principles that have worked for me, and I’m doing this because I want you to be healthy and happy with your body. To begin, allow me to tell you about my own journey.

Born and raised in the United States, I grew up eating the standard American diet of processed food and sugary drinks. This included plenty of hamburgers, french fries, pizzas, chicken nuggets, chips, pop tarts, candy, ice cream, and soda. I didn’t know any better, and neither did my parents, I just ate whatever tasted delicious and as much as I could.

I was skinny as a child, but that soon changed with the food and beverages I was consuming. Beginning in the 4th grade, I became noticeably overweight. I was unaware of this until my classmates began making fun of my body. They laughed at my “fatness”, and jeered at my “man boobs”, as they teased.

I didn’t like being overweight. No one does. I didn’t try to be overweight either- it just happened. One day I was skinny, and the next, I was fat. This took a toll on my self-esteem and relationship with food, causing more issues later on.

Eventually through puberty and extreme dieting, I lost the majority of my excess weight, but I didn’t feel good. I was lethargic and regularly sick, and it seemed I was always binge eating or starving myself. It didn’t help that I also smoked cigarettes, drank alcohol, and did other drugs, which made my health even worse, but that’s another story.

This cycle of dieting and gaining weight continued well into my twenties. It was only when I was 24 years old and living alone in Taiwan, that I learned the principles of health from a friend. By adhering to these principles, I was able to break free from that frustrating cycle, and remain relatively healthy and fit ever since.

If I can change, you can too.

The Body

Before I get into the principles of health, let’s explore the body. What is it? How does it work?

The human body is some sort of biological suit or avatar. It allows us to move and interact with the material world. Without it, we couldn’t walk, eat, travel, or experience anything physical. It is necessary for our existence in this life, and it is also incredible.

As we go about our lives, our body performs various functions on its own. This includes growing hair, repairing broken tissues, fighting off viruses, digesting food, and regulating internal temperature. All these processes occur automatically on a subconscious level, allowing us to focus our attention elsewhere.

Our body does not ask for much. All it needs is a few things: nutritious food, clean water, adequate sleep & hygiene, protection from the elements/danger, and being somewhat active. As long as we provide these, the body will thrive, leading to health, strength, and beauty. It is when we don’t satisfy these requirements, or actually do activities that harm the body, that problems begin to arise.

Instead of getting adequate sleep, we have irregular and low quality sleep. Rather than eating nutritious food, we consume junk food filled with toxic chemicals. Or instead of protecting the body from danger, we engage in harmful activities, like smoking cigarettes or injecting illicit drugs.

Actions like this prevent the body from operating at its optimal capacity- it simply doesn’t have what it needs to work properly. So instead of feeling great, we feel all sorts of symptoms, such as fatigue, sickness, and pain.

This is the reason why most people are unhealthy and overweight. They’re not taking care of their body as how it was designed. To fix this, they’ll need to start providing what their body needs, which begins with consuming nutritious food.

How to Eat Healthy

Despite countless books, articles, podcasts, and seminars on answering this question, there is a simple approach to eating healthy.

Stop eating unhealthy food, and start eating healthy food.

This approach is not as simple as it seems though. What is unhealthy food? What is healthy food?

It’s no surprise these questions are difficult to answer. In this day and age of marketing and advertising, we often see food products labeled as “natural” or “low fat”. At first glance they seem like healthy choices to eat, but when you look at the ingredients on the labels, then one wonders if they are actually healthy or not.

This confuses most people. They believe they are eating healthy food, but in reality, they are not. So when they buy and eat these “healthy” foods, they end up still gaining weight. Or on the other hand, they are told by “experts” to avoid certain foods, but in reality, those foods are actually nutritious for them. It’s no wonder why many people get frustrated with trying to eat healthy and eventually give up.

Instead of relying on product labels or advertisements to tell you what’s healthy, it’s best if you develop your own understanding of food. With this framework, you’ll be able to know what food is healthy for you, and what is not. And with this knowledge, you’ll understand how you gain (or lose) weight, which I’ll explain later.

Three Types of Food

Food can be perceived in three categories, also known as macronutrients. You’ve probably heard of them, but might not understand what they are. They include:

Carbohydrates, Protein, and Fat

Each of these provides a distinct use for your body. Because of this, they each affect your body in various ways. Eating carbohydrates affects your body differently than protein, and the same applies to fat.

This is why I suggest you stop viewing food only as calories. I suggest this because when you do that, you are putting all food in the same category of macronutrients, which is simply untrue. Eating fifty calories of ice cream affects your body differently than eating fifty calories of beef jerky. They are not the same.

Rather than viewing food merely as calories, I recommend you view food in terms of macronutrients. It’ll take some practice to do, but it’s essential for choosing a diet that will achieve your health goals.

Carbohydrates

This macronutrient is perhaps the most common type of food. Most people eat them with every meal and snack. Specific types vary in popularity depending on the country, such as rice in Japan or bread in France. Do you know what carbohydrates provide for the body? Energy.

Carbohydrates (carbs) are like gasoline for our bodies. Consuming them generates a quick burning source of energy, allowing us to move around and perform various actions. Ever wonder why you feel “hangry” (hungry & angry)? Your body’s energy reserves are depleted and need carbs to recharge.

Not all carbohydrates are equal though. Some are quicker to burn compared to others, which makes it easier for your body to absorb. The reason why they burn quicker is because they are processed, or in other words, have gone through multiple steps to cook and prepare. These foods also tend to have a lot of toxic ingredients which make them delicious and last a long time, but are unhealthy for your body.

Some processed carbs include: donuts, noodles, breakfast cereals, pastries, and cookies.

If those are processed, what are non-processed carbs?

To make it simple, anything that was grown, such as vegetables (carrots, celery), tubers (potatoes, yams), and fruits (apples, oranges, bananas).

While non-processed carbs are healthier for you, as they provide other nutrients and are generally free from harmful ingredients, they are generally not as energy dense as processed carbs. Eating processed carbs can be useful if you’re needing a lot energy fast, but it also can be detrimental. They almost always have ingredients that cause long-term health issues and since they have so much energy, eating too much of them can cause unwanted weight gain.

Protein

The second macronutrient group is called protein. This type provides the building blocks of life, feeding the body the nutrients it needs to grow muscles, repair tissues, and coordinate various body functions.

Some people believe only bodybuilders or athletes need protein. Because of this, they eat mostly carbs. While this is fine in the short term, eventually their lack of protein will cause issues. They’ll likely become weak, sick, and prone to injury. They might also find it difficult to lose extra body fat, even though they’re restricting themselves. Protein is essential to be healthy.

Protein can come in two sources: animal or plant based. Both can provide adequate protein for your body, although the later is a bit more complicated. Plant based protein sources do not include some essential nutrients, such as vitamin B12 and DHA, which might cause health issues later on if you’re deficient in them. As long as you take supplements to compensate for this, plant-based protein will suffice. Some plant-based protein sources include beans, quinoa, chickpeas, and soy products.

Animal based protein sources include chicken, beef, pork, and fish. As a rule of thumb, the more free and natural the animal your meat came from, the healthier that protein is. If you eat beef from a cow was raised in a pen and injected with hormones and antibiotics, that will be less healthy to eat than an elk that freely roamed the forests and ate only fresh plants. The quality of the protein makes a significant difference. The higher quality protein you eat, the healthier you will feel and become.

Fat

The last macronutrient is the most misunderstood among the three. It is a type of food that has been vilified throughout the years. Many people believe that eating fat will cause you to gain fat, but in reality, it’s actually the opposite.

Your body needs fat to function well. Just watch the survival television series, “Alone”. In this show, ten contestants must live on their own in the wilderness for as long as they can. They are allowed to bring ten items and whoever lasts the longest wins $500,000.

If you watch this show, you’ll notice which macronutrient the contestants prize the most: Fat. This type of food is what their bodies crave under those tough conditions. They could forage large amounts of vegetables and eat dozens of high protein lean rabbits, but unless they secured a source of fat, they were days away from starving.

While we don’t live alone in the wilderness, the principles remains the same. Our body needs fat as much as the other two macronutrients. Without fat, our body lacks nutrients necessary for vital functions, such as providing structural building blocks, carrying fat-soluble vitamins, and enabling other essential physiological processes.

We need to eat fat to be healthy.

Yes, I know this might go against your understanding of food. Eating fat will make you gain fat, right? Eating fat will clog your arteries and veins, right?

That depends on what type of fat you’re consuming.

There are multiples types of dietary fats. You might have heard of them, they include: saturated, trans, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats. Many people have argued which is healthy, and which isn’t. I’ll tell you what I believe.

If healthy foods are closer to the source they originated from, then the same principle should apply to fats. The closer a source of fat to its original source, the healthier it probably is. Based on this thinking, I avoid sources of fat that are refined and heavily processed, like canola oil, vegetable oil, and margarine. Instead, I consume fats that are closer to the original fat source and are less refined, such as extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, grass fed butter, and high-quality animal fat.

Macronutrient Test

Now that you’ve read about macronutrients, let’s see if you can apply your knowledge. Below are seven photos of various foods. I want you to look at each photo and write down which macronutrients you think they each consist of. At the end of the photos, I’ll provide the answers so you can see how well you did.

Answers

1) Broccoli (1 cup)

6g carbs
2.5g protein
0.3g fat

2) Eggs (1)

6g protein
5g fat
0g carbs

3) Avocado (1/2)

14.7g fat
8.5g carbs
2g protein

4) Pepperoni Pizza (1 slice)

34g carbs
13.3g protein
12.1g fat

5) Chocolate Candy (1/4 cup)

30g carbs
9g fat
2g protein

6) Hamburger with Cheese (1)

32g carbs
15g protein
13g fat

7) Coca-Cola (1 can)

39g carbs
0g fat
0g protein

How did you do? Any surprises?

Everything you eat or drink has at least one macronutrient. Many foods, as you saw, have all three. It takes some practice to recognize the macros of every food item you’re eating, but it’s critical you learn this if you want to be healthy and know how to lose or gain body fat.

The Effects of Food

After you chew and swallow food, it goes down your throat and into your stomach. From there, your body automatically processes it, breaking down the food into usable nutrients and disposing the rest. The nutrients acquired from each food depend on its macronutrients content. Avocado will provide much more fat to your body than broccoli, and eggs will provide more protein than carbs.

Because of this, eating one type of macronutrient will affect your body different than another. Fat affects your body differently than carbs, as well as protein. They are not the same.

If you want to experience this yourself, here’s an experiment you can do. Skip breakfast, and when you feel hungry, eat a food item with primarily healthy fat, like an avocado. Only eat this and nothing else. Wait an hour and write down how you feel and how hungry you feel.

On the following day, skip breakfast again and wait until you’re hungry. This time however, eat a high protein snack, like a chicken breast or plain tuna fish. Wait another hour like the day before, and then write down how you feel and your hunger level.

For the final day of this experiment, do the same as before (skip breakfast and wait until hunger), and this time, only carbs. This can be any carbohydrates, such as fruit, vegetables, bread, rice, or even candy. Wait an hour and write down the same as before.

How did you feel after each type of macronutrient? Did you feel more or less hungry, depending on the type?

Eating fat will make you feel full and satisfied. It can also provide you with energy, similar to carbs. However instead of fast burning fuel that carbs are, energy from fat is more like slow burning coals. You won’t get a burst of energy, but you also won’t feel the highs and lows of carbs. Instead, you will feel a consistent energy that will last for hours, even days.

Eating protein can also make you feel full, although to a certain extent. If only you eat protein that is very lean, like pork loin or white turkey meat, you’ll quickly feel hungry. It is only when you add more fat to the meal, like oil or butter, or instead eat fatty protein, like beef ribeye or chicken thighs, that you will feel satisfied. You need protein, but you also need fat.

Eating carbohydrates can make you feel full too, but it’s like feeding a roaring fire. You need carbs continually or else that fire dies and you get hungry and tired. This is what happens when you feel an energy crash after lunch. Since your diet consists mostly of carbs, your body depends on them for energy, rather than using the fat stores you already have.

Your body continually adapts to the foods you eat, and it’s not only what you had for breakfast. Your body adjusts to your diet from weeks and even months before. If you’ve eaten mostly carbs your whole life, it will take some time before you body can adapt to a lower carb and higher fat/protein diet. The same applies for the quality of the food too. If you’ve eaten artificial and highly processed food for some time, transitioning into a more natural and organic diet won’t be easy. Keep this all in mind as you work to become healthier.

Body Fat

Now that you know what macronutrients are, as well as how they affect us, you have the knowledge to understand how our body gains or loses body fat.

While body fat is unwanted for most people, it actually serves a practical purpose. It provides a source of energy if food is unavailable. This makes sense to have, if you think about our ancestors. During the time before fast food restaurants and grocery stores, people had to grow or hunt for their food, which was difficult and required substantial energy. It was a more serious and dangerous time, to be sure.

Because of this harsh reality, it was critical that our ancestor’s bodies be able to store extra energy if they somehow acquired a surplus of food. Perhaps they stumbled upon a bee hive with honey, or maybe they had access to numerous fruits that would spoil soon. Since they didn’t have refrigerators or freezers to store the extra food, and perhaps couldn’t preserve it otherwise, they needed to eat the food while it was still good. Given those circumstances, how did they store this energy for later use? By eating and converting it into body fat.

Body fat is like extra fuel cans you would have on your car. They add weight and look bulky, but when you really need them for energy, they are a life saver. This is a great ability to have, but it comes with drawbacks in our current world.

With our high energy diets and sedentary lifestyles of office jobs and couch sitting, we quickly and easily store excessive amounts of body fat. While these energy stores would be useful in a dire situation without access to food, it is not practical long term, as the excessive fat contributes to life threatening diseases, such as diabetes and asthma. In my opinion, it is preferable to be lean and healthy, rather than overweight and unhealthy.

How We Gain Weight

When we eat food, our body automatically converts the energy from it into blood sugar, also known as glucose. This is fuel for our body.

High amounts of glucose in your blood is great if you need the energy. Perhaps you need to play a game of basketball or go on a long hike. In those demanding situations, you need the energy to function. It is when we don’t need the extra energy that issues appear.

If we have high glucose in our blood, but are inactive and don’t use it, then our body will convert that extra blood sugar into body fat for use at a later time. The more glucose that is unneeded, the more fat is stored. What macronutrient converts into the most glucose? Carbohydrates.

This macronutrient is the biggest cause of weight gain, not fat or protein. Eating fat or protein can cause weight, but nothing close as carbohydrates. The reason for this is that most carbs are energy dense, so eating a moderate amount generates excessive blood sugar. What energy-dense carb is the most common cause for weight gain? Sugar.

If you check the nutrition label on processed carbs, like pasta sauces, dressings, and even breads, most of have some type of sugar added. The producers of this food added sugar because it tastes delicious, and since people like to eat delicious tasting food, they are more likely to buy it. They did not add sugar for the health of the consumer, but for profit.

When you continue to eat foods that all have sugar, it begins to add up. When you include sugary drinks and desserts, that adds even more. Once swallowed, these sugary foods and drinks become glucose very easily, spiking blood sugar levels. And since most people eating this high sugar diet are inactive, therefore not needing the extra energy, all that glucose turns into body fat.

If a person gains 2 pounds every month for a year, they will weigh 24 pounds heavier by the end, and after 3 years, they’ll be 72 pounds heavier.

This is how people gain weight.

How to Lose Weight

It’s easy to gain weight and difficult to lose weight, as most people know. This happens because they lack the knowledge of macronutrients and their effects on the body. They think weight loss is a simple matter of calories. Eat less calories than you burn, and you’re supposed to lose weight.

While that might work to a certain extent, it’s unsustainable if the person is eating less optimal portions of macronutrients.

When people try to diet, they typically cut out sweets and other junk food, which is great. However what they eat instead tends to be mostly low energy carbs (lettuce from a salad) and lean protein (chicken breast). Eating this will make you lose fat, but in a starving kind of way. They might keep this up for a few days or even weeks, but feel miserable the whole time because they are energy deficient.

At this point, the body is in survival mode. It’s not getting enough energy from the low energy carbs, and neither from the lean protein. The person is avoiding fat as well, since they believe it causes weight gain. So they try this diet until they can’t resist the body’s demand for more energy, which usually becomes their weakness such as ice cream or deep fried foods. And since the body was in starvation mode, it will immediately convert the extra glucose into fat, since it feels like food is scarce.

You lose weight by convincing your body to use the fat you already have.

How do you do this?

By what you eat, of course. However, instead of starving yourself based on calories, you want to alter the macronutrient ratio you are eating in a healthy way. By doing this, your body won’t be in starvation mode and will feel comfortable to use your fat reserves, which will reduce them over time.

To do this, all you need to do is limit your carbohydrates, and eat mostly protein and fat instead.

As long as you have adequate protein and fat in your diet, you can reduce your carbs as much as you’d like, even to zero. I wouldn’t immediately try this if this is your first time, as it might be too much of a shock to your body and your previous eating habits. Instead, I recommend gradually decreasing carbohydrate intake while increasing fat and protein consumption.

By maintaining this ratio of macronutrients in your diet, you will convince your body to use your excess body fat as energy, which will reduce it over time. Rather than relying on quick burning carbohydrates for energy, you are using the fat on your stomach, arms, legs, and everywhere else your body is designed to store energy.

A Healthy Approach

Aside from being lean, why would one want to be healthy?

Many reasons. A healthy person has a high quality of life than an unhealthy person. They get sick less often, are more mobile, physically stronger, and live longer lives. They also have less medical expenses, and spend less on food. They probably even feel much happier and have more energy, which in turn, improves other areas of their life. Being healthy makes life a lot more enjoyable, and it starts with the food you eat.

With all that you’ve learned so far, now you’re ready to think about developing a healthy approach to life. This includes four principles, which if followed, can change your life. They are: Eat real food. Eat balanced. Avoid junk. Be active.

Eat Real Food

The first principle is simple but less convenient for most people. Instead of eating processed food from boxes, cans, or fast food drive-thrus, you eat food from scratch. In other words, the food you buy and eat was either harvested or killed. It has no ingredient list on the back, and will generally rot in a few days or weeks if left alone. This is the real food you should eat.

Of course processed food is still food, but it’s not healthy for you. Food companies who make them typically put many ingredients that makes the food delicious and extend shelf life, but this comes at a cost. When you eat all those toxic, unnatural ingredients hidden in the packaged and boxed food, your body can’t process it well which causes health issues eventually.

Sure, it’s fine once in a while, but when you eat this type of food regularly over years, eventually the toxicity builds up and health problems begin to appear. It’s more than just weight gain too, it’s diabetes, heart attacks, and even cancer. You can enjoy the fleeting mouth pleasure of processed food, but it always comes at a cost.

If you don’t want that future, you need to stop eating that food and start eating real food from its original source. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat, fish, and natural fats.

On top of this, if you want to be healthy, you want to eat the highest quality of these foods available. This means spending a little extra to buy organic fruits & vegetables, grass fed beef, or non-farmed fish. If you don’t, you’ll be eating the toxic chemicals they spray on fruits & vegetables, as well all the hormones and poor diets they feed to animals in massive farms. All those are passed on into the food you eat, which is harmful for your body.

If you begin to only eat natural food, you will begin to see immediate changes in how you feel and how you look. Your taste buds will also change, especially if you stop eating extremely sweet desserts like ice cream and brownies. When your buds have changed, they’ll become much more sensitive to naturally sweet food items, like apples and carrots.

You may think you will be missing out on your old diet of processed food, but after enough time, you won’t. You’ll get used to the new diet, and even learn to love it, as you’ll feel and look better but still enjoy food. All it requires is patience and diligence.

Eat Balanced

Being healthy not only depends on the quality of the food you’re eating, but the type and amount as well. All you need to do is eat balanced, which you can figure out based on the understanding of macronutrients.

Imagine you have a plate, and on it, is your dinner. A healthy ratio, in my opinion, is an equal portion of all three macronutrients in their respective form.

Of course it won’t look exactly like this. Carbs and protein tend to take a lot more space than fat, which usually is some type of oil in most meals. The concept remains the same though. You just need to be aware and try to include all types of macros in all of your meals. Here are some examples of what I would eat and consider healthy:

1) Beef tacos with avocado and vegetables

The beef has protein, the avocados have fat, and the tortillas and vegetables have carbs. As long as the tortillas were higher quality and made with as few ingredients as possible, then this meal is something I would consider healthy to eat and not feel guilty about at all.

2) Steak and vegetables

Another meal I’d consider as healthy and happily enjoy. This tomahawk steak has plenty of fat and protein to keep my body satisfied. The vegetables also provide necessary fiber and other necessary nutrients. If I wanted to add more carbs, then I’d eat some natural starchy ones, like sweet potatoes or yams. I would avoid eating deep fried carbs like french fries, even though they are made of potatoes. The trans fats from the cheap oils used in deep frying are terrible and will contribute to clogged arteries over time.

3) Chicken and kale

This would be great if I was eating low carb diet. I would just make sure there was adequate fat in this meal, such by using plenty of healthy oil to pan fry the chicken. I would also try to use a dressing for the kale that has natural ingredients, and some healthy oil like extra virgin olive oil. As long as I had enough fat, this meal would be great and keep me satisfied.

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Those are just a few examples of meals that you could eat. There are countless other combinations you can do, depending on your preferences, available ingredients, and cooking interest. All you need to remember is to include a balanced ratio of macronutrients, unless you want to lose extra body fat.

If you’re trying to do that, I recommend reducing your carbs, while eating ample fat and protein. By doing this, your body will feel comfortable to burn the fat you already have for energy, thereby losing it.

You don’t need to remove all carbs though. I would just eat only natural carbs like vegetables and some starches, like sweet potatoes. I would also be careful with fruit, if you want to lose weight. While they are natural and have many vitamins and other nutrients, they also have a lot of natural sugar.

If you eat too much fruit, that will prevent your body from going into a fat burning state. It will be as if you are continuing to eat sugary desserts, although not nearly as much. I remember I met an American guy in Taiwan years ago who was trying to lose weight. Since he believed it was fine to eat unlimited fruit during a diet, he bought many mangoes since they are delicious and relatively inexpensive there. Rather than losing fat, he actually gained a lot.

Eat a balanced diet of real food, and you’ll be healthy. If you want to lose fat, reduce carbs, but eat plenty of protein and fat. If you want to gain fat, eat lots and lots of carbs, and nothing else.

Be Active

The third principle of health is not about what you eat, but rather, how you use your body.

Most people in modern society are sedentary. They spend most of their day at work, sitting in a chair, and when they go home, they’re either sitting on a couch or laying on their bed. They move little, aside from getting food to eat or going to the bathroom.

Over years, this lifestyle takes its toll. The excessive sitting and inactivity lead to physical ailments, such as back pain, shoulder pain, and poor eyesight. Add in unhealthy food and drinks, such as soda, desserts, and deep fried snacks, even more health issues develop over time.

The reason for this is that our bodies were not designed to be sedentary. They were designed to move and be active, depending on the situation. Think back of our ancestors, who lived before our modern times. Rather than having cars to travel, grocery stores to buy food, and tractors to plow fields, they had to do everything themselves. They lived in a far more demanding situation, but they were able to thrive since their bodies were designed to do it all.

We need to be active to be healthy.

Doing this doesn’t need to be difficult. You don’t need to be a extreme athlete or go to the gym 6 days a week. All you need to do is some activity that you enjoy on a regular basis. It can be playing a casual sport with friends (pickleball, soccer), a physical practice (yoga, martial arts), an outdoor activity (hiking, mountain biking), or even just going on a nice walk outside after dinner.

It really depends on you and how much you enjoy being active. Some people love to be active, while others not so much. Both are perfectly fine, but in order to be healthy, we need to do some physical activity regularly, as our bodies need to move and stretch.

As for recommendations, that depends on your current level of fitness. If you’ve been sedentary for years and are out of shape, then I recommend starting off slow and gradually increasing the intensity of your activity. Start by going on leisurely walks, then as that gets easier, introduce other movements.

If you would like a trainer to teach you how to effectively exercise, but don’t want to pay the high fees for one, then I would recommend going to a local CrossFit gym. I recommend this because it has worked for me, and even my 70 year old mother. CrossFit is great because the gyms will welcome you and help you progress according to your level. In my experience, all the people I’ve met in CrossFit have been supportive, friendly, and happy to teach. Just search “CrossFit” on your phone, and check out some nearby without any expectation. While they are a bit more expensive than conventional gyms, the value you get from their coaching, community, and exercise methodology can be life-changing.

Avoid Junk

Being healthy is not only what you do, but also what you avoid doing. We’ve talked a lot about the ideal types of food, but the fourth and final principle of health, Avoid Junk, is as important as any other. If you are eating super clean meals, but still consume all types of junk (not just physical), you are preventing yourself from operating at your highest capacity.

Liquid Junk

Consuming this type of junk is like having a high end sports car, but not taking care of it properly. Instead of providing the car with the best oil for its engine, you give it the cheapest oil mixed with soda. The vehicle will still work, at least initially, but that low quality oil and soda will eventually cause problems. Various malfunctions and damages will increasingly occur, as the engine did not have the proper lubrication to operate as it was designed.

Replace the car with your body, and this what happens when you drink soda, energy drinks or juices made from concentrate. While these do have some water, they also have a bunch of unnecessary and unnatural ingredients that your body isn’t designed to handle. Drink them regularly long enough, and health issues will begin to appear.

This same applies for food as well. If you’re eating mostly low quality processed food, all the harmful ingredients will gradually harm your body. You may feel fine while you’re young, but if you maintain that diet, the weight gain and other physical complications will inevitably appear. You’ll also look older than you already are, which is a indicator of overall health. If you want to avoid all of this, and feel and look healthy, then you should try to avoid all types of junk, especially drugs and alcohol.

Intoxicating Junk

This can be a touchy subject for some. I know, I’ve felt the same. I’ve enjoyed drugs and alcoholic drinks in my youth. They did provide some excitement and temporary happiness, but at a cost. For all the exciting sensations and intoxicated bliss, I was damaging my mind and body.

If you think about it, why do humans get drunk? There is a physiological reaction that takes place to produce that effect. Ever wonder what it is?

Whenever you drink alcohol, you are essentially poisoning your body. The intoxicated sensation you feel is your body’s reaction to that poison. This is why it hurts to take straight shots of vodka and why beer tastes disgusting the first time you try it. This is also why throwing up if you drank too much makes you feel better, and why hangovers on the following morning are so terrible.

Every drunk or high you feel, comes at a cost. It may not be immediate, but the damage is being done. You may not realize it, but your body is suffering. It was not designed for drugs or alcohol. While it will try its best to adapt to those substances, it cannot operate at its highest potential if it has to deal with that junk. Eventually your body will fail, one way or the other.

I’m sorry if this feels harsh, but it’s the truth. There is no way to say that drugs or alcohol are healthy. Some may argue that drinking wine has benefits, but why not just eat grapes? Feel free to do whatever you want. You’re an adult and make your own choices. However, if you want to be healthy and allow your body to function optimally, then you should reduce or stop consuming these junk substances as soon as possible.

Mental Junk

When you understand this principle, you’ll begin to see how it applies to everything in life. Not only food, drinks, and intoxicating substances, but also all that we watch, read, or listen to.

Our mind consumes information like our body consumes liquids and foods. The same process applies, but most people are oblivious to this. Everything we mentally consume has an effect on our mind, whether if we are aware of it or not. Sometimes it’s positive, sometimes it’s negative, and perhaps sometimes it’s neutral.

Just think back to when you watched reality TV show. How did you feel after? Any smarter or more positive? Probably not. You most likely felt kind of empty. That show did not provide any mental sustenance at all, but an empty and mindless distraction. This would be like eating a bag of candy- all sugar and no nutrients.

I realized this during my mid twenties, after I learned and applied the other principles of health. As I got physically healthier, by improving my diet and avoiding harmful substances, I began to notice how certain movies, television shows, songs, and even the news media, affected my mental and emotional state. I did not feel good after consuming them, but gross or weakened instead.

So rather than continuing to indulge in them, I started to consume more wholesome activities, such as reading philosophical books or listening to classical music. While I can’t say I was perfect at this, I can say that I felt significantly more at peace and focused. I could even say that I felt more spiritual as well, but I’ll save that experience and inquiry for another article.

Ever hear the phrase, “You are what you eat.”?

This is true as ever, but it also applies to the things you eat with your mind. Remember this as you decide what to watch or listen to. If left unheeded, you never know how other people are trying to influence your thoughts, perspectives, and values.

Social Junk

The final type of junk I’ll elaborate on does not pertain to anything you eat, whether if it’s physical or mental, but instead, the people you regularly interact with.

Other people have an effect on you as much as the food you eat or the music you listen to. They affect you in diverse ways, many which are happening on a subconscious level.

Think of a past experience when you were around an extremely negative person. Perhaps they could only think negatively and always blamed others. Maybe they were a magnet (or creator) of drama, which they seemed to thrive on. How did you feel being around this person?

Not good, perhaps, or to be more specific- awful. They did not uplift your life at all, but brought it down and caused stress and frustration. This is like eating junk food, except with other people. I’m not saying these people are junk, but rather, these people cause you to feel like junk. While they have their own issues to deal with, it doesn’t mean you need to deal with them, too.

If you really want to operate at your highest potential, you’re going to need to think carefully about who you interact with on a regular basis. If you’re surrounded by toxic people, they’re going to prevent you from feeling and acting as your best self. They will only hold you back, like an anchor on a boat.

This is a bit complicated, since some of these people may be close friends or family. It’s important that we consider their feelings and empathize with their issues, but it’s critical we first take care of ourselves. If we can’t take care of ourselves, how can we take care of anyone else? We need to establish boundaries with people, otherwise we can’t do what we need to do.

Moving Forward

I’ve shared the ideas and principles that have been essential in my own journey of health. There is a lot to chew, I admit, and some of it may seem completely wrong to you, which is completely fine. However, if you’ve been struggling with your health and nothing has worked, then I sincerely ask you to try to apply the principles I shared within this article.

• Learn the framework of macronutrients, and apply it to your food. View everything you eat in terms of macronutrients, rather than calories.

• If you want to lose body fat, then reduce your carbs to a minimum, while eating ample amounts of fat and protein. If you want to gain body fat, then eat plenty of carbs with little fat and protein.

• To be healthy, live according to the four principles of health:

• ​Eat real food. Fruits. Vegetables. Meat. Fish. Healthy Fats. It was either harvested, or butchered. It has no ingredient list. This food is not processed. It’s fresh and you prepared it from scratch yourself.

• Eat balanced. Create your meals based on a balanced ratio of macronutrients, unless you want to lose weight. Be sure to include natural and organic food as much as possible.

• Be active. Establish a routine of exercise. Once it’s a habit, it’s easy. You simply do it. It won’t be an uphill battle. Just do something that you enjoy.

• Avoid junk. Stop consuming harmful things, whether if it’s physical or mental. Keep your body, mind, and soul pure.

That’s it. Nothing else. Just apply these principles to your own life, and see for yourself if they work.

They’re working for me, and I believe they will work for you.