Welcome to Exan's Wellness and Life Skills Program

The Basics of Good Nutrition

Many of today's chronic health problems are created or worsened by the standard North American diet. Society as a whole is making poor food choices, eating too much, and eating too frequently. This, along with low activity levels, has led to rising obesity, immune system problems, higher rates of chronic disease, and a population increasingly dependent on pharmaceutical drugs to keep going.

From the earliest of times, it was understood that the health of the body depended on the quality of the food it consumed. The human body thrives on a diet of whole unprocessed foods, which the cellular machinery can easily recognize and deal with. The introduction of processed foods presents a number of challenges for the body to deal with:

  • As fiber is removed and fat is added, foods become much higher in calories.
  • Refining strips away many nutrients, as well as necessary fiber.
  • Unnatural chemicals that our bodies must process are added in both the growing of food and in the processing industry.
  • Biotechnology and mass farming bring us distorted foods of questionable quality.

Fortunately, there is an alternative. You can find and consume nutritious and delicious food, and although it takes a little more effort to obtain it, the benefits are well worth it.

A whole-foods diet is best for everyone. It's based on the foods our bodies were designed to grow and thrive on. Don't think of it as a "diet" that you'll try, but as a new way of eating that you should strive to maintain for the rest of your life.

In summary, try as much as possible to do the following:

  • Buy high-quality fresh, whole foods, organically grown if you can.
  • Find new sources and new ways of buying and sharing food.
  • Pay attention to food labels and avoid overly processed foods.
  • Expand your diet of raw foods.
  • Increase plant foods and reduce or eliminate animal products. Animal foods should be organic, wild, and free-range/grass-fed.
  • Use cooking methods that minimally damage foods, such as steaming and sauteing.

For more information on optimal nutrition, explore the "Eating 101" tutorial in the "Eating Well" section of Exan's wellness portal.