149. Is counting calories healthy?

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what's going on, everybody.

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Welcome to the elemental Evon podcast.

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This is your host, Evan Roberts.

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And on this show, I break down

complex health topics from a holistic

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perspective while also providing a short

breakdown and list of actionable steps

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at the end of every episode, so that

you can take all of this information

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and knowledge that you find in these

episodes and actually apply them to

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your life right after listening to them.

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Because after all.

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Knowledge is power, but

it's applied knowledge.

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That is wisdom, and it is applied

knowledge that actually will

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create change in your life.

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And that is my goal.

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I don't want you to just hear these

episodes and let them go in one ear

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and out the other, but I want you to

actually apply them to your lives and

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see the benefits of them for yourself.

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So today's episode is going

to be on a topic that some

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might say is controversial.

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It is definitely something that

has been debated heavily online

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over the last however many years.

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Um, and that.

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Is counting calories.

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And if it's actually even healthy, right?

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Because that is the whole goal here is

really trying to obtain true health.

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So.

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On this show we're going to cover

if counting calories is actually

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healthy, which I'm sure many of you

have either tried counting calories

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or know someone who has, and to that,

have you actually seen anyone receive

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benefit from counting calories?

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Um, I personally have it.

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I'm sure many of you have as well,

but the real question here is.

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Was it a lasting benefit?

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Was it something that they were able

to do for a long period of time?

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That is a different question

altogether and probably has

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a lot of different answers.

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So.

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On the show we were going to cover.

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If counting calories is actually

healthy, if it's sustainable and what,

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in my opinion is going to be the most

sustainable lifestyle, or if you want

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to call it, quote unquote, a diet

that would be most sustainable for

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longevity and for the rest of your life.

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So.

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Jumping in right away.

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Into the hot question here

is counting calories healthy.

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This is a tough one.

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And as with most things in the health

and wellness field, it is not black

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and white, but if I had to give a very.

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A straightforward answer to this

question, which definitely just mind you,

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there's going to be an asterisk because.

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I'm going to circle back on this.

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But if I had to give a very

straightforward answer, it

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would be that counting calories.

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Yes.

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Is indeed healthy.

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Counting calories is healthy

for the reason that if you are

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overweight or even if you just

have some excess weight on you.

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Counting calories can

help you to lose weight.

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That is a hundred percent very true.

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And it's been proven many, many

times that counting calories

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does lead to weight loss.

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If done appropriately.

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Now the reason weight loss is so healthy.

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For those of you who

don't already know this.

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And this is probably just really

basic news to most of you, but

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nonetheless, I'm going to cover it.

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When you lose weight, it will literally

help out almost everything in your body.

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Like we were talking about

glycaemic improvement.

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So AKA diabetes prevention, triglyceride

reduction, sleep apnea improvement.

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Knee pain and movement improvement.

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Uh, depression improvement, mobility

improvement, increased sexual function

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in terms of erectile function for men

and improved sexual dysfunction in women.

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Improve fertility decrease

in all cause mortality.

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And honestly just AKA makes

you overall healthier.

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So if you are someone who is

overweight, just carries a

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little excess weight on them.

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Then yes, counting calories is

going to be healthy and beneficial.

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However, Is it.

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The healthiest thing to do.

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No by no means.

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Do I actually think counting calories is

the most healthy thing that you can do?

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I think it is a great tool.

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It's something that can be used

for a period of time and can

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be a benefit and has definitely

helped out many, many people.

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Who you know, were overweight and

needed to lose some excess weight.

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So, yes, it does benefit in that realm.

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And any time you are losing

weight, especially if you are.

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You know, overweight or obese,

obviously not someone who is

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extremely skinny and might not

actually benefit from losing weight.

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But obviously we're talking about

people who have the weight to lose.

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It is going to be very beneficial.

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But counting calories while

it can help you lose weight.

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Also means that you could

technically be eating Mickey D's.

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And we'll all day, every day

and still be losing weight.

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And yes, that is actually true.

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There have been studies done and I can't

quote them right now, but, uh, there were

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people who were eating like fast food.

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And it was very little

because it's so calorie dense.

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But they were able to eat food from a

fast food joint and actually lose weight.

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So yes, it is possible to do that.

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Um, I do not recommend

it, but it is possible.

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So we really need to remember here that

what you eat will literally become you.

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You are what you eat.

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It is the building blocks of our bodies.

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The food that we're putting

in our mouth will become us.

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So if you count calories,

yes, you may lose weight.

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But you will still probably be eating

foods that personally I would consider

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to be very similar to a poison.

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. For example, we know that many

additives that are placed in our

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foods are terrible for our health

and are even known to cause things.

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Like cancer, diabetes, mental health

disorders, and overall just making you

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feel groggy and lazy, . So, yes, you can

eat whatever you want and lose weight,

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but it is not going to technically.

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Make you super healthy, especially

when it comes to the long run.

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Right?

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Looking down the road 50 years, 60 years.

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So that brings me to the topic of what

is it that I consider to be a healthy.

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Lifestyle.

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That is going to last you for the

rest of your life, essentially.

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Well, I focus on a diet that is

primarily focused on longevity.

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Now, for those of you who not familiar

with the word longevity, Basically

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longevity is having a life that is both

long, but a life that you can enjoy.

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Right.

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And that's something that I'm very heavily

focused on as well because having a

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long life is one thing and that's great.

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But if you're having a long life where

the last 10 years of your life are,

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you know, Spent stuck in front of a TV

because your body is no longer mobile

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and your brain is not really there.

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You're not able to

remember things very well.

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Uh, you know, and you're not allowed

to really leave the house on your own.

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To me, that is not something

that I'm shooting for.

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I'm shooting for having a life that

is both long and a life in which

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I'm still with it in my later years.

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So that is the type of diet.

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If you want to call it a diet.

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I personally just call it a lifestyle

because that is truly what it is.

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So for that reason, Eating foods that

are going to not only help you maintain a

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healthy weight, but also help you to feel.

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Better and feel energized

and allow you to do.

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All of the things that you want

to do in your later years is

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what I'm mainly focused on.

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Counting calories tends

to be a practice that.

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People can upkeep for, you know, A

couple months, a year, maybe even

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five years, maybe even 10 years.

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But eventually they

fall off the bandwagon.

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It just seems to be one of those

things that is a tool, right.

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And it's a tool that you use for a period

of time, but it's not a sustainable thing.

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Now don't get me wrong.

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Of course, there might be an outlier

here and there where someone is

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just counting calories, their

entire life and kudos to them.

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Right.

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But for the most part, I

would say 99% of people.

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Fall off of that bandwagon

at one point or another.

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And like I said, it can be a great

tool to have if you need it, if

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you need to use it for weight loss.

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But the thing is, is when you

only use it for a period of time.

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If you've never set a foundation for

good eating habits, you're very likely

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to fall back into those habits that you

had before you started counting calories.

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And that's why you tend to see a lot of

these people doing that Seesaw momentum

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with their diets, where they drop a

lot of weight, and then they gain a

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lot of weight and they drop a lot of

weight and they gain a lot of weight.

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And that should because they never

established a healthy foundation

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in which they could rely on.

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So we don't want to just add a tool.

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We actually want to change.

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How we live our lives, how we eat, right.

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If you are just counting, how many

calories of McDonald's you eat as opposed

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to actually eating real healthy food?

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Well, once you drop that counting

of calories, you're going to just

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go back to the same food that you've

been eating, which is the Mickey D's.

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And you're just going to eat it in larger

proportions and have the same issues.

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That you had before you

started counting calories.

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So.

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I am here focused on really getting to

the root and changing from the base.

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Right?

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Not just putting a little bandaid on it.

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I want to actually uproot everything

and develop a strong foundation

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on which we can grow and build.

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And so what does that look like?

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Well, for me personally, it looks like

eating a lot of healthy whole foods.

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And really just developing

a appetite for them.

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You know, you can change your taste buds,

your taste buds will eventually develop

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and start to actually even crave some

of these quote unquote healthy foods.

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Right.

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And really.

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These foods are actually also more

satiating and lower in calories.

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When it comes to ultra processed foods,

therefore you can actually eat a plate

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of food and not worry about how many

calories are on that plate, because

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you know, that that food is just

naturally going to be lower in calories.

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It's going to be naturally more satiating.

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So you're less likely to overeat.

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And overall, it's just going

to take a lot of the thinking

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process out of eating, right.

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You just know that you're eating food

that is going to nourish your body.

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So.

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In terms of actually developing this

lifestyle and these healthy eating

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habits, it can be very difficult for sure.

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And there is a lot that goes into it.

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I mean, it's something

that I have literally been

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developing ever since I was.

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I don't know, like 14 years old,

because that's when I really started

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to learn about, um, my, my gut issues

that I was experiencing at a young age.

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And so, yeah, I've been constantly

developing this and tweaking

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and finding what works and

feels best for me personally.

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And for that reason, I would highly

recommend that if you are someone who is

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really looking to develop a good eating.

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Lifestyle, right?

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Like a whole, all around lifestyle.

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It's it's beyond food really.

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Uh, then I would highly recommend finding

a coach, finding a health coach, a

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nutritionist, something along those lines.

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To help you lay that foundation so

that you have something to actually

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build upon and fall back on.

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Right?

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You need someone who's really going

to know how to develop that and

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place it in your life and take you

down that path so that you're not.

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Oh, you don't wanting to

constantly fall off the path.

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For me personally, I love my friend, Caleb

wood and the, all of the work that he's

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doing with his health coaching program.

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If you're looking for a coach, I

know that he is, uh, open for a few

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clients at this moment right now.

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So if you are looking to build

that foundation, then please

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check out Caleb wood fitness.

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He has a great program.

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I know him personally.

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I know what his program looks

like and I fully back it.

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Uh, he really, really knows his stuff.

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But honestly, just finding someone that

you can really trust and has a good

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track record is going to be something

that you would want to look into.

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If you are looking to really

develop this practice.

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Now, if you have incredible discipline

as a person, then yeah, of course,

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you can just look up the information

and try to apply it to your life.

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It's going to take you a little bit

more time to figure things out, but

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of course that is one way of doing it.

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And since this show is all about

providing you with actionable

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knowledge, that's what.

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We're going to do here today.

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I'm going to give you a little bit

of a footnotes quick version of.

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Basically what I would tell you to do.

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If you wanted to start to develop

a healthy eating lifestyle.

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And let's just say you do not have

a very healthy eating lifestyle.

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Let's say you just eat this

standard American diet.

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Right.

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Which is so funny that it is

abbreviated as sad, um, because

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it is kind of a sad diet, right?

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So if you are eating the sad diet

or the standard American diet.

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Then these would be my

recommendations to you.

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So the first thing that

I would start off with.

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Is looking at the food that you're eating.

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And if you're eating a ton of ultra

processed food, which if you're on

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the standard American diet, you are.

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Then what I would recommend first

and foremost would to first just be

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to lower the amounts of the ultra

processed foods that you're eating.

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So for example, let's say

you drink five Cokes a day.

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Maybe you move that down

to two Cokes a day, right.

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And or maybe even you find one

of these alternative Cokes that

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are coming out on the market.

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I think there's like

Ali pop is one of them.

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Uh, you know, they have

much less sugar in them.

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So finding one of those could

also be a good recommendation.

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Um, I personally am not

a fan of the diet Cokes.

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I know there's a lot of people who would

say the aspartame is not that bad for you.

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Um, I'm not personally on that bandwagon.

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I don't want to consume aspartame,

especially if it's up in the air and

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we don't know if it's good or bad.

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Why not just abstain from it altogether.

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Uh, that's my personal take on it.

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But if you are a person that drinks,

like I said, five Cokes a day, we want

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to lower that down to, like I said, maybe

two Cokes a day, or if that's too much

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for you, maybe you take it even slower

and just go five to four or five to

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three Cokes a day, whatever it may be.

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And it's the same thing.

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If you're eating fast food every single

day of the week, maybe you lower that

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to four or three times a week with the

goal, obviously being to eventually.

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Get that down to either none or like

once a month or once every other

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month or something like that, where

it's really just truly a treat to

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go and enjoy fast food or a Coke

or something along those lines.

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Right.

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Then the second thing would be to add in.

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As many healthy whole foods as you

possibly clean as you possibly can now.

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I try to buy as much organic as possible.

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I understand that for many people,

it is not something that is

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financially viable and that's okay.

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Uh, as long as you are eating

more fruits and vegetables and.

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The one place I try not to lower.

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My standards is high quality

meat, which I know is expensive.

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Um, but that is one thing that I really

try not to lower the standard on,

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but in general, if you're eating more

fruits and vegetables, regardless if

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they are conventional or if they are

organic, That is going to be so much

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more healthy for you just right there.

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If you are able to purchase organic,

please do so because the pesticides are

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not something we want to be consuming.

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But if you are not able to,

there is a list online called

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the dirty dozen and the clean 15.

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It's by the environmental working group I

want to save and you can actually go and

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see what are the fruits and vegetables

that are in the dirty dozen list.

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Being the most heavily sprayed

ones and the ones that you should

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always try to buy organic, which.

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By the way.

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Number one on the list consecutively

year over year is strawberries.

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It is the most heavily sprayed.

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Product out there.

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I've even heard a person say that if

you were to take strawberries, Mash

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them up and get the juice from them.

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You could actually go ahead and

spray another crop with them

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because the level of pesticides

are so freaking high in there.

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So definitely avoid conventional

strawberries at all costs.

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And then in terms of the clean 15,

that is going to be a list of fruits

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and vegetables that are the lowest

sprayed or less likely to be sprayed,

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uh, fruits and vegetables that you

can go ahead and buy conventionally

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and feel confident that very likely

they are going to not have pesticides

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on them, which is really awesome.

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So that's a little bit of a tip there.

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So just trying to include

these healthy whole foods.

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Like I said, fruits and vegetables.

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We want to get as many of those in

a day as possible, trying to get

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different colored ones as well can be

beneficial because the different colors

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: 00:17:16

are going to provide different types

of vitamins and minerals, which are

318

: 00:17:19

going to be beneficial for our bodies.

319

: 00:17:21

And in terms of meat, I typically eat.

320

: 00:17:24

Wild caught salmon.

321

: 00:17:26

Um, other wild caught fish as well.

322

: 00:17:28

Sardines are great.

323

: 00:17:30

Um, a great source of protein.

324

: 00:17:32

They're really clean.

325

: 00:17:33

There are smaller fish.

326

: 00:17:34

They're typically lower in heavy metals.

327

: 00:17:36

Um, really honestly, just can't

say enough about certain deans

328

: 00:17:39

are really, really great for you.

329

: 00:17:41

And also having pasture

raised chicken, right?

330

: 00:17:44

Organic pasture-raised

chicken can be great.

331

: 00:17:46

Having grass fed pasture, raised

beef as well can be really great.

332

: 00:17:49

These are the foods that

we want to focus on.

333

: 00:17:52

Um, I also personally love lamb grass

fed lamb is super tasty in my opinion.

334

: 00:17:58

And so we want to try to include

as many of these whole foods

335

: 00:18:01

as possible into our diets.

336

: 00:18:03

Right?

337

: 00:18:03

Maybe you were just adding them to

the meals as you're starting out.

338

: 00:18:07

Right.

339

: 00:18:07

So you're not fully away from all

the ultra processed foods, but maybe

340

: 00:18:10

you're adding in an apple, a banana.

341

: 00:18:13

Zucchini, you know, whatever

it may be here and there.

342

: 00:18:15

And then eventually starting to

create full on meals out of nothing.

343

: 00:18:19

But these whole foods.

344

: 00:18:21

That would definitely be.

345

: 00:18:23

Direction.

346

: 00:18:23

I wouldn't be moving in.

347

: 00:18:24

And eventually what the goal being

that pretty much all of our meals

348

: 00:18:28

are consisting of these whole foods.

349

: 00:18:32

I know it might sound a little bland

for some of you, but whole foods

350

: 00:18:36

can actually be extremely delicious

if you know how to prepare them.

351

: 00:18:40

And there are tons of people

out there with great recipes.

352

: 00:18:43

So just.

353

: 00:18:44

Use the internet.

354

: 00:18:46

It's there for us to use, and there's so

much information on it and we can really,

355

: 00:18:50

uh, find some excellent recipes out there.

356

: 00:18:53

Now on that note.

357

: 00:18:55

I would also recommend adding

in at least a probiotic.

358

: 00:19:00

That is one thing I am pretty big

on, uh, including in our diets is a

359

: 00:19:04

probiotic mainly because we do not

get enough probiotics in our food.

360

: 00:19:09

Um, I know that some people

do enjoy eating sauerkraut

361

: 00:19:12

and kimchi and pickled foods.

362

: 00:19:14

And that's awesome.

363

: 00:19:15

Um, but a lot of us are not eating enough

fermented foods in our day-to-day lives.

364

: 00:19:21

So getting a probiotic is definitely

something I would recommend.

365

: 00:19:24

I personally use a

couple of different ones.

366

: 00:19:26

I use the ritual symbiotic.

367

: 00:19:29

It has a pre-pro and a postbiotics.

368

: 00:19:31

So you get all three in there.

369

: 00:19:33

I personally, that's one of my favorites.

370

: 00:19:35

Um, and the other one would be

the pure blend from Organa five.

371

: 00:19:39

It's going to have some lion's mane

in there, some apple cider vinegar,

372

: 00:19:42

and then it's also going to have the

probiotic and I believe prebiotic

373

: 00:19:46

fiber in there as well, which is very

important to have those two together.

374

: 00:19:50

And it's a really tasty way

of getting my probiotics in.

375

: 00:19:54

So sometimes I'll use both of them.

376

: 00:19:56

Uh, I'll take my symbiotic

first thing in the morning.

377

: 00:19:59

And then, uh, if I'm really feeling

it, I'll go ahead and drink the

378

: 00:20:01

pure juice later on in the day.

379

: 00:20:04

And on top of that, I would

also add in some kind of a.

380

: 00:20:10

Green juice powder if possible.

381

: 00:20:12

Um, the reason I would say green

juice powder is usually that's

382

: 00:20:16

just the form that they come in.

383

: 00:20:17

There are other ones like a red

juice powder and whatnot, but a green

384

: 00:20:21

juice powder is important because.

385

: 00:20:24

It's going to have some really good

herbs and even vegetables that are just

386

: 00:20:28

dried up and blended into a powder.

387

: 00:20:31

And you're going to get a bunch of

minerals and vitamins in there in a

388

: 00:20:35

really simple and easy way that a lot

of the times can taste really good.

389

: 00:20:40

I know that there are a lot of

fans of the ag one blend, which is

390

: 00:20:45

absolutely a really good green juice.

391

: 00:20:47

I have nothing against it.

392

: 00:20:48

I've tried it myself and I enjoyed it.

393

: 00:20:50

Um, but my personal favorite is Organify.

394

: 00:20:53

I just liked the blend

a little bit better.

395

: 00:20:54

I like simpler ingredients as

opposed to a super long list.

396

: 00:20:58

I just feel more confident that

I'm getting the correct amounts

397

: 00:21:01

of each one, but honestly,

they're both really, really good.

398

: 00:21:04

So whatever your choice is go for either

one, I usually do my Organifi and I

399

: 00:21:09

spruce it up a little bit with some common

camu powder and some mushrooms as well.

400

: 00:21:14

So medicinal mushrooms.

401

: 00:21:16

To really help boost that green juice

and make sure I'm getting a lot of

402

: 00:21:20

minerals and vitamins, uh, in my daily

consumption, just in case I'm not

403

: 00:21:24

eating enough fruits and vegetables.

404

: 00:21:26

And on top of all of that, I also

take spirulina and chlorella because

405

: 00:21:31

they have 40 plus vitamins and

minerals in them, plus a slew of

406

: 00:21:36

other incredible benefits to them.

407

: 00:21:38

So those are my three non-negotiables.

408

: 00:21:41

I take those.

409

: 00:21:43

All the time weekly, some of

them, even every single day.

410

: 00:21:46

Um, and once again, that was

the symbiotic from ritual.

411

: 00:21:50

That was the probiotic.

412

: 00:21:53

Uh, well, it's the pure blend, but it

has probiotics in it from Organify.

413

: 00:21:58

I also do the green juice blend from

Organify and I also do the spirulina

414

: 00:22:03

and chlorella from energy bids.

415

: 00:22:05

Now I do have discount codes

for Organifi and energy bits.

416

: 00:22:10

I'll be sure to link

those in the show notes.

417

: 00:22:12

If you care to get yourself some of those.

418

: 00:22:14

You'll get 20% off your entire order.

419

: 00:22:16

That should just for being

listening to this show.

420

: 00:22:18

That's my way of saying

thank you to all of you.

421

: 00:22:21

And truly, those are things

that I use all the time and I

422

: 00:22:25

find so much benefit in them.

423

: 00:22:27

Because we don't eat nutrient rich foods.

424

: 00:22:31

And, uh, for that matter, I try

to supplement where possible

425

: 00:22:35

with whole food sources.

426

: 00:22:37

So these are things like

the micro algaes and.

427

: 00:22:40

You know, ashwagandha is

literally just an earth.

428

: 00:22:42

So I try to keep it as

natural as possible.

429

: 00:22:44

There.

430

: 00:22:45

Now, moving on in terms of

other things that I would do to

431

: 00:22:48

create this healthy lifestyle.

432

: 00:22:50

Would be to also drink

ample amounts of water.

433

: 00:22:54

A good way to honestly do this.

434

: 00:22:56

And I know people have the whole, you

know, take your weight divided in half

435

: 00:23:00

drink that announces kind of deal.

436

: 00:23:02

For me personally, the most simple

thing is to wake up in the morning,

437

: 00:23:06

drink a 12 ounce glass of water minimum.

438

: 00:23:09

If I can drink more, I will.

439

: 00:23:12

And then halfway through the day,

drink another 12 ounce glass of water.

440

: 00:23:17

And then at the very last part of the day,

drink another 12 ounce glass of water.

441

: 00:23:22

Now I am drinking water in between

those three glasses because I'm

442

: 00:23:26

naturally just getting thirsty.

443

: 00:23:27

Uh, so my intake is definitely

more than just three, 12

444

: 00:23:31

ounce glasses of water a day.

445

: 00:23:33

Uh, but those three, 12 ounce glasses

of water are like a reminder and

446

: 00:23:38

an insurance that I am actually.

447

: 00:23:41

Getting in at least some water

throughout the day, because there

448

: 00:23:45

are so many people that go the entire

day, myself included without really

449

: 00:23:49

even drinking any water at all.

450

: 00:23:51

And water is so, so

important for our health.

451

: 00:23:53

So that would be another thing

I would also say to sleep like

452

: 00:23:57

a king or a queen sleeping is.

453

: 00:24:01

I can't even.

454

: 00:24:03

I can not explain enough how

important sleep is it is.

455

: 00:24:08

Literally probably the most

crucial thing to our health.

456

: 00:24:13

You need sleep and so many amazing things

happen to your health when you sleep.

457

: 00:24:20

And a great way of looking at this is if

you were to look at all the aspects of

458

: 00:24:24

health, like let's say for example, food.

459

: 00:24:27

If you didn't eat food,

if you went and just fast.

460

: 00:24:30

Well, not even facet.

461

: 00:24:30

Let's say you were just starving.

462

: 00:24:32

There was just no food around.

463

: 00:24:34

I mean, you could literally go weeks

without eating food and you will be okay.

464

: 00:24:38

Um, or even if you just say

terrible foods, like, Hey,

465

: 00:24:41

you're still going to live.

466

: 00:24:42

It might not be the most optimal

life, but you'll still live.

467

: 00:24:46

But if you don't sleep.

468

: 00:24:48

I mean, you will literally go crazy.

469

: 00:24:51

Uh, within a matter of days.

470

: 00:24:53

It does not take very long for

you to actually become crazy.

471

: 00:24:59

By lack of sleep by just

literally like 72 hours.

472

: 00:25:04

So it is the most important thing.

473

: 00:25:07

Our body demands it from

us every single day.

474

: 00:25:10

No excuses.

475

: 00:25:12

If you go one day without sleep.

476

: 00:25:14

I mean, that's it.

477

: 00:25:15

You, you better get to sleep the next day.

478

: 00:25:17

Right?

479

: 00:25:17

Uh, it is so, so important.

480

: 00:25:19

So definitely get in super quality sleep.

481

: 00:25:23

And on top of that, do not eat one

hour after waking and do not eat two

482

: 00:25:28

to four hours before going to bed.

483

: 00:25:32

There's many, many reasons of

why you should be doing this.

484

: 00:25:36

Um, some people would call it

a form of intermittent fasting.

485

: 00:25:39

Sure.

486

: 00:25:39

If you want to label it, that that's fine.

487

: 00:25:41

But essentially we just want to give

ourselves a little break here and there.

488

: 00:25:45

Uh, from food and especially pairing

it up around our sleep is going to be

489

: 00:25:49

beneficial because when we eat too close

to sleep, we're going to get bad sleep.

490

: 00:25:54

We wake up in the morning.

491

: 00:25:55

We have a spike of cortisol.

492

: 00:25:56

We want to let that kind of

right out and not eat too much

493

: 00:26:00

food at that moment in time.

494

: 00:26:01

Give yourself that first hour to kind

of wake up, drink some water, get

495

: 00:26:04

everything moving, and then you can go

ahead and have your first meal after that.

496

: 00:26:08

So.

497

: 00:26:09

I know I was rambling there at the

very last, but I hope all of that

498

: 00:26:13

hit home and made a lot of sense.

499

: 00:26:15

I'm going to once again, give a

quick little breakdown of this show

500

: 00:26:20

so that you can have a little cliff

notes version of this, and then also

501

: 00:26:24

provide you with those actionable.

502

: 00:26:25

Actionable steps once again.

503

: 00:26:28

So that you can apply this

knowledge in this episode.

504

: 00:26:30

So we started off this episode talking

about calories and calorie counting.

505

: 00:26:35

And is it healthy and is

it sustainable in short?

506

: 00:26:38

Yes.

507

: 00:26:39

Calories.

508

: 00:26:39

Uh, counting calories is healthy.

509

: 00:26:42

If you have weight to lose as specially,

because if you are overweight,

510

: 00:26:46

losing that weight is going to be

very beneficial for your health.

511

: 00:26:50

However, is it the healthiest

thing that you can do?

512

: 00:26:53

And is it good for a practice that you

can have over a long period of time?

513

: 00:26:57

No, it is not the most healthy

practice that you can have.

514

: 00:27:01

A lot of people tend to fall off the

bandwagon within literally a month or

515

: 00:27:06

two, or maybe they make it to the year

mark, or maybe even the five-year mark,

516

: 00:27:10

but eventually they almost always fall off

the bandwagon and typically revert back to

517

: 00:27:16

the ways that they were eating, which if

you were just counting calories and not.

518

: 00:27:20

Taking into consideration the

type of food that you're eating.

519

: 00:27:23

You're very likely going to go back

to some really bad eating habits,

520

: 00:27:26

which is something we want to avoid.

521

: 00:27:28

So counting calories, not

the most healthy thing.

522

: 00:27:32

The most healthy thing that

you can do is find a diet that

523

: 00:27:35

is focused around longevity.

524

: 00:27:37

If you find a diet that's focused around

longevity, you're naturally going to lose

525

: 00:27:42

some weight or lose your excess weight.

526

: 00:27:44

And you're also going to build

a foundation that you can grow

527

: 00:27:48

upon and will not allow you to go

back to your poor eating habits.

528

: 00:27:52

You're going to build literally a

lifestyle and change the way that you eat.

529

: 00:27:59

So what are going to be the best ways

to improve our lifestyle and create this

530

: 00:28:06

longevity type, uh, food consumption.

531

: 00:28:09

Well, first off, if you don't know

where to start finding a good health

532

: 00:28:12

coach can be a really good way to go.

533

: 00:28:15

Like I said, my friend, Caleb wood, who

I've had on the show on multiple episodes.

534

: 00:28:20

Would be a great person to reach

out, to and explore that option.

535

: 00:28:23

If you're someone who

wants to just go it alone.

536

: 00:28:26

Then these would be some of my steps

that I would take if I were you.

537

: 00:28:30

And, uh, these are great places to start.

538

: 00:28:32

So first off.

539

: 00:28:34

Start to lower the amount of ultra

processed foods that you're eating.

540

: 00:28:37

So if it's things like soda and fast

food, if you're eating or drinking those

541

: 00:28:42

very, very frequently start to lower

the frequency in which you consume them.

542

: 00:28:47

Um, so if it's every single week, we want

to lower to just maybe a few days a week.

543

: 00:28:51

And with the goal being to

absolutely eradicate them, get.

544

: 00:28:54

Get rid of them.

545

: 00:28:56

Uh, and maybe only have a, as the

occasional treat once a month, once

546

: 00:29:00

every other month, whatever it may be.

547

: 00:29:01

Number two is going to be

to add in the healthy foods.

548

: 00:29:04

These are going to be whole foods.

549

: 00:29:06

So fruits, vegetables.

550

: 00:29:08

Meets high quality meats.

551

: 00:29:10

Um, even, you know, nuts

can fall under there.

552

: 00:29:13

Basically a whole food is anything

that is essentially harvested

553

: 00:29:18

straight from the source.

554

: 00:29:19

So an apple would be a whole food, right?

555

: 00:29:22

Because you are literally

picking it straight from a tree.

556

: 00:29:25

So that is a whole food and

processed food is any time you

557

: 00:29:28

start to do essentially anything to

your food is a form of processing.

558

: 00:29:33

So whole food is like a

untouched form of food straight.

559

: 00:29:38

From nature.

560

: 00:29:39

So we want to start adding

those in to our diets.

561

: 00:29:42

I would also highly recommend

a probiotic supplement.

562

: 00:29:45

As well as a green juice and a spirulina

or chlorella supplement as well.

563

: 00:29:52

This is going to make sure that we're

getting in some probiotics, which tend

564

: 00:29:55

to really lack in our diets and can

play a massive role in our gut health

565

: 00:30:01

and the green juice and spirulina

and chlorella are going to be packed

566

: 00:30:05

with vitamins and minerals that we

might not be getting in our foods.

567

: 00:30:09

Even if we are eating some whole foods.

568

: 00:30:12

Uh, we might not be eating enough of them.

569

: 00:30:15

So, those are kind of a way of ensuring

that you're getting the proper nutrients.

570

: 00:30:20

And then on top of that, I would

recommend drinking ample amounts of water.

571

: 00:30:23

A great way of doing this

is drinking three 12 ounces.

572

: 00:30:27

12 ounce glasses of water a

day to make sure you're at

573

: 00:30:30

least getting in those three.

574

: 00:30:32

Um, if you can, up that even more

to five, that would be excellent.

575

: 00:30:35

Uh, but those are going to be

ways of making sure that you at

576

: 00:30:38

least get some water in that is

probably not going to be enough.

577

: 00:30:42

You will.

578

: 00:30:42

You'll still need a drink more.

579

: 00:30:43

Um, but it's a good way of making

sure we're at least drinking

580

: 00:30:46

some water throughout our day.

581

: 00:30:48

Sleep like a king or a queen

sleep is literally one of

582

: 00:30:51

the most important things.

583

: 00:30:54

When it comes to our health, cannot

say this enough, get good sleep.

584

: 00:30:59

Number.

585

: 00:30:59

And then the last one is going

to be, do not eat one hour after

586

: 00:31:03

waking up and do not eat two to

four hours before going to bed.

587

: 00:31:08

And that is going to do

it for today's episode.

588

: 00:31:11

Y'all.

589

: 00:31:12

I hope you found some benefit from this?

590

: 00:31:14

Um, hopefully I clarified whether

counting calories is good or bad.

591

: 00:31:19

Um, really it's neither, um, it's

a great tool when you need it, but

592

: 00:31:24

it is not something that you should

be using for sustainable terms.

593

: 00:31:28

Uh, because most people tend to fall

off with it and you can eat pretty bad

594

: 00:31:32

food while still counting calories.

595

: 00:31:34

So.

596

: 00:31:35

Hopefully, clarify that up

for you all a little bit.

597

: 00:31:37

And hopefully also you feel like you

left with some actionable steps that

598

: 00:31:41

you can actually apply to your life.

599

: 00:31:43

That is literally my goal here.

600

: 00:31:45

I am trying to find all these health

topics and share them with you because

601

: 00:31:49

when I was a kid and I was going

through all of these health issues,

602

: 00:31:52

I didn't have anyone to provide

me with this kind of knowledge.

603

: 00:31:56

You know, I went to a traditional doctor

and was essentially told that there

604

: 00:32:01

was not much that I could really do.

605

: 00:32:02

So I had to figure out

a lot of this on my own.

606

: 00:32:05

And, uh, you know, luckily I had a teacher

back in the day that kind of opened my

607

: 00:32:09

eyes to a lot of this, but that's my goal.

608

: 00:32:11

I'm just trying to really help all of

you provide all of you with this amazing

609

: 00:32:16

health knowledge and, you know, if

it doesn't serve you, then leave it.

610

: 00:32:20

And if it does serve

you, then please take.

611

: 00:32:21

Take it run with it, do whatever

you want apply to your life

612

: 00:32:24

and hopefully see some benefit.

613

: 00:32:26

Um, and if you really enjoyed today's

episode, please go so far to just

614

: 00:32:30

leave a rating or review does not

take very much of your time at all.

615

: 00:32:34

If you're on apple podcast,

you can leave a written review.

616

: 00:32:37

I love to read those and see

what all of you are thinking.

617

: 00:32:40

And, um, if you're finding some

benefit from the show, And by leaving

618

: 00:32:44

that five star rating or review.

619

: 00:32:46

You're going to help people to find

this show and spread this message.

620

: 00:32:49

Please also share this episode and

this show with people who would benefit

621

: 00:32:55

from hearing this show, whether it's

a friend, a family, a loved one,

622

: 00:32:58

whatever it may be, feel free to share

this episode and spread the message.

623

: 00:33:02

Spread the love, spread the

health and the wellness.

624

: 00:33:05

And if you want to.

625

: 00:33:06

Uh, check out some of the sponsors,

they're all linked in the show notes.

626

: 00:33:10

I mentioned Organify and energy bits.

627

: 00:33:13

Both of those are going to

have 20% off discount codes

628

: 00:33:16

right there in the show notes.

629

: 00:33:17

Right next to the link.

630

: 00:33:18

And that is going to be off

your entire order just for

631

: 00:33:21

being a listener to the show.

632

: 00:33:23

That's my, thank you to all of you.

633

: 00:33:25

And honestly, thank you

all so much for tuning in.

634

: 00:33:28

It's a pleasure for me to be

here, speaking to all of you

635

: 00:33:33

and just sharing this knowledge.

636

: 00:33:34

I literally love doing this.

637

: 00:33:37

I do this out of the.

638

: 00:33:40

Passion in my heart.

639

: 00:33:42

And just love for health and wellness.

640

: 00:33:43

It's really a way for me to expand my

knowledge on all things, health and

641

: 00:33:47

wellness, and to share it with all of

you and build this beautiful community.

642

: 00:33:51

Um, please reach out to me on

Instagram touch bases with me.

643

: 00:33:55

Let me know you're

enjoying these episodes.

644

: 00:33:56

If you want to hear anything covered

in an episode, reach out to me as well.

645

: 00:34:01

Um, I would love to hear what you want to

hear more about and yeah, just feel free

646

: 00:34:06

to, uh, reach out, share this episode and.

647

: 00:34:09

If you listen to this show often,

then, you know, the motto of the

648

: 00:34:13

show is to do everything with good

intentions and connect to your elements.

649

: 00:34:19

Thank you all so much.

650

: 00:34:20

I hope you have a beautiful

rest of your day and I will

651

: 00:34:22

see you on the next episode.

652

: 00:34:24

Have a great one and peace.