Why “National Nutrition Month” (March) Fails Most People: Three Researcher-Backed Fixes
by John E. Lewis, PhD, Miami, FL
We are celebrating National Nutrition Month. Much like the good-intentioned New Year’s resolution adopter, these arbitrary times may serve as a starting point for people who need not only a reset of their behaviors, but they need a wholesale reorientation for how they view their health, with nutrition behaviors being the primary driver. Thus, this article will lay out three issues and fixes that people can consider if they are making plans to celebrate National Nutrition Month with changes in their daily routine. Three quite common mistakes people make are: (1) the "Detox" trap; (2) too much reliance on caffeine; and (3) the "Too Much, Too Soon" pivot related to making dietary changes.
First, detoxing may sound like a clever idea, but what does it mean? A typical detox might consist of some combination of fasting and time-restricted eating with either water only or fresh-made juice. While this strategy can be highly effective for helping you lose weight and/or allowing your body to take advantage of autophagy (i.e., cellular cleansing of metabolic waste) depending on the amount of fasting time, I would not recommend using this entire month as a 30-day detox, unless you are already experienced doing it. Experts typically recommend starting out with a gentle detox routine and then over an extended period of time build up to the point of being able to sustain it for 30 days. Trying to accomplish a very rigorous method without any experience of how your body may react to it could lead to frustration, moodiness, and other uncomfortable effects. People may over-expect miraculous results, which falls into the quick fix/magic bullet trap, rather than looking at using proper nutrition to our advantage by being consistent over time.
Also, people tend to ignore the fact that our liver, kidneys, gut, lymph, and skin are constantly detoxing us anyway, so it is not like a radical change in how we treat those organs will fundamentally shift their known purposes anyway. Feeding our cells better will certainly improve their level of functioning, but nothing that we do will suddenly cause their designed functions to change. Finally, if you decide to detox, be patient to allow the body’s intelligence to do its job, and that almost always takes more time than is anticipated. Patience and consistency are key, not quick fixes and magic bullets.
Second, millions of people now report that they have something called “brain fog,” which includes feeling unfocused and seemingly unable to be as mentally sharp as they once were. In their quest to find a solution, many have chosen a nootropic dietary supplement as their go-to strategy to feel more focused. By far, the biggest mistake people make with this strategy is choosing a supplement that contains caffeine, and almost all of them contain caffeine, which is why they work in the short-term. However, caffeine creates a false sense of health; meaning that while some research on it is positive for boosting focus and clarity, the bottom line is that it is still a stimulant that is habit-forming. Thus, while it is “natural” it is not giving someone the long-term foundation for sustaining brain health. I encourage people to avoid seeking out caffeine just for the temporary boost that they receive. Thus, read the ingredients list on the label!
Third, many people may decide that this is the month to try a plant-based, keto, paleo, or other type of new diet. People typically fall victim to the trap of trying to modify their diet too significantly too quickly. Most people should utilize baby steps for making dietary changes, rather than trying to dramatically change their diet all at once or in a noticeably brief period of time. Setting up a plan to eliminate certain food groups in a sequential, stepwise fashion over a long enough period of time allows people to better accommodate to new behaviors. Psychologists say that people need to repeat a behavior about 17 times before it becomes a habit, so people need to be aware that the physical and psychological changes occurring with a different dietary approach are significant. Besides the habit formation process, the microbiome begins to change significantly as foods are eliminated. The gut actually changes the types of enzymes that it produces as well. Thus, many changes are occurring at the same time that can lead to either frustration or other negative feelings that may make it hard for the person to make the change long enough for the transition period to successfully occur. Also, all of this says nothing about peer pressure from family and friends who may think that switching to a very new diet is radical or stupid. Someone considering making this type of change needs to be prepared for a transition period that may not be so comfortable.
Finally, I have a bonus tip! One thing everyone can do without making wholesale dietary changes is to add the polysaccharides from aloe vera and rice bran to our diet every day. While my colleagues and I have shown in our published research how powerful and effective for improving health that these two polysaccharides are, the average person still knows nothing about them. No general dietary modifications are needed. Just simply add these polysaccharides to whatever you are already doing, regardless if you think animal foods are the way to go. You only need a few hundred milligrams to maybe a few grams per day of these incredible nutrients to enjoy their benefits. They work in combination with anything else you take, and they are appropriate for every stage of life from cradle to grave. I hope you find this article practical for helping you on your journey to optimal health!
John E. Lewis, Ph.D. is the Founder and President of Dr Lewis Nutrition® and past full-time Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and now Voluntary Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is also a Diplomate, Faculty Member, and Advisor of the Medical Wellness Association. He has been the principal investigator of over 30 different studies in his research career. During that time, he either directly raised or indirectly supported raising over $23 million in grants, gifts, and contracts for research studies and clinical trials and educational programs for medical students.
