Picture © by Manfred Baumann
Ariane Sommer, born 1977, author and Hollywood columnist.
Modern nutritionists believe that around 70% of all diseases in the Western industrialised countries go back to unhealthy eating and living habits - fast food and stress cause diabetes, as well as numerous cardiovascular problems. What you can do to get back on the "right" and healthy track, we learn from the following interview with Ariane Sommer.
Apart from any medical knowledge– how does food affect the human being?
From my personal experience as well as based on the response I get from my environment, our diet has an effect not only on our physical condition, but also on the mental and spiritual one. If I feed myself mainly by raw vegetables and balanced, cooked meals, 98% organic, then my head is clear, the thoughts are clear and it is very easy to concentrate on more complex tasks for a longer period. Also mentally I'm much more balanced then and I feel more in tune with myself and the world around me, and am highly intuitive. It is difficult to put it into words, but clearly it is a different and better self-esteem. On a social and global level, what we eat affects both - our environment and our society. Both are healthier if the diet is balanced and an importance is put on herbal ingredients.
We are what we eat?
The fastest way I see it is in my skin - when due to stress my diet is not quite as good as usual. The skin is our largest organ. From the outside one can easily conclude what's inside.
Are there any true energy wasters among common foods?
Sugar is a big energy waster. In the short term by the sugar crash, which one gets straight after the quickly draining sugar high - and in the long run, through our excessive sugar intake, as it is unfortunately widespread in our culture; exploitation drives our health and can cause many chronic diseases. Additionally, excessive consumption of salt is energy-consuming, as well as resorting to ready meals, one might convey a sense of satiety, but not send the nutrients to the body that it needs to function optimally.
Which diet raises the feel-good factor in our body?
This may be different from case to case. For me it is clearly an organic/ herbal diet, and one that
consists of 60-70% of raw foods.
What's good for our soul?
It's good for the soul when the body is not overloaded and is therefore not deflected from its true self-awareness by small physical aches or bad illnesses.
How to escape the unhealthy temptations?
One can escape the unhealthy temptations by replacing them with healthy ones. Luckily they taste sometimes even better than their unhealthy counterparts. Instead of buying Nutella, I now opt for an organic alternative, which contains neither unhealthy fats, nor refined sugars. Instead of Coke, I drink Kombucha tea and instead of a take away pizza I make my own, vegan version. It tastes so good that when I do have guests for dinner, there is usually not one piece left for myself.
Are there any tricks on how to best or easiest change your diet habits?
It is important to start with small steps and not wanting to change everything at once. On one hand, it often seems psychologically impossible and we are more likely to give up, before even trying it at all. On the other hand, it can be very impractical in our everyday life, to turn the diet upside down from zero to a hundred. But also because of the body - especially if your diet has been unhealthy for a long time, it needs to find its balance with the new, healthy one. My tip is to change something significant every two months. For example, you can begin to pass on the Coke. Two months later, get rid of the white sugar or white flour. And then again, two months later dispense of the cigarettes and so on. The bad habits are replaced by good ones - such as drinking a green smoothie every morning or have a shot of apple vinegar after your evening meal. At the end of the year you have quite radically changed your lifestyle for the better, which will have an enormous impact on your well-being and quality of life. Very important: Cheating is allowed from time to time, of course! In Paris I eat three croissants at once followed by an Orangina.
Every one of us has the desire to do the best and healthiest out of their life. However, we are surrounded by things and opportunities that feed our inner temptations every single day. A cigarette for now, a schnitzel with fries for lunch. At the beginning of the week we fill our fridge with beer, and when after a party at 3am we spontaneously feel hungry, we make a little trip to the golden M. In itself, there's nothing wrong with it, as long as it does not become a habit. However, the inner temptation loves the habit and it is difficult to stay away from her. How many times has every one of us tried to give up their vices, but fell flat on their face? Perhaps Ariane's "Every two months" approach, will give us the right attitude to be able to hold on properly for longer. Well, I'll give it a go. I've already put down that glass of wine in front of meÂ…
Yours truly
Adam Worozanski
