You may have heard about a number of dietary theories that are supposed to set you on your path towards losing weight, healing your body or treat a mental health condition. Take your pick, theories about veganism, a Paleo/Primal/Ancestral diet or the Epi-Paleo Rx, the Carnivore diet, the Bullet Proof diet, Macrobiotics, or how a Ketogenic diet is supposed to be your “fix” and “cure all.” While all these approaches have kernels of truth, they all neglect an essential piece of the puzzle. They are written for the masses and ignore the most essential and important part of any approach to weight loss or healing; YOU and your unique bio-individuality.
You are the CEO of your body, mind, and spirit and must take into consideration your unique needs, wants and aspirations. While there are a few key components to each of the many approaches that may work for you, by focusing on the fundamentals you will likely achieve your desired outcome (i..e, whether it’s losing weight or improving some aspect of your health.).
The Pareto Principe (i.e., 80/20 rule) is simply the observation that 20 percent of your inputs yield 80 percent your outputs. Originally named after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto who observed that 80 percent Italy’s of wealth came from 20 percent of Italy’s population. Applied to other areas in your life, you may notice how you only wear about 20 percent of the clothes in your closet 80 percent of the time. Similarly, you probably make 80 percent of your phone calls to 20 percent of the people on your contact list. You likely spend 80 percent of your money on 20 percent of the all the things that you buy (e.g., perhaps rent, mortgage payments or food). And you are getting 80 percent of what you want from your partner, and the endless search for that other 20 percent is what’s causing your pain.
Because we live in a very toxic world (i.e., more than 120 million environmental and industrial chemicals are registered by our government that end up in our food, drinking products, receipts, & hygiene products)1 , you face thousands of synthetic chemicals (e.g., BPA,BPS), glyphosate, GMOs, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals (e.g., mercury, lead, aluminum, arsenic), blue, purple and green lights as well as nnEMFs that all contribute to reductions in melatonin, obesity and several diseases (i.e., cancer, depression, anxiety,autoimmunity, diabetes) it can be overwhelming to also think about which dietary theory may work best for you.
So instead focus on what is essential to maintain your health, lose weight and thrive. Follow the 80/20 rule and choose mostly organic foods and pasture raised/grass-fed meats(i.e., if you are on a budget use the EWGs list of clean fifteen and dirty dozen when doing groceries), use green hygiene products to avoid and/or minimize your exposure to toxins, drink clean water (I personally use Clearly Filtered as it eliminates 99.5 percent of all contaminants including fluoride) and invest in a quality air filtration device. Depriving yourself of the occasional “sweet treat” and always thinking about what you cannot eat or drink because you follow the “diet dejour” only adds to your levels of stress and emotional toxins (e.g., fear, guilt) and will lead to a “rebound effect.”
To your success and health,
Dr. Sandoval
