Q AND A WITH KEVIN AT FOOD FIRST WELLNESS!

In this Q and A area, I am going to answer questions that will help you better understand what Food First Wellness is all about.

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Skip below to see Answers to Questions by Kevin at Food First Wellness

1. What is the primary purpose of www.Food-First-Wellness.com?

That we should all be focusing on being proactive with our lifestyles, and that focus should be on valuing the importance of food first. Food First? Yes, if the majority of the people in this country focused on vastly improving the quality of their food intake, the Healthcare system in this country as we know it would have to be shut-down. Why? Not enough patients to care for. You don’t have to be ill, you don’t have to be diseased and you don’t have to succumb to accelerated aging. Optimal wellness CAN and SHOULD be attained by focusing on Food First! 2. What does Food First mean exactly?

When partaking of a wellness program, the first thing that needs to be improved is the quality of food that is being consumed. Remember, we are malnourished in this country even though we are consuming way too many calories, so we could greatly reduce our caloric consumption if the quality of our food was optimal. When putting Food First; think beyond-organic, organic, sustainable, bio-dynamic and even natural. Focus on products that are grass-fed, free-range, pasture-raised and even wild. Because food is your number one priority, you will now be purchasing and consuming foods that have the highest nutrient content possible.

3. Why Wellness, not Healthy or Fit?

Wellness to me, seems to be a much more well-rounded word that doesn’t bring up any connotation that may be implied by the “Health and Fitness” industry. The point of this site is to help you achieve optimal wellness, which in my opinion is greater than just being healthy. We need to be not only free of disease but have a vitality that is greater than our chronological age would indicate.

"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."-World Health Organization

4. What are your thoughts on the fitness craze?

Most people think that you are healthy if you become fit. Well…WRONG! There has been an alarming movement as of late for people to only be interested in “six pack abs”, a “rock hard body”, “ripped”, “shredded”, “super thin”, or even a “body that will stop traffic”. In all honesty, all of these goals may be fine if safely attained, but in our society far too many people are compromising their health to attain extreme fitness levels. What about the great numbers of people who are thin, look great in their clothes, but…smoke a pack a day? People who stay thin and survive on a diet of legal and/or illegal stimulants? What about people who skip meals or even binge and purge? Or just drink their meals instead of consuming real whole foods of the highest quality? We are talking about people that may be thin, but are they really well?

Obsessing about being fit can cause all sorts of medical challenges, and it certainly leads to accelerated aging. I know people who are five years younger than me that look five years older!

Someone who has achieved optimal wellness will look much younger than their age, which is completely contrary to someone who has destroyed their health trying to achieve the highest fitness level possible... unnaturally.

5. Aren't healthy and thin practically the same thing?

No. Here is why? First of all, that line of thinking is just plain deadly, and secondly, that inferred idea is the premise to what is being sold to the public by most fitness professionals in America today. Once you have bought that damaging premise “hook-line-and-sinker”, you will also buy into all the “politically correct” approaches in America to attaining proper health and fitness levels. The two really have nothing to do with each other!

6. So how should I prioritize my wellness program?

You MUST become healthy first. Once you are feeling great and taking care of your body, organs, and glands, with food first, then and only then should you begin on working on your fitness levels. No one really wants to hear this because being well isn’t sexy. Feeling great doesn’t necessarily look great and it isn’t going to turn many heads, but it will keep you out of the doctor’s office and worse yet, the hospital. It is what will keep you off of drugs and stay clear of procedures while making sure you are not part of the problem that is bankrupting our nation’s “supposed” healthcare system.

7. I noticed you have some articles on anthropology and genetics, why?

We have no chance of being well at all if we don’t understand that we can learn a tremendous amount from the healthy cultures that came before us, and apply it. Also, genetically speaking, we must realize that we are unique, and this biochemical individuality will have a lot to say about the foods we should consume and even how we should combine them. Why you ask? Because NURTURE and NATURE have made it so. Years of living in your very own environment make you unique.

8. So, practically speaking, what does that mean to me?

It means that there is no such thing as a “cookie cutter” or “one size fits all” nutritional program. It means that concerning nutrition, you need to figure out what is best for you. There isn’t any secret why high-carbohydrate programs may work for some, balanced programs for others and high-protein for the rest. The problems is, not only do these programs only work for a select few, if you pick the wrong diet, the program itself may actually cause you to become diseased and fat!

9. I also see that you have articles on lifestyle and hormones, I thought food was the primary focus here?

High quality food consumption is the primary focus here, but not the ONLY focus. Obviously what you are doing 24/7/365 is of great importance. Chronic bad habits will destroy any benefit that you would normally receive from a proper nutritional program. This lifestyle, including food intake, greatly determines your hormonal responses and levels. Optimal hormone levels will lead to optimal wellness, but this is impossible without an improved lifestyle and having a basic understanding of our hormones.

10. Where are the best places to look for these high quality foods?

The options are numerous: Farmer’s Markets, CSA’s, Co-operative’s, Food Cooperatives and even Organic Restaurants. Though I recommend supporting the small local farmers, if in a pinch, many larger chains now at least have some better choices. But, if in doubt, it is always better to know your farmer... ALWAYS.

Check out Local Food on the Food First Wellness Navigation Bar for some excellent website choices; including grass-fed and raw dairy sites.