I am always baffled by peoples reaction to my strictness in regards to nutrition for myself and my family. When I insist on certain guidelines for shopping, or that we dine out at an organic, grass-fed, wild fish, farm to table restaurant and say no to desert, I get all sorts of eye-rolling judgments. When I say “no, Ace can not have the bread” they act as if I am somehow depriving my child’s joy. Yet I see no disappointment in his eyes. I see a happy and healthy child who has never been to the doctor, and is developmentally ahead of all milestones. He has not yet learnt that high calorie food and overeating habits are the main joy of the masses, and it is a lesson that need not be taught.

Food is to fuel our bodies and minds to allow us to experience everything else, and to nourish us, keep us healthy. If desert, cookies and alcohol are the highlight of your day, then you need to take a DEEP look at your life. As surfers, getting the most out of our next surf and recovering quickly for the following is more important than anything else so our needs to reflect that. I pity those who choose to remain ignorant & uneducated in regards to nutrition. But if you do care then read on.

Realize this:

Firstly, if you choose to eat non-organic fruits & vegetables, then you are choosing to eat pesticides and genetically modified foods, (GMO’s). GMO’s are foods that have either been genetically modified to be resistant to HEAVY chemical spays – which in turn, the plant and soil soak up and you end up consuming. Or have the pesticides built in – hence killing the bugs when they eat the plant. The result is sick and toxic plants. No thanks.

White food: Bread, pasta, sugar, milk, rice, cereals, protein powders, energy bars, processed foods etc, are ‘calories’ with NO nutrition they are killing you and are highly addictive.

Cows should eat grass, not genetically modified corn. What happens when cows eat toxin laden corn? They get sick and fat, (obese actually). And to keep them alive, anti-biotics are added to the already toxic feed. The fields that used to be green with grass are now corn crops and the cows are packed indoors or into crowded lots. More cows per acre = more $ for the farmer. You end up with a toxic fatty steak that tastes good and is very affordable, but you are eating a sick cow that spent its life in appalling conditions, forced to eat toxic corn. And you are supporting animal cruelty with your hard earned dollar. (see photo)

And guess what farm raised fish eat? GMO corn, they even inject pink dye into farm raised salmon!

Do you actually think that agricultural technology has improved on God or Mother Nature? A sick, obese and depressed America would prove otherwise.

Next time someone insists on 100% grass-fed beef, organic produce, and wild fish, look up to them, learn from them and raise your own standards.

The father of medicine, Hippocrates said: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”

For more: Click 10 Nutrition Principles