At the most basic level, real food is eating whole foods, or foods in their most natural state. This means eating tons of fruits and vegetables, whole wheat and whole grains, and using only natural sweeteners (like honey, maple syrup, and sugar in its most natural state- no white sugar!) in moderation. But like many things in life the story is not that easy.
Most people know about the story of the “unsinkable ship,” the Titanic, through American history and the Hollywood blockbuster movie. Considered the most luxurious cruise ship of its time, the Titanic was regarded by its crew and passengers as indestructible. A combination of nonchalant assumption and neglect resulted in one of history’s most notorious examples of hubris’a tragedy born of false pride and confidence.
Halfway through the Titanic’s maiden journey, its crew paid little attention to the warnings they received about icebergs in the North Atlantic. That very night, the Titanic collided with an iceberg, igniting a lethal pattern of cracks and fissures that spread across the ship like a pandemic. In less than three hours, the Titanic had sunk. The notion that the ship was unsinkable gave the Titanic’s engineers a false sense of security, which resulted in fewer lifeboats than needed to accommodate all of its passengers.
It’s a sad fact that history repeats itself. The Titanic was not the first nor the last tragedy that occurred due to mankind’s mental blindness. Even the most intelligent people can be misled with regard to their own health.
As with the Titanic, many people consider America’s approach to health and the healthcare system to be one of the best in the world; it’s viewed as the most luxurious and safest cruise ship. Most Americans believe there should be no worries or concerns in the healthcare system, and that’s the kind of consideration that refuses to contemplate danger, buoyed high by false hopes and untried confidence.
The truth is that the American people are sinking. It’s easy to see the stress fractures in the health of the American people fractures tiny enough that most are still oblivious, but that are multiplying at an alarming rate. It’s not that Westerners aren’t intelligent enough to figure it out, it’s that the American public’s judgment on health is only as good as the information they are given.
So, ask yourself: What information do I have? You are your own lifeboat. You are the captain who must learn the protocols to guard your own mental, physical, and spiritual health. Will you heed the alarms? Will you take charge of your own health, well-being, and life? Will you pay attention to the warning signals that your body gives you?
When you take charge of educating, arming, and caring for yourself, you will become one of a growing number of people who are revolutionizing the meaning and attainment of health in the United States because of the individual choices you make daily. The 705 people who survived the Titanic disaster heeded the alarms. The more you familiarize yourself with your capabilities, potential, and power, the more likely it is that you, too, can be rescued.
With that being said, I am a man on a singular mission. That mission is to change the trajectory of the health of the next generation of Americans by working cooperatively for the best interest of the people and public health.
I have realized that people are thirsty for knowledge. Although there’s a lot of information out there including numerous conventional diet books and programs I began to notice that many people were in need of a leader to help them find a simple and practical approach to healthy living. In my growing chiropractic practice, I was helping adjust their spines, removing structural interference and improving the nervous system. Many of my clients were obese, sick, tired, stressed, and depressed not to mention getting poor advice from their doctors and taking too many prescribed drugs. They needed to make a substantial lifestyle change. Nobody was teaching them about nutrition and simple exercise methodologies.
After years of serving the needs of thousands of patients, ranging from the unhealthiest and most obese to some of the world’s greatest athletes, I have developed what I believe is the next health revolution.
My goal in working with patients is to show that real food tastes good and has the nutrients that our bodies were designed to thrive from. Our cells need a certain set of nutrients that are the building blocks of good health. These building blocks include proteins, vegetables, and fruits that have the vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants, and carbohydrates that our bodies are designed to consume.
My simply eat real foods (SERF) philosophy is grounded in the idea that the complexity of the situation has nothing to do with the simplicity of the solution. By helping the public avoid expensive healthcare costs, bankruptcy, disease, unnecessary suffering, and early death, I believe that this health revolution will change the trajectory of the health and life of the American public in the next decade. My aim is to inspire, educate, and empower people to regain control of their health.
Although many of my patients think their conditions are somehow out of reach and out of their control, they simultaneously make bad lifestyle choices. More than 90 percent of their health problems are self-induced from bad lifestyle habits that lead to more costly doctor visits, insurance premiums, and medication costs.
Somehow from their doctors or other educators, they’ve formed a disconnect between poor health and what they put in their mouth. They think conditions such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and heart disease are hereditary. They come to me not bearing responsibility for their problems, but rather seeking the next pill, potion, or lotion to mask their symptoms. They don’t realize that reversing or virtually eliminating this condition is literally within their reach.
However, the current model is flawed. People can be prescribed a drug in 10 minutes with little further dietary or lifestyle prescription habits in hand. A new standard of care would radically improve the needs of patients and improve overall public health. We can get back to what our bodies were designed for and build real health, not just symptom relief using potentially dangerous drugs.
Although this is a cooperative venture, it is essentially up to each individual to invest in themselves and their health. How is this accomplished? It starts with a few basic questions.
1) Is it real or fake food?
2) Is it processed?
3) Did it live and grow from the earth naturally?
The simple truth is that the further anything gets from its normal, natural state, the more potentially dangerous it is for one’s health.
Real nutrient-dense foods are ones that are grass-fed, free-range, organic, non-GMO, antibiotic-free, and with no growth hormones added. These include things we eat every day: meat, vegetables, fruits and berries, nuts, beans, and seeds. Knowing what to avoid is equally important: fake food, junk food, processed food, fast food, colored, dyed, and chemically altered food, and those foods with refined carbs and sugars. These are the foods that are wreaking havoc on our health and future.
It’s encouraging that millions of people are already investing in their health and changing their bodies. Not only will you give your body the necessary nutrients it needs to be healthy and thrive, but you will also begin to feel better, look better, have more energy, and spend less on drugs, insurance premiums, and doctors.
In addition to improving your body physically, I also urge you to think about what else is important to you: Break these areas into spiritual life (faith or purpose); family life (relationships and friendships); physical health life (nutrition, exercise, and fitness); function and performance (nerve system, and stress and time management); financial life (future, focus, and vision); professional life (career and educational development); recreational life (hobbies, fun, and travel); and community outreach (serving, volunteering, mission, and purpose).
Think of the areas you value most like the rows you would care for the most in a garden. We need to tend and cultivate and invest in these areas just like a garden, otherwise it withers away and never truly reaches its full potential. Invest in these areas, which are impacted by your most important investment: your health. Unfortunately, the row that we typically neglect, and in which we invest the least amount of time, money, focus, planning, and attention, is our health. If it deteriorates too much, it will also impact every other aspect of your life. When you lose your health, you lose everything.
Imagine if we could teach a whole younger generation about eating real and whole foods; teach them to eat smart early in their lives. Think of all the bad things they would never have to experience. Step by step, it’s our way of making a difference and changing the world for the better.
About the Author
Emmett Blahnik, DC, BS, is the CEO and founder of Next Level Health, LLC, and operates some of the largest natural health clinics in the nation. He is the author of Simply Eat Real Foods and an official chiropractor for Olympic teams. Dr. Emmett practices with a passion to inspire, motivate, and educate every individual he meets to fulfill their potential in health and life. Learn more at simplyeatrealfoods.com.
