Last week I introduced you to the idea that nutrition science is more complex than we tend to believe it to be, and therefore, our dietary decisions are often based on oversimplified information. A result of this oversimplified nutrition framework is the regular consumption of industrially processed foods, and in turn, the inability of the human body to effectively manage and process the energy it receives from this food.
This is in contrast to what happens when we consume a diet based on real, whole foods – foods that the human body has been designed to process and utilize, both as a fuel source and as a means to receive the resources necessary to maintain a healthy body. When we consume these real, whole foods, the body is able to effectively manage the load of energy, and in turn, is able to maintain a state of good health.
Last week I took a big picture approach, discussing how the complex nature of real, whole foods is more aligned with the design of the human body, allowing it to maintain proper functioning – which we would consider “good health.”
The actionable goal that arises from this discussion is, quite simply, to eat a diet based on real, whole foods – that is, foods designed by nature that align with the body’s built-in metabolic processes. My hope is that, by focusing on this one specific action, combined with a long term aim of a life of good health, we have a clear path to follow to lead ourselves down a path to good health.
However, there are two problems that we must confront before we are fully capable of achieving this.
This first, which we will address today, is what it actually means to have good health. Yes, having good health sounds great, but if this is our ultimate aim, then we had better be clear on exactly what it is.
The second, which we will address in Week 7, is how we can make specific decisions that align with this concept. Since our ultimate goal is a long term big picture, we need to be clear on how our actions can allow us to achieve this.
What does it mean to have good health?
To get started, I ask this question to you:
What does it mean to be healthy?
Get specific with your answer. Remember, our ultimate goal is good health, so if we are going to aim to achieve it, we have to be clear on what it actually is.
Need some help? Let’s walk through it.
The common definition of good health is, simply, “the absence of illness.” So, an easier question to get started with could be, What is it like to be unhealthy? What is your experience of having an illness?
Got it? Good, now let’s dig even deeper.
First, I want you to get real clear on what it feels like to be ill. Move beyond the actual symptoms of specific sicknesses (e.g. sore throat, cough) and to the underlying feelings of being sick.
Now that you have that answer, flip it:
What does it feel like to be healthy? What is like when you are not dealing with these underlying feelings of being sick?
Given all of this, what does it mean to be healthy?
The Reprogrammed Systems Definition of Health
Health is commonly defined simply as “the absence of illness,” but I understand it to mean more than this. For example, an individual can be completely free of any illness, and yet still suffer from low energy, low motivation, brain fog, and other debilitating symptoms. A second individual may feel fine, and yet be living in a body that is unable to properly regulate internal energy supply, may have a pro-inflammatory profile, and may be suffering from oxidative stress.
Neither of these individuals would necessarily be called “ill,” and yet they both clearly have characteristics of poor health.
So, what exactly is good health, from a biological perspective? I will define good health as the ability of the systems supporting the body to maintain proper functioning – that is, these systems maintain a state of homeostasis over extended periods of time.
I know that this definition may sound strange to you, but stick with me here because this definition will work for everything we talk about in regards to achieving our own health-related goals.
When it comes to making healthy decisions, you have to understand that biological systems are made of many complex, dynamic mechanisms that work together in a state of dynamic equilibrium. This means that the different variables within the system (e.g. the amount of glucose in the bloodstream) will fluctuate over time; however, mechanisms are in place to ensure that the range of that fluctuation will stay within a window.
Extending this knowledge to our definition of health:
If these mechanisms are sufficient to maintain these parameters within the window, then that system is healthy.
If these mechanisms are insufficient to maintain these parameters within the window, then that system is unhealthy.
For example, blood sugar concentration fluctuates based on a number of mechanisms including consumption, storage, release from storage, and utilization of glucose. It is normal for blood sugar to fluctuate slightly, and the body is designed to manage these slight fluctuations. For example, as blood sugar concentration drops, glucose is released from stored glycogen and a hunger signal may be received, sending the body off to go consume some carbohydrate. Both result in the elevation of blood sugar concentration, and thus, a state of homeostasis is achieved. This is normal, healthy functioning.
What happens, though, if the body is incapable of properly responding to the low blood sugar? If blood sugar concentration drops too low, then cells and tissues that are reliant on glucose as an energy source will lose their ability to function. If this lasts too long, these cells and tissues may even die off.
On the other side of things, if blood sugar concentration spikes too high, the sugar becomes acutely toxic to cells, tissues, and proteins in contact with the bloodstream. If the body is incapable of bringing blood sugar back down, then irreversible damage may be done to the vessel walls or biomolecules in the bloodstream.
All in all, sharp blood sugar fluctuations lead to system-wide damage as biomolecules (e.g. proteins and lipids), cells, tissues, and organs are all prone to long-term damage due to high or low concentrations. This means that a state of poor health arises when blood sugar fluctuates outside of its normal, healthy window (for more on this topic, check out this short on blood sugar spiking).
This is just one example of a healthy window of functioning, but we can look at systems across the board and see the same pattern. For example, we can extend the elevation of blood sugar example to include insulin, and once we add in insulin we can talk about the bulk flow of energy into and out of storage.
The same idea remains. Fat stores temporarily fill up when we eat, and then release this stored fat for energy utilization. It is normal and healthy for this fluctuation to occur. If, however, the system becomes dysfunctional, fat is able to build up in excess, at which point it becomes dangerous to other systems in the body (recall Week 1 for more on this topic)
Using this new definition of health
Given this new perspective on health, we have the following definition of good health: The ability of the systems supporting the human body to maintain a state of dynamic equilibrium. More importantly than the technical definition, though, is the bigger picture that this means for our actions.
Understanding that the human body is able to take care of itself – that it has mechanisms in place to maintain healthy windows of operation – we no longer have to aim to directly intervene with these systems.
Instead, we can make wiser decisions that help support the body, overall, so that it is capable of taking care of itself.
More importantly, we can make wise decisions to modern behaviors that we know disrupt these healthy operating windows.
How exactly do we take this action? How do we make decisions that allow us to achieve these goals?
This is the task for next week.