Learn more about us, our approach to health, what is wrong with most health fixes, and why we started essential180.
Hello and welcome! If you are reading this blog it is because you have come across the essential180 website and are curious to learn more about us, our philosophy, and how we can help you take control of your health. We are so excited that you are here! We wanted to write this blog to tell you a little bit more about what we do, why we do it, and how we are different.
You may have tried what feels like everything in order to gain control of your health. It can feel so disheartening to have health goals, try a new plan exclaiming results, just to be disappointed all over again. Well this time, it can be different and we are here to tell you why!
Let us start by talking about the Standard American Diet, AKA the SAD diet. What is this you may ask? The SAD diet is the diet that the vast majority of people in the US eat. It consists of large quantities of sugar, refined carbohydrates, additives and chemicals. It consists of foods that say “heart healthy”, “low fat”, “high protein” but, in general, are far from being real food or being healthy.
It is no coincidence that with the increased consumption of processed foods, the rates of disease and obesity in this country have skyrocketed. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, roughly two out of three U.S. adults are now overweight or obese (69 percent) and one out of three are obese (36 percent). In a modern world with the most access to technology and healthcare we have ever had, we are also the sickest we have ever been. In addition, the American Medical Association reports that in 2020, Americans spent $4.1 trillion on health care to treat diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and cancer, many of which are preventable with proper nutrition. Yikes!
In response to this, companies have tried to leverage these facts to their advantage. Fad diets have appeared claiming fast results if you only agree to buy their expensive meal plans. Weight loss bars, supplements and powders have congested the market. Health and weight loss is a billion dollar industry, yet most people who try these diets give them up in a matter of weeks or days and never see the results they want. It is no coincidence that most of these foods and diets weren’t around decades ago, and it is only now that we are getting sicker.
It feels disheartening and pointless to keep trying when everything seems to fail. This isn’t your fault. Packaged food has been designed to be addictive. Companies actually have craveability experts - people whose job it is to make their products more addictive. In the US, there are thousands of chemical substances intentionally added to packaged foods. These chemicals are designed to affect craveability and addiction. Wondering why you can’t stop eating that bag of chips? It isn’t your lack of willpower, it is due to the added chemicals and research that have purposefully been added to our food to keep us constantly wanting more. It is hard to succeed in a system that is designed to make us fail. Others are getting wealthy at the expense of our health.
Businesses have created a culture where we have been led to believe that unhealthy foods are actually healthy and to demonize fats and carbs - foods (that when eaten from the correct source) are not only healthy, but needed to maintain a balanced weight. We are also in a culture where people almost demonize eating healthfully. If someone chooses a salad over a pizza they are seen as restricting themselves.
While we would NEVER say that you are good or bad for eating a certain food, we do wholeheartedly believe that there are good and bad foods. However, it is not because of how a food makes you look, it is about how foods make you feel and how your body reacts to them. There are foods that create energy, focus, and longevity in the body. And there are foods that create sluggishness, brain fog and disease. There is an old adage that you pay attention to your health now or you pay attention to your diseases later. We are here because we want to help you FEEL your best and age gracefully. Most people have no idea how good we were designed to feel.
Additionally, many people blame their health on their genetics. And yes, genetics can certainly play a role. However, we like the metaphor that your genetics are the gun but your lifestyle is the trigger. If you never pull the trigger - the gun is harmless. We actually know this better than anyone. We both have something called Lynch Syndrome. Lynch Syndrome drastically increases our chances of getting several kinds of cancer. Many people ask us if we are scared about this. While it can be a scary thought, we choose to arm our bodies with foods that support healthy immune function and avoid foods that make the body a breeding ground for disease. As a result, we know we are doing everything in our power to lessen our genetic fate.
So, all of this being said, how are we different and why do we think our process will get you the successful and lasting results you want? Our philosophy is actually pretty simple. So simple that it may sound to you like it could never work. But trust us, being healthy doesn’t need to be expensive, complicated or confusing. Our focus is all about eating real, whole foods. Our approach is tailored to your needs and body, but at the end of the day it comes down to removing damaging foods, introducing more healing/whole foods and balancing your meals.
Our approach does not count calories or macros. Counter to popular messaging, a calorie is not just a calorie. The source where you are getting your calories makes a HUGE difference in how they affect the body. 100 calories of blueberries will decrease inflammation, arm your body with antioxidants and will actually aid the body in fat loss. While 100 calories of chips will increase inflammation, negatively affect metabolism and encourage fat storage. With our approach, the number one thing you will focus on is eating whole foods and getting a good balance of proteins, fats and carbs. This means we get to eat a lot of foods that have been wrongly villainized such as organic bacon, potatoes, avocado, and bananas.
This can be a lot of information to hear for the first time and a lot of it can sound counterintuitive to what you have always been told (trust us we were in your shoes at one point too). The good news is that we are here to help you! Whatever your health goals are, we will listen to you, help create a custom approach for you and be there to assist and cheer you on every step of the way. As you start your journey, we challenge you to be open to new ideas, trust the process and listen to your body along the way.
The amazing future you want IS within reach. The process will be so worth it and we cannot wait to get started working with you!