‘You Are What You Eat’

We’ve got a weight on our shoulders that we can’t seem to lift: our weight. On July 9, the Alki Art & Wellness Institute will play host to a health seminar appropriately named “You Are What You Eat.” Traver Boehm and Alexandra Carmel will lead a three-hour lecture on the basics of being healthy that include topics like weight loss, pain reduction, and using food to increase overall health.

Boehm is a licensed acupuncturist, herbalist, and CrossFit coach (as well as president of the local Toastmasters club), while Carmel holds a Master’s Degree in traditional Chinese medicine and is also a licensed acupuncturist and a nutrition coach.

Hundreds of sources are readily available for those looking to overhaul the health aspects of their lives. We’re all subject to the billion-dollar weight loss and wellness industry. Who are we supposed to trust with our very wellbeing? In a recent interview with Boehm and Carmel, the two disclosed that the only way we can get back on track is through education. They say that we need to get back to the basics of nutrition rather than allowing ourselves to be fogged over by the latest research and bombarded by trendy weight loss products. The pair also emphasizes that a healthy diet is a simple diet. Asking yourself one question, “Is what I’m eating real food?” is likely to point you in the right direction.

“The very first step is to immediately sit down and make a plan to set yourself up for success,” responded Boem and Carmel when asked what the first step is, after, of course, making the initial decision to become healthy. Preparation is a key word used by the two, because they know that many of us are busy and may not be in the mood after a long day to prepare a slab of salmon over whole wheat couscous with a squeeze of lemon. We’re more inclined to zap up something in the microwave.

“First and foremost, eating should be pleasurable,” agreed the duo. Boehm and Carmel suggest the 80-20 rule. This means that one should eat healthy 80 percent of the time, while indulging the remaining 20 percent of the time. For instance, eating well during the week and having a little cake or pizza over the weekend fits the 80-20 rule. Boehm and Carmel have seen that bad-for-you-food becomes less appealing as healthy food becomes the primary source of nutrients.

“The typical American diet is the largest causative factor, in addition to a lack of exercise, in the fact that 68 percent of American adults are overweight or obese,” said Boehm. Boehm and Carmel close things with a last tasty chuck of advice: simple steps towards being more healthy include “always having healthy snacks on hand such as fruits or nuts; making sure that you eat at least one meal a day that consists of only real food can change everything, and, most importantly, making the decision to take an active role in your own health.”

To attend the “You Are What You Eat” seminar on July 9, contact the Alki Art & Wellness Institute at 963-2086.