All of us know the drill that bombards us on the web each time a new year is upon us. New Years resolution talk, eating healthy, fostering good habits, etc. are all over the place. I can appreciate some of this and while I’m not a big New Years resolution-type of person, I respect anyone who looks at the calendar and requires that to get into gear to improve themselves. Of course, my respect increases when that person carries these changes throughout the year. Either way, a New Year or not, a healthy lifestyle is essential for transfer and continuity within other areas of one’s life.  Feeling good (based on diet selections) helps in our interpersonal relationships, work place relationships and performance in many of the hobbies each of us enjoys.

I stumbled upon a CNN article titled, Five ‘eating better’ foods to slip into your diet in ‘10. Once again, this is not the first nor the last article that you’ll see during this first week of 2010, but I caution you to properly equip your thinking/actions with more information/education so that you are not putting your (or those of your family & loved ones) health at risk by blindly following the advice of one article. This article lists Five foods, but I would only agree with Three of them on the list for a variety of reasons I’ll go into next.

#1 – Grains

On the surface, this appears very harmless and a good piece of advice, but there are a few assumptions that one must make in order to justify this piece of advice. First of all, I would assume there is no sensitivity to gluten. I am basing this on information within this recent article I saw on The Huffington Post. One does not need to have a diagnosis of Celiac Disease to possess symptoms of gluten sensitivity. Feeling irritable or having lower energy levels may be how this can manifest itself. As the article points out, one may actually benefit by simply going 100% gluten-free for 3-4 weeks, gauge how you feel and go back to your original dietary selections to see how you feel and that may answer this question. I’m certainly a fan of whole grains opposed to highly processed white bread and related uses of that form of flour. I just wanted to point out the gluten-sensitivity issue because that very well may be relevant to your circumstance.

#2 – Soy

I think this ingredient suggestion is bordering on irresponsibility due to numerous studies showing the hormone-like properties that Soy can display within the human body. Obviously, some of us are more sensitive to it than others, but the point is I would not blindly shift to Soy alternatives based on this article. That’s an extremely drastic measure to take for questionable long-term benefits. I would suggest that one starts VERY gradual with this and/or use it as an occasional supplement within one’s diet. Think “butter” spread. The reality is that organic (or the preferred reality of local) butter in all of it’s calorie/saturated fat density is much more likely to not cause you harm than a synthetic corn-derived food-like substance you’d spread on your toast. Check out Earth Balance soy garden as an alternate. This may be a controversial opinion on my part due to many vegans or various vegetarians who live on Soy products on a daily basis, but I’m basing my opinion on hard scientific facts and I realize the facts are not always pleasant or convenient.

#3 – Salmon and Other oily fish

This is a straightforward recommendation that I feel simply needs to abide by avoiding farmed salmon and other oily fish. There is NEVER a justifiable reason to consume farmed fish of this ingredient description. Confined feeding operations (CFOs/CAFOs) don’t just exist on land although there are fish farms with fish in giant tanks, so maybe there is some truth to that last statement.  The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a really great resource section for deciding on choices. Actually, you can even find an iPhone/iPod Touch app for this as well. Some may argue that canned oily fish contains too much sodium, but I believe that portion control can still be exercised and the consumption of copious amounts of water and vegetables can offset this and the benefits of the Omega-3 fatty acids are too great to pass on.

#4 – Red Wine

This suggestion falls under the “Adults Only” label and the assumption here is that a responsible, non-glutenous adult is the one in control here. As the article mentions, 5oz/day for women and 10oz/day for men will yield the numerous benefits that red wine can provide a human being. While I may not necessarily agree with daily consumption of wine, I do think 3-5 glasses per week is a good place to be in terms of this suggestion.

#5 – Green Tea

This suggestion falls under the way of live in many Asian cultures and was slow to make its way to the Western sensibility. Green Tea consumption is alive in well going into 2010 though. As the article points out, the benefit lies in tea that is brewed and not a sugar-laced imitation sold at the local gas station. I would also point out that slow and deliberate consumption of your tea is an important fact. Don’t overthink this or the other items on this list, but slowing down has proven to be beneficial.

In conclusion, this list (carefully considered and adjusted to your own reality) along with several other actions/ingredients can prove to offer you benefit, but my main point was to ensure you perform your own due diligence in the arena of your personal health and lifestyle habits. Humans are complex organisms and while science has not answered each and every question of what ails us or what can provide the best benefit, the idea of consuming a more basic and whole food diet will lead you on the path/mantra to HEALTH IS WEALTH and that is a good way to navigate the unpredictable seas of 2010.