The lack of a nutrient is highly overemphasized. The only documented cases of true malnutrition (scurvy, beriberi, or pellagra) occur when people are starving—when the food is limited so that even though the human is craving the right foods, the food is unavailable. Examples of this occurred when people spent years in non-motorized ships or during war times when trapped soldiers ran out of a variety of foods. Once they were rescued, the symptoms went away. Early civilization did not have these guidelines, and yet each generation for thousands of years has used God’s biological feedback system, which guides all animals and humans to eat what their body is calling for.

We need to re-examine old wives’ tales and new man-made scientific rules. For example, we tell our children that if they do not eat breakfast, their IQ will drop (never mind that they ate two bowls of cereal before bed and they are simply not hungry). The irony is that overeating makes you sleepy, and that is when intellectual response rates really drop.

The best advice is to monitor how you feel—your energy level. Notice that less food, a variety, and small amounts of alcoholic beverages (if any) makes you feel fantastic as long as you lay down the worry.

Read more in Weigh Down Works!