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Do your homework!

Old Wisdom seems to go against what I open this blog entry with. That is relying on Old Wisdom rather than new data. But never say never.

Our elders used to make sure that we did our homework, usually as close to the time we returned home from school as possible. The homework we need to do now, is very much in line with the kind of things we need to do, to get healthy. And to eat well.

Doing your homework means checking out the pros and cons of different eating plans. It means not doing something just because it's trendy. It means avoiding fads. In fact, despite all the fad and trendy diets out there, obesity is increasing significantly in America. So all these fads and trends haven't really helped, have they? And a lot of that is because people just don't do their homework.

What does it take to get your homework done? It means reading. It means asking your doctor. It means checking in with a registered dietitian. It means tracking what you eat for a week or two, and that means absolutely everything that goes into your mouth. Going to a bookstore or going online and simply buying a diet book or diet program because it's hot or trendy is NOT doing your homework.

When we went to school, we needed to do our homework to prepare ourselves for the next day. For quizzes. For tests. For the eventual report card. Anyway, not much has changed. We still need to prepare ourselves, but this time it's for the Long Haul. A trendy diet or a fad diet will never, ever, ever prepare you for the Long Haul.

Do your homework. It's better for the long run.
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