"The whole is greater than the sum of it's parts."
Aristotle
This is last night's dinner. Technically a salad, and literally a fantastic example of synergy. Alone, most of these ingredients would barely raise a yawn - pedestrian pasta and marinara, reliable spinach, uninspired cucumber, boring bell pepper. Admittedly, nutritional yeast and the hummus dressing bring a lot to the party, but even they would be wallflowers if left standing on their own. There is no big revelation in pointing out that this is what recipes do - they mix different things together to create something amazing.
However, when people seek to improve their health - to have more energy, lose weight, better those belligerent biomarkers - they tend to seek out a magic bullet. In many cases, this invariably turns out to be a pill. A singular solution that can deliver a targeted result...but not without consequences. No worries, there's almost definitely another pill that can address those side effects...but also not without its own consequences. And who can guess the sum of all those pills?
This reductionist thinking is also reflected in how we measure success and the goals we set - a number on a scale, a dress size, a clean set of bloodwork, a personal best 5k time, a bench press weight. These goals provide focus and mindfulness, but they can also narrow our approach so that in achieving them we do so at the expense of something that is easy to take for granted -our health.
"Despite our nation’s ability to produce so much healthful food, fewer than one American adult in five is metabolically healthy." Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, Dean of the Freidman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University
The reality is that optimal health is the supremely synergistic outcome of several diet and lifestyle choices. What we eat matters. A lot! But even a whole-istic approach to every meal is not sufficient if other areas of your life are wracked with havoc, unflinchingly immobile, or sadly misinformed. Understanding all the elements that contribute to your health, and making daily investments in each of those component areas is how good health is restored and maintained. When it does all come together, the results can be nothing short of magical, even as the process is broad, varied and full of incremental change.
All change starts in the mind. Change how you think about health, and your singular health related goals, to embrace the synergy of daily diet and lifestyle choices. This paradigm is the foundation of my Daily Practice.
PS. These black bean burgers are beyond tasty in a traditional wholegrain bun, or atop a salad. Make a batch to have on hand for a quick and easy meal.
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