If you ever had a snack or a meal that seemed to taste good but left you wanting for more, The Dorito Effect is for you.

This book has been on my “to read” list ever since I listened to Christopher Kimball interview the author, Mark Schatzker, on the Milk Street Radio podcast. I finally read The Dorito Effect last week and it’s fantastic. I now understand even more deeply what I intuitively knew when I created the Well Chosen Lifestyle System™. Food is a source of both nourishment – something we enjoy, that makes us feel good (think “comfort foods”) as well as the source of our nutrition – the building blocks of our bodies and our lives.

With the rise of industrial food production in the 1940’s, simultaneously the flavor and nutrition in our food declined. To make up for the flavor loss, a large chemical flavor industry, worth multi-billions of dollars, grew with the sole purpose of adding flavor back into our food in order to satisfy consumers’ taste buds. The fact is our genetics and nutritional needs have not changed but our food has. Unfortunately, this has led to a host of chronic health problems for individuals and for our planet.

As nutrients in our food declined we came to a surprising and unhealthy paradox: for the first time in human history, we have a significant portion of people who are overfed, overweight or obese, and undernourished at the same time. Crazy, right?!

And yet there is hope, especially as we are seeing more people demanding that the quality of our food improve. Food manufacturers listen to consumer demand. If you want high quality food that feeds your body and soul, speak up and let the food manufacturers know. As always, consumer #ChoiceIsYourPower and be sure to #ChooseWisely at the grocery store. Buy from local farmers if/when possible. Your food will taste better and will have more nutrients.

I highly recommend The Dorito Effect. It reads like the best stories and is based on solid scientific and historical research. It will leave you yearning for more…more. real. food.

Nourishment & Nutrition Matters

I developed the Nourishment & Nutrition Foundation Principle (one of four foundation principles in the Well Chosen Lifestyle System) to help you explore how you feel about your food choices for fueling your days and nourishing your life. If you want to make large sweeping or a few small incremental changes, let’s examine options for you to choose your best path forward – so you can support your well-being and feel the way you want to feel.

If you’re suffering from burnout, taking a look at how you nourish your body and soul is an important part of reversing it. Schedule a free Discovery Session to learn more!

My Story

When my son was a toddler and I was an exhausted working mom, I suspected that I was malnourished in some way – but I was unable to figure out how this could be. Anyone who looked at my diet would have considered it quite nutritious. I also had a solid understanding of nutrition and a healthy lifestyle. I had been a lifelong athlete, competing at both a D1 university and enjoyed endurance events like triathlons and running. An active lifestyle that included hiking, biking, golf, swimming, weight lifting and general active play was simply part of who I was. Even so, the pregnancy weight gain seemed permanent, I felt exhausted and lethargic, and had little direction for how to feel better. Something was “off” and I couldn’t figure it out.

I went to mulitple doctors, who told me I was “healthy as a horse.” Leaving those appointments, with anti-depressant prescriptions in hand, I was disappointed and lacked any new insights. I knew I wasn’t depressed and the scripts went into the trash. Something wasn’t working for me – but what was it? It became clear that my health concerns were outside of my doctors’ knowledge and scopes of practice. 

After many hours of research, I found a naturopathic doctor who shared her wisdom about whole foods nutrition and more specifically how to be able to make health building choices even with our industrialized food system. This changed my health and my life’s trajectory. I went from walking into a well-known national grocery chain, feeling completely lost when trying to choose what to eat – for me and my family – to taking matters into my own hands and developing a way of cooking and eating that restored my health. I never looked back.

Quick Nourishing & Nutritious Meals

While I enjoy my time in the kitchen, I am always looking for ways to put dinner on the table quickly during the work week – without sacrificing nourishment or nutrition. You can have both – really!! Here are some ideas from an early summer crop share from Monroe Organic Farms where we have been members of their CSA for over 15 years! Finding a CSA farm when we moved to Colorado was a first step in sourcing quality, tasty, local, organic produce (and later meat) for prices that rival conventional produce at the supermarket. There are many great reasons to join a CSA and support your local farmers. More on this in another post!

I’d love to help you discover your own best Well Chosen Lifestyle and be free of burnout for good! Schedule a free Discovery Session to learn more!

Interested learning more about how industrialized food system is making us sick AND perhaps most importantly, what you can do about it? Pick up a copy of The Dorito Effect here: