The concept of a capsule wardrobe was recently introduced to me. One of my clients explained what it was during a personal training session. I must admit that fashion isn’t really where I thrive. If you said that I’m no Giorgio Armani it would be giving me too much credit. I’m not even a Levi Strauss. Wind pants and a North Face are to me what a mock turtle neck and jeans (no belt) were to Steve Jobs.
I’ll let Wikipedia define a capsule wardrobe for those who are unfamiliar: Capsule wardrobe is a term coined by Susie Faux, the owner of a London boutique called “Wardrobe” in the 1970s. According to Faux, a capsule wardrobe is a collection of a few essential items of clothing that don’t go out of fashion, such as skirts, trousers, and coats, which can then be augmented with seasonal pieces.
Capsule wardrobes are built off foundational pieces. Our diets aren’t any different. Take pasta for example. Pasta can be a part of various dishes. Spaghetti, macaroni & cheese, lasagne, ravioli, and chicken noodle soup all are different ways to incorporate pasta. We all have foundational foods that make up much of our diet.
For years I have referenced two websites for eating inspiration. The first is whfoods.org. This is the website for The George Mateljan Foundation. The second website is eattobeat.org which is a website dedicated to fighting cancer through angiogenesis. I reference these websites because both have awesome lists of healthy foods. Unknowingly, I’ve attempted to have a “capsule diet” for years based on foods from these lists. That’s why when I heard about a capsule wardrobe I instantly made the connection to food!
Capsule Diet
Move on over Susie Faux, I’m coining the term Capsule Diet right now. So what does a capsule diet look like? A capsule diet starts with foundational pieces just like a capsule wardrobe. Let’s use oatmeal as an example. Eating oatmeal has been linked to lowering cholesterol and controlling blood sugar so it’s a great food to start with. Now comes the fun part: dressing it up! I feel like oatmeal goes great with seeds. In my daily bowl I typically add chia, flax and hemp. Along with the seeds, I’ll add some peanut butter for additional protein and sweeten it up with maple syrup and a few chocolate chips. But as delicious as this combination is, I can’t eat it everyday for the whole year. Variety is the spice of life, after all.
How can I still make sure I’m getting all the health benefits of oatmeal without getting tired of the same old combination? Capsule Diet anyone? Okay I’ll stop. Seriously though how about adding some bananas, walnuts and a splash of vanilla to give it a banana bread flavor. Another great combination is diced apples, cinnamon and maple syrup for an apple pie feel. Pumpkin spice in the fall…you get the idea. The combinations are practically endless. The main focus is getting the nutrition from the oatmeal while achieving enough variety to keep things interesting.
Practically any food can be a foundational piece in the Capsule Diet. Brown rice, quinoa and legumes are some obvious choices for foundational pieces. If you get creative you can even use foods like tofu, broccoli and potatoes. It doesn’t matter what foods you choose for your foundational pieces as long as they’re healthy. What you don’t want to do is build your diet on a poor foundation.
Poor foundation
The Western Diet has a few foods that are extremely prevalent, yet don’t offer much in the way of health benefits. White flour products are everywhere in the West. This includes bread, pizza crust, most types of pasta, sub buns, etc. The average person probably doesn’t even realize just how many of their calories come from white flour. These foods are undesirable in large quantities because they are mostly stripped of their nutrition and are therefore only providing calories.
Another food that is very prevalent in the Western diet is meat. Compared to the rest of the world, Westerners consume significantly more meat on average. Meat is often the main focus of a dish as opposed to being a compliment as it is elsewhere. High meat consumption is linked to a variety of conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure and even certain cancers.
How do you capsule?
Now that I’ve explained what the capsule diet is, it’s your turn to go forth and be creative! Think of a few of your favorite healthy foods to build your diet around. Don’t always have the same bowl of oatmeal, the same smoothie or the same stir fry because that’s just not very fun. Accessorize with different foods and spices. The variety and creativity will encourage you to eat healthy more often and most importantly have fun doing it!
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