Health-Washed and Hoodwinked: 7 Shifts to Set You Free from Fake “Clean Eating”
- Rice Louis
- Jul 1
- 5 min read
Make the Shift: Break Free from Fake “Clean Eating” and Reclaim Real Nourishment
By Rice Louis, NTP | Quantum Salus Wellness LLC
Originally written in 2014, when I was just beginning to question everything I’d been taught about food. Now, as a certified Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, I’ve updated this post with deeper truths, hard-earned wisdom, and the practical tools I now use to help my clients heal in real, lasting ways. Because you can’t fake true nourishment. fake, clean eating, shift
Let’s get one thing straight: Health consciousness is not about obsessively managing your fat-to-muscle ratio. It’s about paying attention—to your body, your food, and your energy—on a deeper level than what the scale or mirror tells you.
Yes, we all have our version of what “fit” looks like, but here’s the question I want to ask you today:
Do you know what makes your body work—not just look better?
For me and the community I serve, health consciousness means becoming literate in the language of the body. It means noticing what your skin, joints, digestion, and energy are trying to tell you… and choosing foods that nourish from the cellular level up.
You can’t fake true nourishment.
If you’re still clinging to mainstream nutrition advice that praises whole wheat toast and fruit juice while overlooking inflammatory ingredients, it’s time for a serious upgrade. Check out my top Six Ways to Cultivate True Health Consciousness.
1. Renew Your Mind
Start by dismantling the lies you’ve been fed—like “fat makes you fat” or “healthy means fat-free.” You don’t need a thinner body. You need a wiser one. When I started eliminating grains, I didn’t expect my cauliflower rice to be rice. It wasn’t about pretending. It was about learning to love new flavors, new traditions, and new creative rhythms in the kitchen. I wasn’t just eating differently—I was thinking differently.
2. Know Your Food—Read the Label (Front and Back)
Marketing terms like “natural,” “low-fat,” or “whole grain” are often nothing more than nutritional catfishing. If your yogurt’s “blueberries” are actually corn syrup and artificial color? That’s not food—it’s a chemistry project. Look for ingredients that include real whole foods. Even better if you are able to fill your cart with items that don’t even have an ingredient list—fresh herbs, pastured meats, and vibrant produce don’t need introductions.
3. Start in the Right Aisles
Trying to eat healthier but don’t know where to start? Start with where you shop.
Load your cart (and plate) starting with:
Produce (top priority)
Quality fish and meats
Real fats
For the most part, minimize the cereal aisle and most prepackaged /synthetically processed food-like food. You don’t need “fortified” when you have real food.
4. Get Cooking—But With Guidance
Buying nutrient-dense food is one thing. Knowing how to use it is another.
Invest in a few solid cookbooks rooted in whole-food traditions. Some of my personal favorites:
The Nourished Kitchen by Jennifer McGruther
Against All Grain by Danielle Walker
Let your learning curve lead to creativity. The more you cook real food, the more confident you become.
5. Save Where You Can—Grow What You Can
Think eating healthy has to break the bank? Think again. Buying an herb plant instead of the clipped version will stretch your dollars and your meals. I once paid $2.99 for a basil plant that lasted a month and flavored nearly every dish. If you’ve got space, start a simple garden. Herbs, greens, and even tomatoes are beginner-friendly and deeply rewarding.
6. Start Your Day with Living Water: Why Lemon or ACV Water Actually Matters
Before coffee. Before breakfast. Before the scroll…
There’s something sacred about starting your day with intention—and warm lemon water or raw apple cider vinegar (ACV, with “the mother”) is one of the most powerful ways to do it.
But this isn’t just a trendy wellness habit. There’s real physiology and ancestral wisdom behind it.
It stimulates digestion—naturally.
Lemon juice and ACV promote stomach acid and digestive enzymes, which help you break down food more efficiently and absorb nutrients. This is essential for those dealing with bloating, constipation, or low appetite in the morning.
It supports liver detox and bile flow.
ACV and lemon juice both gently activate the liver and gallbladder. That bile flow is critical for fat digestion and helps your body move out waste, estrogen metabolites, and toxins processed overnight.
It balances blood sugar and reduces cravings.
ACV in particular has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce blood sugar spikes when taken before meals. Lemon water can also help reduce sugar cravings by supporting hydration and mineral status.
It alkalizes the body post-digestion.
Though acidic to taste, both lemon and ACV have a net alkalizing effect once metabolized. This contributes to better inflammation regulation and internal pH balance.
It hydrates you—with intention.
After 7–9 hours of cellular repair, your body is naturally dehydrated. Warm lemon or ACV water not only replenishes fluids but adds enzymes, minerals, and digestive support at the same time.
7. Bio-Individuality: The Exact Same Food Can Heal One Person and Harm Another
I once worked with two clients who both wanted to “eat clean,” so they each started their mornings with green smoothies. One of them felt amazing—energized, clear-headed, and satisfied until lunch. The other? She ended up freezing cold, bloated, and crashing by 10 a.m. Same smoothie. Same ingredients. Completely different results. Why?
Because the second client had a sluggish thyroid, low stomach acid, and poor blood sugar regulation. Flooding her system with raw kale, fruit, and ice water first thing in the morning made her more depleted—not more nourished.
That’s bio-individuality. Your digestive strength, metabolic tendencies, stress load, genetic heritage, digestion, and hormone balance and SO much more all determine how your body interacts with a food or health habits. What supports one body may overwhelm another.
Try This:
Notice how you feel after meals—not just emotionally, but physically.
Pay attention to the foods you tolerate in one season or life phase but not another.
Trust your symptoms—they’re signals, not failures.
Bio-individuality is the foundation of how I help clients all over the world reclaim their health. It reminds us that true health isn’t about rigid rules—it’s about learning your body well enough to respond with wisdom.
You don’t need another trend. You need truth.
Because much of what’s marketed as “clean eating” is just a repackaged version of restriction, confusion, and food fear—wrapped in wellness language. Real nourishment requires a shift—in mindset, in habits, and in how you define “healthy.”
It's time to break free from the fake and start honoring the way your body was designed to thrive.
Let’s uncover what your body truly needs and build a wellness protocol that actually works for you.
Rice Louis, NTP
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.” – 3 John 1:2 AMP
References
Martinsen TC, et al. “The Role of Pepsin and Other Proteolytic Enzymes in the Development of Gastric Ulcers.” Scandinavian Journal of Gastroenterology. 2005.
Cichoz-Lach H, Michalak A. “Oxidative stress as a crucial factor in liver diseases.” World Journal of Gastroenterology. 2014;20(25):8082–8091.
Johnston CS, et al. “Vinegar ingestion at bedtime moderates waking glucose concentrations in adults with well-controlled type 2 diabetes.” Diabetes Care. 2007;30(11):2814–2815.
Popkin BM, et al. “Water, hydration and health.” Nutrition Reviews. 2010;68(8):439–458.
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