This week, our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah, strips it all back when it comes to our diet and asks: ‘Why don’t we just keep it simple? In exploring this question Stacey has been inspired to start a 31 day eating clean challenge today. Follow her journey and, even better, join her on this challenge.

Hello and welcome to another week at the Lake Foundation. This week I decided to look at the idea of simplicity when it comes to diet. Now, this topic must be quite foreign to most of us as everyday life has disguised simplicity as idealism; and so we think we’re incapable of eating the way our ancestors used to. I have to admit, I do find it incredibly idealistic to live in such a way purely because I’ve never done it and I’m sure that if I did do it I would fail miserably.

Complex diet and lifestyle changes have plagued the majority of modern society’s habits but once you break down that formula for losing weight, drinking more water, or whatever that goal may be you find that it isn’t as complicated as it needs to be (or so I’ve heard). For some reason when I decide to go on a diet, or a lifestyle change, as I like to call it, I feel as though it’s​ necessary to buy certain trendy superfoods or go for products with enticing packaging. Just a quick side note though while we’re here: I know I’m not the only one in on this so please continue.

All I’m really left with in the end is an Instagram-worthy shopping cart and what can one do with that? When it comes to cooking, however, I keep it incredibly simple and that, of course, means that I end up wasting the majority of my basket – which is incredibly frustrating. This frustration, of course, drives me to my nearest chippy. And let’s be honest, chips are anything but complicated!

While looking into the idea of keeping it simple I came across an article on Dale Pinnock, who interestingly, is known as the UK’s ‘Medicinal Chef’. This lovely gentleman specializes in the medicinal properties of food and in his latest book, ‘The Medicinal Chef: The Power of Three’, he explores the secrets that can lead to a longer, healthier life. Pinnock stresses the importance of simplicity and the absurdity of buying into trends, ‘I’ve been eating kale for years, and it’s great, but when people take one thing and turn it into the ultimate panacea, that’s when you need to put the bulls*** detectors on’. So this has inspired me…

For the next 31 days, I will be eating a clean diet – free from processed foods, artificial colours​ and all of that other stuff. The exciting bit is I would like to take you along this journey towards ‘the simple life’ via social media. I’ve created the Instagram account – @staceydmensah – where you’ll be able to find daily updates of my journey. My hope for this social experiment is that we may be able to have an open dialogue about healthy eating and good food.

I hope to be speaking to some of you very soon….

Till next week….