Do you honestly believe that your sports car will put its full horsepower on the road if it has sand in the transmission or low-quality gasoline in the tank? That's a rhetorical question, isn't it?

But why do you treat your body as if it doesn't matter what kind of gas it has in it? Or whether it needs an oil change?

In my career as a practitioner, I have seen time and again that the profound influence of our daily diet on all aspects of life is totally underestimated.

A healthy and species-appropriate diet is our foundation on which to build a successful life. Coupled with a healthy lifestyle with sufficient healthy sleep and exercise, you will become the best version of yourself.

A healthy diet is your foundation

Whether employed or self-employed, we live in a world where we have to perform. Sometimes almost too much. Fortunately, more and more people are now saying that we don't have to push ourselves to the limit. That work can also be light and fun.

But to be able to live this lightness, you need to feel good in your body. You need energy and strength, an alert mind, creativity and optimism - and that's exactly what you can have when you feel good in your body. This feeling of being able to pull up trees comes naturally when you give your body what it needs.

In his article 6 Secrets to Productivity, the model entrepreneur and jack-of-all-trades Richard Branson said that the factor that has contributed most to his immense success is sport! It is not courage, discipline, training, strategy, intelligence or anything else, but his focus on feeling good in his body that he holds responsible for his professional success.

And I am convinced that if you exercise every day, you also pay attention to your diet, otherwise this performance would not be possible at all.

Your body is your capital

There is hardly anyone who would not like to put their full horsepower on the road. But this is not possible if your body is not in top form.

Your body is your capital. Top performance is only possible if everything is right. And you have more control over that than you might think possible right now.

When Michael Hyatt, the well-known entrepreneur and virtual mentor, feels like quitting everything, he asks himself the following question:

"Am I taking good care of myself?"

Hyatt writes in his article "The Most Important Part of Your Story":

"If I don't get enough rest, nutrition and exercise, it affects my mindset and I have fewer resources to manage the changes I'm going through."

Why do I prioritize healthy eating over exercise and rest?You may think that as a nutrition coach I have a distorted view of this issue.

However, my experience of over 10 years proves in practice that you have the greatest leverage with nutrition, where you can achieve really noticeable results the fastest. And As soon as you have your diet under control, you will automatically feel more like exercising and will also be able to better sense when you need to rest and relax.

Diet is the first domino that topples all the other dominoes.


A young athlete who is coached by us and whose (realistic) goal is to qualify for the Olympic Games answered my question "What percentage do you think your diet influences your success" with: "80%"!

And if you are now thinking: ok, with an athlete it is clear that he has to pay attention to his diet - the right sports diet to be precise - then I would like to give you an example from the business world:

A client of mine with a senior position at an international consumer goods manufacturer changed his diet according to my instructions and came to the next meeting after only 14 days. He had been rather skeptical at the first meeting, but now he told me enthusiastically that he had not only lost 5 kg, but that his employees were almost unable to keep up with his energy and drive. Several team members had asked him where his creative ideas and enthusiasm had suddenly come from. And that after just 2 weeks!

So if you want to improve your performance, concentration, creativity and good mood as quickly as possible, then my tip is: eat healthily. You'll find out how easy it is in a moment. But before I get to that, here are a few "stumbling blocks".

Tips for healthy eating: What's holding you back?

1. the wrong attitude

I hope I've been able to explain this point a little in the introduction to this article.

Many people don't manage to change their diet because they don't believe what an effect it could have, how easy it is and how quickly the results will show.

A victim attitude is also the wrong attitude (my body just won't do it, it's genetic in my case, etc.). Really? You just give up your power without trying out for yourself what is really possible?

Changing this attitude is one of the reasons why we created our online podcast Darmglück. The podcast helps you find your motivation, your reason for a healthy lifestyle, supports you in simply trying out the effects of healthy food and also shows you how you can easily incorporate this into your busy everyday life.

2. not enough time

This point actually also has to do with attitude and priorities.

To quote Ivan Blatter, personal trainer for new time management:

"You don't have time, you make time."

We show you how the power of routine can help you to eat healthier in our blog article no time for healthy eating at.

3. too little knowledge

There has never been a time when we knew as much about nutrition as we do today. The internet, newspapers and bookshelves are full of information about healthy eating. In my experience, however, this has led to more confusion than enlightenment.

Hardly anyone today knows whether fat is really healthy or not (and if so, which fat), whether Coke Zero helps or hinders weight loss, whether milk is beneficial or not and what is actually behind the gluten-free diet trend and whether vegetarian or vegan diets are healthy.

Where should we start and what should we even believe? So it's better to leave it at the beginning.

4. negative experiences and the fear of sacrifice and suffering

You've tried so many things. For weeks you've only drunk meal replacement shakes, counted calories, tried a Chinese slimming tea, taken dietary supplements or maybe even given the cabbage soup diet or juice fasting a chance. None of it has worked.

You've struggled to lose a few kilos in 4 weeks, but you haven't felt any better, more creative or more productive. And that simply isn't worth the torture.

That brings us back to point 3, knowledge. If you don't do it right, it can't work. And just because advertising claims something doesn't mean that a method will work.

5. your environment

"Everyone" else in the office doesn't eat that healthy either.

Peer pressure, social obligations, friends and family: if you only have people around you who ridicule healthy eating or see it as unnecessary, then it can be difficult to swim against the tide.

The only thing that helps is point 1, your inner attitude and the knowledge that your diet makes a difference, which simply has to be strong enough.

10 tips for healthy eating

If you've avoided all the pitfalls and are willing to take your performance to the next level and take back responsibility for your body, then try this:

1. be radical

Set yourself a goal of 14 days. If you are not convinced that you are on the right track after 14 days, then you can stop again. But you must not make any exceptions during these 14 days. Otherwise you will only sabotage yourself.
Only if you are radical will you have the chance to really feel a real change in such a short time.

2. drink only water

Our body needs water to transport nutrients to their destination and to remove toxins. And by water, I really mean water. Not tea. Not fruit spritzers. And certainly not lemonade or light drinks. In terms of quantity, I recommend 30-35 ml per kilogram of body weight. At least during these 14 days.

I count coffee and tea as stimulants. Limit both during these 14 days to 3 cups a day, and drink it natural, i.e. without milk, sugar, sweetener or similar.

3. eat only real food

Avoid ready-made products completely. No muesli mixes. No microwave lunch menus. No packet soups, sandwiches, potato chips, chocolate bars, hot dogs or ready-made salads. You can do it. It's only 14 days.

Unfortunately, this also excludes most canteens, as they very often cook with ready-made products, e.g. for sauces. During this time, treat yourself to healthy food either in appropriate restaurants or bring your own food with you.

If you give your body real food, it will be properly nourished and can recharge itself with energy.

4. avoid sugar and white flour products (it is best to avoid wheat completely)

Sugar and fast carbohydrates drive up your sugar levels. Whenever you have a lot of sugar in your blood, your body produces insulin. This process promotes constant hunger, fat build-up (body fat and blood lipid levels), inflammatory reactions and the production of stress hormones.

Do you find it incredibly difficult to give up sugar? Sugar is an addictive substance!

If you need so-called "filling side dishes" at all, then eat rice, potatoes or sweet potatoes as a side dish, not as the main part of your meal. Rule of thumb: a handful is enough!

Incidentally, experience shows that wheat is a big problem for many people, as it contains a lot of gluten in its current form and can promote allergies and inflammation.

It is best to leave wheat out of your diet for these 14 days, especially if you have health problems.

5. use good fats and don't skimp on fat

Stick to healthy fats such as coconut oil, olive oil, ghee or butter. Eat naturally fatty foods like salmon, avocado, nuts or raw dairy products.

6. vegetables are your friend

Vegetables contain valuable nutrients, fiber, high-quality water and keep your blood sugar levels low. That's why half of your meal should consist of vegetables. At least at lunchtime and in the evening.

Add a portion of protein and high-quality fat - and you have a balanced meal.

And if you're now thinking: but that's missing the carbohydrates: firstly, vegetables are also carbohydrates and secondly, you can add a handful of starch if necessary, as described in rule 4.

7. fruit is healthy - if you don't eat too much of it!

When it comes to fruit, I often get "weird" looks when I say that eating too much is not good. Of course it doesn't have many calories, but fruit does have a relatively high sugar content. It's even specially bred to taste sweeter!

And some people tolerate fruit far worse than they think.

That's why: Limit yourself to 2-3 portions per day during these 14 days, at mealtimes. One portion corresponds to a handful.

8. eat 3 meals

No more, but also no less! This means: I expressly do not recommend skipping breakfast. And no, no snacks between meals. Not even fruit.

Because whenever I eat, my immune system reacts and an inflammatory process is set in motion, which normally disappears by the next meal. If the break until the next meal is long enough!

Don't worry, we don't starve if we go 4-5 hours without eating. That's just what the advertising suggests. The important thing is that you are sugar and carbohydrate conscious (see points 4 and 7).

9 Eat slowly and chew well

Take at least 15 minutes to eat. Sit down, take a few deep breaths in and out and eat slowly so that you can enjoy your food.

Chewing well is not only important for digestion, but also for satiety.

If you eat slowly, you will also notice when you are full. Then you simply stop eating. You don't need to "stock up" on food.

10. stay realistic and keep at it

Do everything you can to stick to the 14 days without exception. Don't expect miracles, but do expect that you will clearly feel a positive effect. Keep a close eye on what is happening in your body.

Are you suddenly sleeping better or getting up more easily in the morning? Has your heartburn or cravings disappeared? Do you feel more balanced or are you concentrating better?

Don't dismiss it as a coincidence, keep at it and keep observing.

These 10 nutritional rules simply give you a starting point. However, as already mentioned, it is important that you stick to them exactly for 14 days without exception. Then it's time to adjust.

Is one of the rules not right for you? Do you feel better if you skip breakfast after all? Do you perhaps need less water or do you not tolerate fruit at all? You can only test these things properly after you have prepared your body with the 10 nutritional rules.

What can you expect from the tips for healthy eating?

That's pretty much it! That's all you need to do for a nutrition experiment like this at the moment. Of course, this is all very simplified, but it's a good starting point to simply try out what effect your diet has on your well-being and performance.

Nutrition is more powerful than most of us think and the results can come faster and more profoundly than you think.

If you have an illness, are taking medication or have other medical conditions, be sure to talk to a specialist before changing your diet.

It's not working? Then get help!

Sometimes clients almost apologize for coming to me in the first place. That's not necessary!

Why do we get help everywhere, whether it's with sport, business, finances or the household - but when it comes to nutrition, we think we should be able to manage that on our own.

Just because we've been eating every day since almost birth, we think we know all about it. There is almost no other field where there are so many self-proclaimed experts, but when it comes to nutrition, everyone seems to know all about it.

Yes, I also say "healthy eating is easy". But only, if you know how to do it!

Changing your diet on your own requires a high level of self-motivation and a good basic knowledge. Get this basic knowledge, as well as motivation and support, actively.

What do you think? Does that all sound comprehensible? Do you have any questions? Let me know in the comments if you're going to try out the 10 rules or what your experiences are with species-appropriate nutrition!