Holistic Health - Holistic Nutrition
The second of a 4-part series about incorporating holistic health into your daily life.
This month, we look at how to achieve better health through a holistic approach to our diet and nutrition. The diet we choose provides the foundation for our physical well being, and our physical well being provides the foundation for well being on every other level; mental, emotional and Spiritual. With so many different diets around these days, it can be confusing to know which one to follow. Generally speaking, a healthy diet is a balanced diet, which may not be too exciting and it may not make any health media headlines, but unless you are experiencing extreme imbalance in your health, it’s unlikely you need an extreme diet or nutritional regime to follow. So for a simple approach to healthy eating, try the steps below:
3 STEPS TO A HEALTHIER DIET………….
1- Quality not Quantity
Many of us tend to overeat and this is one of the worst things we can do for our digestion and our health in general. For most of us, eating a smaller amount of better quality food will boost our health in two ways: by providing better quality food with a higher nutritional value and by allowing our body to better digest the food and extract the available nutrition within it. Whenever possible, buy organic produce, especially animal products that are also free-range, and try to avoid mass-produced products. They are more expensive, but a smaller cut of organic meat, even just one day a week, will make a start. Also, try to cook more ‘real’ meals at home instead of using frozen foods, microwaves and instant foods. It may take a bit more effort at first, but your body will greatly appreciate it. Slow cookers can be a great addition to the kitchen of those with too little time for home cooked meals. On an energetic level (and now also on a scientific level!), you can increase the quality of your food, and improve your digestion of it, by taking a moment to give thanks, attention and appreciation for the food which you are about eat.
2- Natural, Local and Whole
Our body adapts to the local environment, and the local environment produces the foods that are best suited to living there. Therefore, it is generally better to opt for local produce and leave the exotic varieties from far away places as an occasional treat. Whole foods are those which have undergone the least amount of interference from their natural state. Refined foods, such as white sugar, white bread and white flour, have been stripped of most of their nutritional value and impact negatively on our digestion and health by congesting our digestive system and producing ama (toxic mucous). Many food additives, flavour enhancers and sugar substitutes were never food items to begin with and certainly aren’t natural. As such, they can cause the liver to become overloaded, adversely affecting our physical and emotional well being.
3- An Individualized Diet
An individualized diet is one which provides all the individual nutritional requirements for your unique body and being in the present time. This is very different from following the latest diet packed full of ‘superfoods’ and supplements. There are many factors which will affect what foods we need, including our lifestyle, basic constitution, the environment we live in, the foods our ancestors were eating and any current health issues or ailments we are experiencing. To gain detailed advice about what foods are best suited to you, it’s best to discuss it with a nutritional consultant, but generally speaking, balance is the key and listening to your inner ‘gut feeling’ will also help: if it’s cold and wet outside and you feel like a big bowl hot chicken and veggie soup, then that’s probably what you really need at that time. Likewise, when that inner voice says you shouldn’t be having a double choco latte and a slice of cheesecake for lunch, then maybe that’s not the best option for you, even though you justify it by thinking about your busy day and stressful meeting with your boss!
Healthy eating then can be a really simple thing with an emphasis on balance and a good serving of common sense on top!
For more information about holistic health, you can visit Christina’s website or contact her through Atmanjai.
