A little headache here, trouble sleeping there, nausea the next day – the Pharma Industry has an answer to all our smaller or bigger problems – and we are quick to trust them and take prescription drugs to feel better. It’s time to ditch the pills and start eating right!!!
I have always been very conscious of my nutrition, not like calorie counting conscious, but I tried to eat as healthy as possible. I was never a big fan of “lose weight” diets, I’d rather go with the flow and feel what my body needs and when my body needs it. With a lot of raw/cooked vegetables, fruits, a balanced vegan protein intake, and a little bit of meat once in a while (I’m not a vegetarian, just not a big fan), I always thought I was doing pretty good. With my first pregnancy, I started to do a lot of research on nutrition because I knew I wasn’t allowed to have any deficiencies to ensure my babies-, and my personal health. I found out that I was very unaware of how important it is to eat right, and by that I mean the right things.
Considering the world’s population health is declining at an alarming speed, it is important to me to address this tricky topic. Health problems from unhealthy food can vary widely. It can just be an occasional headache or a bloated stomach, but the list is long, leading to digestive problems, hormone imbalances, anxiety, depression, chronic disease, cancer, and death.
The good news is, we cannot only avoid those conditions by changing our eating habits, but we can also cure many things by eating right.
So, what does eating right even mean?
+ Add real food to every meal
Fresh is good
Everything fresh, nutrient-,and vitamin-rich, like fruits, vegetables, dairy, meat, and wild-caught fish is a perfect start. When buying fresh ingredients, try to avoid GMOs and an overload of pesticides. Look for organic- and non-GMO labels on the food. I love to stroll through farmer’s markets and buy local fruits and vegetables. You can help your community and contribute to the environment. That’s also a cool thing to do when you’re on vacation – you’ll learn a lot about the food culture, and might get some insider tips. What you should avoid are processed foods. Try to cook as much as possible and use fresh ingredients when you do so.
Use clean salt and spices
When seasoning your food, try to use clean herbs and spices. Conventional salt and seasoning mixes contain a bunch of additives, and excitotoxins like monosodium glutamate (MSG). Excitotoxins come in various names, and here’s a list to help you identify those. By paying attention to the ingredient labels on the products you buy, you can avoid mixing any of those into your food. The best way to avoid health-damaging additives is to use sea salt, fresh herbs, and make your own seasoning 😊
Add good fats and oils to your food intake
Fats are vital to the functioning of our body’s systems. Good fats are essential for our brains function, healthy cells, and the production of hormones. Without fats, certain foods cannot be metabolized, which means our body cannot make use of the vitamins those foods contain. To ensure everything works, it is important to add good fats to your diet.
Good fats include olive oil, sesame oil, fish oil, hemp oil, avocados, and nuts. You should try to avoid trans fats, which are fats that are made from oils through a food processing method called partial hydrogenation, like for example shortening or soft margarine. Saturated fats should be limited in your diet, those are all fats coming mainly from animal sources of food, such as red meat, poultry, and full-fat dairy products. Both, trans fats, and saturated fats are known to raise the cholesterol levels in your blood which might lead to cardiovascular diseases.
+ Food as medicine
The food we eat is foundational to our health, and food as medicine or functional medicine is an upcoming mode of health care that is quite different from conventional medicine. Doing my research I stumbled upon Dr. Will Cole’s book “The inflammation spectrum”, and made me change my perspective on certain foods I used to eat. In his book, he describes that depending on our biochemistry certain foods cause inflammation in our body, which is the root cause of some diseases. Other foods can prevent, or heal those diseases. Every meal is an opportunity to either nourish wellness or erode it. Due to our individual biochemistry, the “food-medicine” for one person can be the “food-poison” for another person. It is a very interesting book, with quizzes to figure out your personal inflammation spectrum and determine what food is right for you to fight inflammation and feed health! Can totally recommend it.
+ The longevity diet
Another book that caught my attention was “The longevity diet” by Valter Longo, which was also featured in the NETFLIX show “The Goop Lab” with Gwyneth Paltrow. Based on his 5 Pillars of longevity he has developed a food plan to activate stem cell activation and regeneration, which will slow down aging, fight disease and optimize weight. The longevity diet consists of eight different food phases, including a fish-based plan, eating low but sufficient protein, minimize bad fats and sugars, being nourished, eating a variety of foods from your ancestry, eating twice a day plus a snack, time-restricted eating, and periodic prolonged fasting.
+ Alkaline your body
Every food we eat has a specific ph-value. When food is being metabolized it is broken down by a chemical reaction. Some foods will have an acidic, and some will have an alkaline ph-value after being broken down. The goal of an alkaline diet is to gradually change your body’s ph-value by eating foods that will decompose into alkaline components. An overall alkaline ph-value is considered to protect you from illness and disease, whereas the acidic counterpart is considered to make you more vulnerable. Some food groups are considered acidic, neutral, and alkaline :
Acidic: meat, poultry, fish, dairy, eggs, grains, alcohol
Neutral: natural fats, starches, and sugars
Alkaline: fruits, nuts, and vegetables
With everything in life, I think moderation is key. I think it’s totally fine to have some fast food, cake, or a glass of wine once in a while, you just have to pay attention that you eat more healthy things than the other way around.