Paths to a healthy life - Pillar number four: Adequate Nutrition

October 4, 2024

This workshop is a collaboration between Gisele Ortomolecular (specialist) and teacher Guil (moderator). Gisele's objective is to empower people to take control of their health while also covering the fundamentals of a healthy life.

We have 4 Pillars of health and they are:

Let’s start with hydration.
Make sure you are drinking enough water every single day! The human body is made up of 50-60% water, and it’s essential for several different things like distributing nutrients throughout our body, healthy bowel movements, right, support our digestive function, eliminating toxins, nurture our skin, eyes, and brain... The water needs to be filtered. Don’t drink it if not. Keep a bottle or a glass of water near you. I think it is really helpful because if you see it, then you’re much more likely to drink it. And first thing in the morning is to drink a large glass of water. It makes a big difference in energy levels.

What diets are best? What foods are best? Everybody has these questions. I say to not overcomplicate it! What I mean is eating real, whole, unprocessed foods as much as possible. And cook as much as you can, when you do that, you know exactly what’s going into your body. Also, something that you want to do here is to get inspired as much as you can, use cookbooks, and blogs, and have fun with the foods you’re cooking and when you’re at the grocery store. Eat at least 2-3 coloured vegetable and fruits every day: this is a minimum. Vegetables and fruits of different colours mean they have different phytochemicals, which means they have different health properties. Some phytochemicals can help with cancer prevention, some can help with liver function, and some can help with hormone metabolism, digestion, mood, and emotions, so it’s a good decision to get a variety.

Start to develop new healthy eating habits by adding lots of animal protein to your plate and start by learning two to three new recipes and learning them well, memorizing them. Carve time for you to cook, turn on some music, invite your family or your partner, and enjoy the process. For us to make healthy recipes and make good food choices regularly, we need to be stocked up in our fridge

When you head to the grocery store, focus on filling up your cart with more whole foods like we talked about and less processed packaged convenience foods. Make a list of healthy food and take it to the market with you.

Transitioning to eating healthier is not about a short-term fad diet or strict calorie counting but about a log-term lifestyle focused on nourishing and supporting your body.

What matters is what foods are made of and what they are doing inside our bodies. So familiarize yourself with package labels. What you want to look at is the ingredients label, so, turn the package over and have a look at the list of ingredients if you see high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, artificial colors, emulsifiers... it’s better to avoid them. Choose healthier alternatives like coconut oil, or butter and olive oil instead of margarine and industrialized vegetable oils. Avoid refined sugar and add fruits to your daily meals.

Prefer animal proteins because they have all the essential amino acids necessary for our body to properly work, to make good muscles and bones, good skin, and good mood. Some people have depression because of the lack of nutrients in their bodies. Listen to your body!

What this really means is just noticing how your body feels, including how your digestion responds after certain foods or after a certain meal. Listening to your body also means noticing how your skin is doing and how it’s looking and reacting to some foods. And your mood and your pains... Pay attention to you.

Conclusion:
Drop expectations and just do the best that you can and recognize that it is a journey. When we are changing or improving our eating habits or our lifestyle, it takes time.

I hope that you took something from it! I did my best to cover everything that I think is important when it comes to our own health, and MAKE SURE YOU ARE THE MASTER OF YOUR HEALTH - DON'T DELEGATE IT TO ANYONE ELSE.