As a Functional Nutritional Therapist, I see clients on an individual basis; often, I am a last resort attempt to change their situation to finally understand why they have been feeling so horrible, avoid surgery, or lose stubborn weight. Whatever the reason that brought them to me, they are looking for information and a catalyst for change! It’s amazing that even with all the apps and gadgets to help us to live a healthy lifestyle, one of the first things I hear is a desperate plea “I just don’t know where to start”, you see in a world of catchy slogans, challenges, Tik-Tok videos, and Pinterest there are a lot of Simple Basics our bodies require to Thrive that frankly all those catchy techy things often ignore or remove from our lives. Or for some, all the challenges, videos, and apps can bring more confusion or no solution at all.
And if your current state of health has you seeking medical advice many times, you could leave your brief doctor appt with more prescriptions and questions than answers. Let’s face our modern living isn’t resulting in optimal health as a whole, and most have accepted FEELING FINE for OPTIMAL. We were not built for FINE; FINE is a four-letter word when it comes to your health. Our brilliant, designed body has was built to regenerate and renew. Interesting topics to research are Liver regrowth, and Neuroplasticity, cell turnover.
In fact, the average human loses 300 million cells every minute! Depending on the tissue, our cells will be ‘dying’ and regenerating at different rates. In exposed tissues like the skin and gut, this cellular turnover is happening very quickly. Our red blood cells have a longer lifespan of three months. And our fat cells, as it turns out, have their own interesting life-cycle too.
From: https://www.foodmatters.com/article/weird-ways-your-body-can-heal-itself
We can honestly can contribute the following stats to our lifestyle and eating habits.
I believe in gathering data through labs and assessment to make a targeted and successful approach to a client’s health goals, but there are some things that universally we can all focus on to start on the road to healing.
So here are my top 5:
- Chew your food 20 times: Your grandmother was right when she said to chew your food. The digestive system is a North to South process, starting actually in the brain (that is why you start to salivate over food just by thinking or smelling it) but in the mouth is a huge part of the process. The mouth has an enzyme called amylase that starts to break down carbs. That may not sound like a big deal, but if the first step in the process goes wrong, it stresses the whole system out. Like an assembly line, the chewing is supposed to start the food breakdown and turn it into what we call Bolus. This helps the stomach break it down further so that it is in an absorbable state when it reaches the small intestine. I tell clients you can have the healthiest diet, but it won’t matter if you aren’t absorbing any of it, so next time you gobble your food down, remember to slow it down.
- This should replace #1 but Practice Deep Breathing; it honestly is the cheapest (free) best supplement in the world. I recommend taking 5 deep breaths before eating. Why? Because you literally cannot digest food if you are in a Sympathetic Nervous State, we often hear the words “fight and flight” coined for this state but don’t really realize how it impacts us. One way is it is when we are in the “flight and flight” mode, like eating on the go. Our nervous system literally pulls blood away from your digestive system, hindering the digestive process. Hello G.I. problems! Again, slow it down and be mindful of what state you are in when you’re eating.
- BE MORE CAUTIOUS of WHAT TYPE of FAT you are eating, even more so than sugar! Now that’s not saying don’t eliminate sugar where you can; I certainly think you should do that. But not many people give too much thought to what type of fats they eat and if their food is cooked in stable fats. This needs to be on your radar above sugar because of how you process fats and how you process sugars. Our body takes sugar and converts it into energy or stores it (simple terms), and too much can have horrific effects on our body, but if you eat it, you can essentially burn it as energy. Fat gets converted into your DNA, and your brain is made of 60%, your hormones are made from fat, your cell structure is made from lipids. Eating rancid, genetically modified, or broken fatty acid structures basically means a broken you. Here is a great article that spills the TEA on FATS. List of Good Fats and Oils versus Bad – Dr. Cate
- Get yourself and your kids outdoors! Even if you need to bribe them, it’s ok we won’t judge. It’s called parenting in 2020! Haha! This recommendation has multiple benefits, but I will start with the main one! 1.VITAMIN D- 42% Adults are deficient in vitamin D; over 80% of Covid 19 patient were deficient, and it is linked to many chronic diseases Prevalence and correlates of vitamin D deficiency in US adults – PubMed (nih.gov) if you can’t get out for at least 15 mins per day or live in the Northern Hemi please supplement with 5,000 -10,000 Units 2. Combats Depression- helps us focus on something larger than the problem, can restore hope, etc. 3. Exercise is easier outside, and when done together, will create emotional bonds.4 Strengthens Immunity 5. Enhances Creativity.
- Ughh… What is my final recommendation! Water, Water is life! Everyone knows they should; some do, some don’t. Also, consider your source; drink half your body weight in ounces in FILTERED WATER per day! If this is difficult, add some natural flavors like lemon, cucumber, berries. I drink at least 32 ounces of sparkling mineral water daily to boost my minerals; I like Pellegrino and The Mountain valley to help get in my daily water.
Like many in my field, my passion is to be a service to help you achieve your OPTIMAL HEALTH and life. Please subscribe to my weekly life hack blog, which will consist of various topics, recipes, favorite items, and whatever else to benefit others.
I honestly love you all! May you find blessings in today!
LeeAnn
