What we put into our bodies can impact our mood, our energy, and our physical health. By becoming more mindful and intentional about what we eat, when we eat, and why we eat, we can create balance and harmony both physically and emotionally.
The nutrients within our food act as information to our cells. When we give our bodies the right information, they will function at their highest level of performance—we feel more energetic, our minds are clearer, we look more vibrant—the list of benefits goes on and on.
When we eat foods with poor-quality information, for example, refined flours and sugars, or dangerous trans fats, our bodies don’t know how to utilize that data, and dysfunction is the result. Blood sugar imbalances, mood swings, weight gain, sleep disturbances, and cardiovascular disease are just some of the many side effects that can happen when our dietary choices are lacking nutrient density and when they contain harmful ingredients.
Nutrition is a cornerstone of Functional Medicine. You can’t out-exercise, out-sleep, or out-meditate a bad diet. Becoming a conscious consumer about the foods you buy, along with taking an interest in preparing your own meals, are the first steps towards dialing in your nutritional status.
When it comes to what you eat, quality is way more important than quantity—all calories are NOT created equal. The sources and nutrient-density of your food play a much larger role in your health than the amount of calories a food contains.
Compare a bag of low-fat crackers to an avocado. The avocado will most certainly have more fat and calories but it’s also providing your body with real information, real nutrients like mono-unsaturated fats for heart health and vitamin K for strong bones and healthy blood cells. The crackers are made out of refined flour, sugar, and preservatives, so while you may not be consuming as many calories, your blood sugar is bouncing around, your cholesterol will increase, and your waistline will too, despite the low-fat label.
The most important thing to remember when it comes to nutrition is eating whole foods in their most natural form. Eat a wide variety of colors—the whole rainbow—everyday, and you can be sure you’re getting plenty of beneficial phytochemicals and antioxidants to support whole-body health.
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