Eat to live, not live to eat; many tout the fact that you should eat for optimal and continued health, not eat like most people do for quantity and glutinous pleasure. Being a conscious eater means watching what and how much you put in your mouth. If you think before you eat, you may make better choices! Read below for some basic holistic nutrition tips from educational resources to become a whole, healthy eater.
Questions? That’s what we are here for as holistic nutrition counselor’s-education-so don’t be shy and ask away!
1. Shop local, Buy seasonal; For centuries, Ayurvedic practitioners followed a diet of the seasons. Although the number and type of season may vary, the idea remains the same: eat what is harvested in the present season, align yourself with nature, and keep your body healthy. By focusing on seasonal foods, you ensure that you are getting essential vitamins and minerals including important antioxidants that protect the body from disease for that time of year. You can frequent local farmer’s markets, read signs in your local grocery store to see where produce comes from, and stay abreast of what type of produce is in season when shopping. One of the main reasons experts say to eat local, seasonal foods is because that way the produce is not preserved or grown unnaturally in order to extend their shelf life.
The Natural Resources Defense Council has a great tool for you on their website to check what produce is in season for you depending on where you live. Check out: http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/eatseasonal/
2. Read labels, Ask questions; a good rule of thumb is to check out a food label before you buy anything in a box, can, jar-anything with a label on it or containing more than one ingredient. Check to see if there are ingredients you cannot pronounce-avoiding any foods that have ingredients you would not put in something if you were making it yourself, at home. Why? If you cannot pronounce it, chances are you do not know what it is or why it is in the food, so do some investigatory work and then stick with what is healthy, natural, and whole like single-ingredient items: fruits, vegetables, grains, even some meats and cheeses.
3. Meal Composition; in order to keep balance in your diet, you need variety from the basic four foods groups explored by Dr. Haas in Staying Healthy with Nutrition. These groups include: fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes (beans and peas), and proteins/fats and oils-deemphasizing meat and dairy. The goal is to eat fresh, nutrient-dense, clean (non genetically engineered or chemically affected,) varying the diet and rotating the foods you eat with the seasons. From a meal-to-meal standpoint, you should not be eating meals high in just one nutrient because that directly affects your digestion, as noted by Haas. This is especially true with meat and fruit as the protein and sugar levels are high weigh heavily on digestion. Haas discusses finding balance in the diet and meals with five aspects: macro- and micronutrients, food groups, flavors and colors, and acid-alkaline. For his theory, check out his book!
4. Stay active! As Olivia Newton-John once said, “let’s get physical!” The benefits of exercise are countless and beneficial to every single individual no matter what your age, sex, race, or belief system. Exercise is defined as: planned, structures, and repetitive physical activity done to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness.
Exercise includes cardio-respiratory exercise like running, walking, swimming, biking, and many sporting activities like tennis, soccer, and basketball.
Many fitness organizations suggest adults perform cardio-respiratory exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes 4-5 days per week for optimum benefits
Exercise also includes musculoskeletal work via strength training with free weights, machines, and resistance bands. Both methods of exercising are equally important.
-->Fitness professionals suggest adults perform full-body strength training exercises 2-3 times per week in order to build lean muscle mass
The systems of the body involved in physical activity include the cardio-respiratory and musculoskeletal systems.
-->The cardio-respiratory system involves the blood, heart, blood vessels, and lungs
-->The musculoskeletal system involves the bones, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, and muscles
Physical activity affects each of these systems.
-->The cardio-respiratory system benefits from physical activity by strengthening the heart muscle, improving blood flow, lowering systolic blood pressure, increasing cardio-respiratory endurance also referred to as VO2max, improving respiratory efficiency, having a healthier blood lipid profile, and increasing blood volume
The musculoskeletal system benefits from physical activity by increasing muscular strength and endurance, increasing muscle mass, increasing bone density, and improving flexibility.
Other benefits of physical activity include:
Reduced abdominal fat and weight loss
Improved glucose tolerance
Improved mental health, and
Longer lifespan
5. Supplement, naturally, only if needed; when you eat as mentioned above: wholly, seasonally, balanced, clean, and a variety of foods in moderation- you might be A-OK in the health department. However, always get a professional’s perspective on your habits and health when it comes to supplementation. And, if you have to- natural supplementation is suggested. Oftentimes, supplementation can be beneficial for prevention as well, like mentioned in the book The Antioxidant Miracle by Dr. Lester Packer.
Questions? That’s what we are here for as holistic nutrition counselor’s-education-so don’t be shy and ask away!
1. Shop local, Buy seasonal; For centuries, Ayurvedic practitioners followed a diet of the seasons. Although the number and type of season may vary, the idea remains the same: eat what is harvested in the present season, align yourself with nature, and keep your body healthy. By focusing on seasonal foods, you ensure that you are getting essential vitamins and minerals including important antioxidants that protect the body from disease for that time of year. You can frequent local farmer’s markets, read signs in your local grocery store to see where produce comes from, and stay abreast of what type of produce is in season when shopping. One of the main reasons experts say to eat local, seasonal foods is because that way the produce is not preserved or grown unnaturally in order to extend their shelf life.
The Natural Resources Defense Council has a great tool for you on their website to check what produce is in season for you depending on where you live. Check out: http://www.sustainabletable.org/shop/eatseasonal/
2. Read labels, Ask questions; a good rule of thumb is to check out a food label before you buy anything in a box, can, jar-anything with a label on it or containing more than one ingredient. Check to see if there are ingredients you cannot pronounce-avoiding any foods that have ingredients you would not put in something if you were making it yourself, at home. Why? If you cannot pronounce it, chances are you do not know what it is or why it is in the food, so do some investigatory work and then stick with what is healthy, natural, and whole like single-ingredient items: fruits, vegetables, grains, even some meats and cheeses.
3. Meal Composition; in order to keep balance in your diet, you need variety from the basic four foods groups explored by Dr. Haas in Staying Healthy with Nutrition. These groups include: fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes (beans and peas), and proteins/fats and oils-deemphasizing meat and dairy. The goal is to eat fresh, nutrient-dense, clean (non genetically engineered or chemically affected,) varying the diet and rotating the foods you eat with the seasons. From a meal-to-meal standpoint, you should not be eating meals high in just one nutrient because that directly affects your digestion, as noted by Haas. This is especially true with meat and fruit as the protein and sugar levels are high weigh heavily on digestion. Haas discusses finding balance in the diet and meals with five aspects: macro- and micronutrients, food groups, flavors and colors, and acid-alkaline. For his theory, check out his book!
4. Stay active! As Olivia Newton-John once said, “let’s get physical!” The benefits of exercise are countless and beneficial to every single individual no matter what your age, sex, race, or belief system. Exercise is defined as: planned, structures, and repetitive physical activity done to improve or maintain one or more components of physical fitness.
Exercise includes cardio-respiratory exercise like running, walking, swimming, biking, and many sporting activities like tennis, soccer, and basketball.
Many fitness organizations suggest adults perform cardio-respiratory exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes 4-5 days per week for optimum benefits
Exercise also includes musculoskeletal work via strength training with free weights, machines, and resistance bands. Both methods of exercising are equally important.
-->Fitness professionals suggest adults perform full-body strength training exercises 2-3 times per week in order to build lean muscle mass
The systems of the body involved in physical activity include the cardio-respiratory and musculoskeletal systems.
-->The cardio-respiratory system involves the blood, heart, blood vessels, and lungs
-->The musculoskeletal system involves the bones, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, and muscles
Physical activity affects each of these systems.
-->The cardio-respiratory system benefits from physical activity by strengthening the heart muscle, improving blood flow, lowering systolic blood pressure, increasing cardio-respiratory endurance also referred to as VO2max, improving respiratory efficiency, having a healthier blood lipid profile, and increasing blood volume
The musculoskeletal system benefits from physical activity by increasing muscular strength and endurance, increasing muscle mass, increasing bone density, and improving flexibility.
Other benefits of physical activity include:
Reduced abdominal fat and weight loss
Improved glucose tolerance
Improved mental health, and
Longer lifespan
5. Supplement, naturally, only if needed; when you eat as mentioned above: wholly, seasonally, balanced, clean, and a variety of foods in moderation- you might be A-OK in the health department. However, always get a professional’s perspective on your habits and health when it comes to supplementation. And, if you have to- natural supplementation is suggested. Oftentimes, supplementation can be beneficial for prevention as well, like mentioned in the book The Antioxidant Miracle by Dr. Lester Packer.
