The American diet, as we are well aware, is full of hidden sugars, processed low quality ingredients and vegetables that are losing their nutritional content from depleted soils. While this sounds grim, there is mounting evidence that a healthy lifestyle that includes nutritious whole foods, adequate exercise, low stress and good sleep can prevent chronic diseases and some cancers from occurring.
A fascinating 114 page study by the European WHO (Worldwide Health Organization) showed evidence of the above if you want to geek out!
As a Weight Loss coach, my job is to work with clients who have lost touch with what they need to be healthy. We're so busy that this phenomena is more common than not. Because us mamas are the foundations of our families and are usually the one to manage the preventative wellness of our children (and ourselves and our spouses) I wanted to take the time to stress some good lessons I learned in my own wellness journey and what I have learned from my Nutrition courses in a series of upcoming articles.
Today I'll begin by talking about food and how it plays into our overall health. Did you know our bodies have a nutrient composition similar to that which occurs naturally in our foods? As women we are made of mostly water (60%), 23-26% fat and carbohydrate, protein, vitamins, minerals with some other minor constituents making up the remainder. The body is not able to make all its own nutrients and those it can make are not usually made at a sustainable level, thus food becomes the source our bodies use to obtain those nutrients. Without getting into too much of the biochemistry, all nutrients whether they are energy producing (Carbohydrate, Protein, Fat) or not (Vitamins, Minerals, Water) serve an extremely important purpose and if we don’t replenish our nutrients from high quality sources we risk disease starting at the cellular level.
In layman’s terms, when a dietitian says eat your fruits, vegetables, lean protein and whole grains it is because each of these contain the highest level of nutritional content for your body to function long term at its optimal level. When we compromise our diet on a regular basis (there is always room for treats!) we undermine our health, promote abdominal fat, and increase our chances for chronic illness, thus feeling lousy both outside and in and invariably increasing our healthcare expenditures.
The other less noticeable byproduct is that we become our children’s example of what “healthy” eating looks like. This is not to make anyone feel guilty! We are all busy and trust me, as a Nutritionist, I make plenty of mistakes too, but for the most part if you can try to stick with the general rules of healthy eating (portion control, whole foods, less processed food, lean proteins) you will be doing yourself, your family and your budget a favor!
With all the latest trends and statistics, how does one know what to eat? It really depends on what your goals are. If you're trying to lose weight for health reasons (remember a healthy weight is a BMI of 18.5-24.9. You can calculate your BMI here) you will need to modify your caloric intake by approximately 500 calories a day. It's best to work with someone professionally or utilize one of the many apps (I like LoseIt!) to calculate the number of calories per day to eat. There are many different diet approaches out there and my belief is that as we are all unique in our genetic makeup, lifestyle, and preferences it is best to choose an approach that is sustainable to you.
If weight loss is not an issue, balanced whole food eating is the best choice and should always be a goal once you've reached your desired weight. Weight loss is great for keeping us healthy and avoiding chronic disease but then we need to sustain our health by putting top notch nutrients back into our miraculous bodies so it can do what it does best! The more processed a food becomes, the less your body identifies it as a nutrient. This taxes the kidneys and can cause chronic inflammation as a response to getting these chemicals out of your system quickly to protect your body.
I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to get enough water per day! Did you see the earlier stat that our bodies are made of 60% of water? We are sweating this out, breathing it out, using it to digest foods, for blood flow and so many other things. Ensuring that your body gets water to replace what it is using allows for optimal performance, digestion, and bowel function. In addition, it flushes the system of excess salt and waste products allowing the body to maintain homeostasis, a system of balance. Our bodies really are incredible! So be sure to thank your body and nurture it, you deserve only the best!
In my next article I will be discussing the effect of stress on our body and what we can eat and do to help manage chronic stress levels. If you have any questions about this article, feel free to reach me at katie01johnson@outlook.com
