The Foundations of Health
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary health is defined as "The condition of being sound in body, mind, and spirit. Freedom from physical disease or pain".
But what health means varies to each of us. The way I define health will differ from the way you define health. In general I think we can agree that health is important and having great health leads to a better quality of life. We feel better, we move easier, we are stronger, and we are not limited to things we may want to do.
As a nutritional therapy practitioner (in training) we learn a lot about the foundations of health. The Nutritional Therapy Association states that there are six foundations of health.
Hydration: water is the most important nutrient we consume. We can not survive without water. Water is precious and our bodies use it in numerous ways.
Nutrition: food from real sources are nutrient dense and fuel our bodies with what they need to thrive.
Digestion & Elimination: what we eat matters but what we can digest and absorb is a game changer to our health. Our body has to be in the correct physiological state in order to receive the nutrients and properly digest them.
Blood Sugar Regulation: maintaining a stable blood sugar will offer our bodies the energy it needs throughout the day.
Fatty Acids: fat is great for your body! We need healthy forms of fat for stable energy, for our brain to function properly, and for our hormone balance.
Mineral Balance: minerals are the building blocks for several key body processes.
Where do you start? Let's start with the basics, make sure you are getting enough clean water, about half your body weight each day. Then move to your food, ensure it is real food. If your great-grandma wouldn't recognize it as food, it likely is some new highly processed 'food' item. Stick to the perimeter of the grocery store, heavy on the produce, fish and meat, that will give you the best bang for your buck. Make sure you are getting good deep sleep, a dark room without your phone is a great place to start. Also, be present when you eat. Put your phone down, take a moment to appreciate your food and chew it well.
Health is not something that, once lost, can be regained in a few days or weeks. You didn't become unhealthy overnight so it will take some commitment and focus, but humans are designed to be healthy. This is just a very general overview of the foundations of health. If you'd like to learn more feel free to contact me. Once I graduate I will be offering group coaching sessions and one-one-one sessions helping people to regain their health naturally, with food first.
