Treatment-Whole-Food-Nutrition
Whole Food Nutrition
Whole Food Nutrition and Whole Food based supplementation
When you start eating a whole foods, your body starts to feel and work better. You may notice just within a few days improved energy, better sleep, and less aches and pains. You'll notice your moods are more stable, and less ups and downs. Digestion will improve and the mind will become clear. You may even start to feel more empowered in your daily life… and ready to make those needed changes that you have been holding back on, and just because you made improved food choices. Eating a whole food diet, 85% plant based will change your life!Whole foods are generally characterized as foods that have not been processed, refined, or had ingredients added to them. Whole foods include fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, meat, fish and eggs. These kinds of food contain proper vitamins and nutrients to nourish and keep your body in optimal health.
The benefits of a whole food diet include lower rates of heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Another advantage of eating whole foods comes from the vast array of nutrients acting together for the bigger cause… to combat inflammation. By alleviating the bad sugars (high corn fructose, sugar beets and cane sugars) your mental health and outlook of life will become more positive. The Gut / Brain connection is real.
The Research as to Why Whole Foods
Phytochemicals. In the past 10 years, scientists have identified hundreds of biologically active plant- food components called phytochemicals (phytonutrients). They include the powerful antioxidant lycopene, a red-colored carotenoid found mainly in tomatoes; anthocyanins, a powerful antioxidant that gives deep blue color to berries; and pterostilbene, which appears to turn on a "switch" in cells that breaks down fat and cholesterol, and is found in blueberries and the Gamay and Pinot Noir varieties of grapes.
The only way to make sure you're getting the phytochemicals we know about, as well as the ones we haven't yet discovered or named, is to eat plant foods in their whole, unprocessed form (or ground, if they're grains or seeds).
Nutrient shortages. According to national survey results published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, almost a third of us get too little vitamin C; almost half get too little vitamin A; more than half get too little magnesium; and some 92% to 97% get too little fiber and potassium. Yet, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), these particular nutrients help lower the risk of our major health problems: cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
The easiest way to correct these nutrient deficiencies is by eating a balanced mostly plant-based diet. In other words, 85% of your dietary intake should be in the rainbow of colors within the plant kingdom. Dark leafy green, citrus, beets, avocados, squash, lentils, nuts, seeds and spices. And organic if possible.
What is Whole Food Supplementation
One of the most eye opening classes in the area of nutrition was with a Western MD who taught how to use whole food and spies to heal your body. The Pharmacy in your Kitchen. The big take away from this seminar was his love of ginger, turmeric blueberries, and green tea, which of course aren’t easy to consume daily. This is when supplementation comes into play. With my education and training in Chinese Herbology, using food and spices to heal your body/mind makes the most sense. However, when the foods, spices and herbs are not readily available, this is when supplementation is a must.
Standard Process is the product I refer most of my patients to. Since 1929, Standard Process has been dedicated to the field of nutritional supplements and the whole food philosophy of providing nutrients as they are found in nature – in a whole food state where their natural potency and efficacy would be realized. Based on this philosophy, Standard Process start with whole foods – like peas, radishes, and beets. Then, prepare these ingredients in a way that safeguards their nutritional value. A whole food supplement is a complex formula that includes whole food-based plant ingredients, plant and animal extracts, desiccates, or synthetic ingredients as required to create the best dietary supplement for each health indication.
