Most people don’t realize just how powerful and healing food can be. I experienced the healing power of food first-hand when I radically changed what I was eating. The changes in my diet helped to reverse heart disease, hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue and my weakened immune system.
The foods we eat are the building blocks for repair and growth in our body, so what you eat matters. Boosting nutrients helps to improve mental health, depression, anxiety, memory and cognition. Eating nutritious foods helps to support immune function, build muscles and boost energy – almost every aspect of health is impacted by the food you eat.
Maintaining good nutrient status in the body is critical for overall health and wellness.
Why would a nutrient deficiency occur?
Chronic stress and trauma can cause nutrient deficiencies. When an individual is stressed, traumatized or even grieving, their bodies need more nutrients. Meanwhile this can be and often is a time when sourcing highly nutritious foods can be more difficult or sometimes cravings take over and we end up eating nutrient void simple carbs and sweets.
The overuse of recreational drugs, alcohol and smoking can also deplete your body’s nutrients stores. Even medication can deplete nutrients. To be clear there’s sometimes a need for medications – they can save lives, but it’s important to keep in mind that they can contribute to nutrient deficiencies as well.
The good news is there is so much we can be doing every day to help restore the nutrient status in our bodies – and eat yummy foods at the same time!
Three Ways To Boost Nutrients Simply
#1 The first thing is to eat naturally sourced foods as much as possible. Know who made your food. Was it formulated by a technician in a lab? Or, was it made by mother nature or whatever your belief system is – the ‘powerful energy’ that makes this beautiful earth we live on.
Always keep in mind that natural foods are ‘smart’! Take an egg for example, as we all know eggs are high in cholesterol. but they also contain something called lecithin and you might be wondering, “What does lecithin do?” Well, one of the things it does, is it lowers cholesterol in your blood.
For years I ate egg whites, because of my heart condition, not realizing what I was missing out on…
#2 Make sure you know what you’re eating. Take a look at the ingredient list, if you don’t know or can’t pronounce one of the ingredients – then don’t buy it. Some ingredients can be down-right scary! Take a commonly used ingredient like calcium propionate for example. According to the Journal of Neuropsychiatry it “may contribute to the development and exacerbation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to its impact on the gut microbiome”. Wowza! Buyer BEWARE!
You don’t have to bake your own bread or purchase $8.00 loaves of bread from the “Green” bakery down the street – there are some easily accessible reasonably priced options at most grocery stores. One of my favourites is Stone Mill Naturally Fermented bread – it’s even available at Costco.
#3 Finally, eat organic plants (fruits, vegetables), grains, nuts and seeds as often as you can. They’ll benefit you two ways:
- Consume fewer pesticides and potentially dangerous chemicals
- Plants grown with fewer chemicals have to produce their own defence mechanisms to protect themselves. So, when you consume organic foods you are consuming the plant’s immune systems, also known as phytonutrients. These phytonutrients act as antioxidants to protect the health of your cells – what could be better than that?!
As well, eat ‘ethically-sourced’ meat, fish, poultry and dairy as they have more nutrients, fewer pesticides, chemicals and added. I don’t take the topic of eating meat lightly; I was a vegetarian for nearly 25 years. Personally, I need to eat a little meat to stay healthy and feel strong and energized.
Among other benefits, animal proteins help to build the ‘feel good’ neurotransmitters in your brain, (dopamine > tyrosine and tryptophan > serotonin).
In summary, just do your best to eat naturally sourced foods as much as you can, know what you’re eating (read labels) and eat organic produce, nuts and grains and ethically sourced animal products, they have fewer chemicals and more nutrients.
It’s not about being ‘perfect’ it’s simply a matter of giving your body what it needs to thrive!
REFERENCES:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4939559/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31504084/
https://wellness.ucsd.edu/studenthealth/resources/health-topics/alcohol-drugs/Pages/alcohol-nutrition-endurance.aspx
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232054785_Drugs_as_anti-nutrients
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1471-4159.2010.06614.x
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6434678/