What comes to mind when someone mentions “holistic health?”
- Hippie much?
- I don’t like granola.
- Confusing?
- Complicated?
- Over my head?
- I can’t eat vegetables all day long.
- I don’t own a $3,000 juicer.
- I like Chik-Fil-A
- I’m not a monk?
If any of these sound familiar, you’re not alone.
It seems like now days you can never win. There’s nothing right enough, you can’t be healthy and it ever be good enough. There’s always something wrong with what you’re eating or doing, exhausted?
If you’re anything like me, when things seem too complicated, I get overwhelmed and, as a result, I never follow through.
At some point I think we have to approach our emotional health when it comes to our plate. If we are constantly fueled and weighed down by perfectionism and guilt, our body will hear everything our mind tells it. Let’s start being a little more kind, I think our body will thank us.
I’d rather enjoy my life than try to force something that doesn’t come naturally. Unfortunately, many people approach holistic health with this mindset.
I want to change this for you! {and it’s something I’m working on too.}
Let’s find some practical balance, and I think we will all be happier!
Most of the time when I tell people I am a “Nutritional Therapy Practitioner” they look at me confused, and then I say holistic nutrition. I get the look that a “goody two shoes” would. Unfortunately, this is not at all a reflection of what lead me into holistic health, and if I’m being honest, I’m the most undisciplined person in my nutritional therapy realm.
I’m learning how to navigate holistic health, just like you. SO let’s do this together instead of getting overwhelmed and living in the opposite extreme of junk food and drive throughs.
People ask me all of the time:
“What do you eat everyday? I bet all you eat are salads and smoothies.” This couldn’t be further from the truth and man am I glad. This isn’t healthy (for numerous reasons) and it’s incredibly boring and restrictive. I think food and holistic health should be fun, light, approachable, and my favorite, SIMPLE.
I’m here to give you some simple, practical and underwhelming ways to start your holistic health journey.
I am not type A, nor do I care to be, but I struggle with guilt and comparison just like everyone else. When I start to feel down on myself, I try to focus on what I’m doing RIGHT instead of beating myself up for my imperfections toward food and repetitive dietary habits.
Let’s begin, shall we?
1. Kick Processed & Fast Foods Out: high sodium and hormone-rich processed meats with nitrates, “mystery meats.’” There is a good chance your brain is addicted trans fats, sodium, and sugar. Some must watch documentaries are Food Inc., Food Matters and Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead.
2. Increase Your Water Intake, Our Bodies are 70% water. Learn to love water. If this is difficult, I love adding citrus essential oils to a cold glass of water! Before grabbing a snack, try drinking a glass of water instead. Most of the time we mistake thirst for hunger.
3. Eliminate Soda, ESPECIALLY Diet Soda & Switch to Kombucha, instead! Kombucha boasts millions of beneficial bacteria. If you experience an afternoon slump like I do, it can aid you on days that are more difficult than others. (we can’t always take an afternoon nap, womp womp.)
4. Educate yourself on food labels, if it has ingredients you can’t pronounce, or that you know are harmful, do NOT buy them. You won’t eat what you don’t buy. If it has ingredients you can’t pronounce, chances are these are cancer causing preservatives, do you really want that in your body?
5. Remove Vegetable and Canola Oils FOREVER. Hydrogenated and trans fats are NOT heart healthy, and are some of the most toxic and rancid oils ever made.
6. Reduce Sugar Intake and Eliminate Processed Sugar. Educate yourself on the endless names for sugar. Sugar can be upwards to 10x more addictive than cocaine. Swap sugar with Grade B maple syrup or raw honey.
7. Ditch the Low Fat Diet & Always Carry an Avocado incorporate whole, healthy fats like fish, avocados, coconut and raw nuts and nut butters. You can’t make hormones without fats. Your heart & brain also depend on fats for its primary source of fuel. More to come on fats this week, because they’re so vital, even though we’ve been told the opposite for so long.
8. Eat slower and give your brain a minute to process that there’s food coming, take three slow, deep breaths before consuming your food. This will allow your brain to trigger digestion. That’s right, digestion begins in your brain, not your mouth.
Did you know that many people don’t have too much stomach acid, they have too little! Think twice before you think you need to be on antacids and acid-suppressing drugs. Approximately 90% of Americans produce too little stomach acid, resulting in symptoms like:
- Heartburn
- GERD
- Indigestion and bloating
- Burping or gas after meals
- Excessive fullness or discomfort after meals
- Constipation and/or diarrhea
- Chronic intestinal infections
- Undigested food in stools
- Food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities
- Acne
- Chronic fatigue
- Mineral and nutrient deficiencies (including iron and/or vitamin B12 deficiency)
- Dry skin or hair
- Weak or cracked nails
- Asthma
- Depression
- Osteoporosis
- Any autoimmune disease diagnosis
Hopefully, by now, it should be clear that covering up symptoms of heartburn, indigestion, and acid reflux by lowering stomach acid production even more through the use of acid-suppressing drugs, is not an effective, safe, or smart way to address the root cause of low stomach acid.
9. Have a Green Drink Everyday: if there’s one thing I struggle with, it’s getting enough greens. If you feel like you fail in this area as well, and don’t want to spend hours juicing, try one of my favorites HERE. This has been life changing and lifesaving for me, they even have a kids version, HERE.
10. Enjoy the sunshine! We need vitamin D. Do you struggle with sleep or mood disorder(s), chances are, the sunshine may boost your mood and squelch your anxiety. Just be wise with the amount of exposure, especially if you have fair skin.
