Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. 3 John 2.
Despite the staggering amount of information available about food, diet and eating habits people are experiencing more illness than ever before. Diseases which were once unheard of in children are now commonplace (for example, type II diabetes used to be known as adult onset diabetes). More people suffer from asthma, allergies, food intolerances, digestive disturbances, skin problems, chronic hormonal disorders and mental health issues than ever before. This leads to more reliance on medications to alleviate symptoms without actually addressing the root cause. On top of that, over 60% of the population is overweight and obese.
Hippocrates said “let food be your medicine”, he also said “all disease begins in the gut”. If we take these two principals, disease begins in our digestive tract and the food we eat should be medicine to our bodies then we can make dietary changes which focus on healing the gut, supporting a healthy gut flora (microbiome) which in turn supports healthy digestive and immune systems.
Just as the basic principles are simple, dietary changes should be as simple and straightforward as possible. Combined with a healthy lifestyle (moderate exercise, reducing stressors, laughter etc.) nourishing and tasty food will help you attain and maintain a healthy weight, as well as reducing the risk of developing diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
More and more research is now pointing to a healthy diet and lifestyle to prevent the onset of many of the ailments and diseases which are so prevalent in our society today. For example, improving the quality of your diet will result in a
%
Reduction in the risk of developing type II diabetes
%
Reduction in the risk of having a heart attack
%
Reduction in the risk of stroke
%
Reduction in the risk of developing cancer
Nutritional therapy is, simply put, using foods to help maintain and/or restore health to the mind and body. In our society today we have been moving further and further away from eating real food in its natural, unprocessed state to manufactured alternatives with a long shelf life. While these “foods” may offer convenience and save time, in the long run, they will contribute to all sorts of illnesses from headaches to cardiovascular disease. Making even minor changes to our daily diet can have a significant impact on our overall health and wellbeing.
Just in case you’re thinking you only get to eat lettuce and lentils from now on, don’t worry. A nutritionally sound diet comprises the right proportion of protein, carbohydrate and fat from animal and plant sources. The quality of food eaten is much more important than just focusing on the quantity. You will be amazed at how even seemingly small changes make a significant difference in the long term.