HH527: Eat Whole, Nutrient-Dense Foods

Melissa Deally: 00:00:00

Welcome back to another episode of health hacks as I continue my 12 tips to better health. And today I just want to talk about eating whole food and nutrient dense foods, which means you're eating foods that you don't have to read the label when you go to the grocery store, you're shopping in the produce section. You're shopping the perimeter of your grocery store, because food is your fuel, and so what are you filling your tank with? You know, you don't take your gas car to the gas station and fill it with a bottle of Coke, although I did see someone experiment with that once, and the car was able to get out of the gas station and around the corner, and then it just died. We don't want that to happen to you. We want you to have the energy that you need to get through your day. And when we are filling our bodies with processed foods, it's like putting coke in your gas tank of your car. It leads to inflammation, low energy, poor gut health, and that's not what you want. We want to be nourishing your body and supporting your digestive system and boosting your vitality. And it's really not that difficult to do. You need a few key recipes that you just repeat over, you know, and over again. Because, hey, if you like the food, and you get to know how to make it, it doesn't take very long, and the family eats it, then why not keep doing it? We don't have to change what we're eating. And need you know 30 recipes to get through the month. Definitely not what you want to be doing is balancing your plate with good quality, lean protein, healthy fats like avocado oil, olive oil, avocados and nuts, as well as fiber from your carbohydrates, your vegetables, your fruits, etc. And you want that at every meal. And that helps your digestive system. It helps your body function at its best. You definitely want to be reducing sugar and processed foods, and there's so much of that available, and I know that it's quick and it's easy and convenient. It is in the moment. It isn't in the long run, because in the long run, that leads to dis ease of the body, and you're not feeling good and you don't have the energy, and you might even be lying in bed sick. So don't trade that short term convenience for your health and eat the rainbow. We talk about that all the time. I have a rainbow booklet for kids so that you can stick it on the fridge and you can cross off the color. Have the kids cross off the colors of the rainbows. Have them go shopping with you. Have them choose brightly colored vegetables in different colors that they want to have on their plate, because the more colors you're getting, the more variety of nutrients that you are getting, which leads to a healthier you. So if anybody would like access to that print out, please email me. Let me know. Melissa, at your guided health journey.com. I'd be happy to share it with you. It's also in my links of all my contact information, so I can drop that into the chat, into the show notes here as well for you. So as I said, it isn't difficult to eat well, we just have to recognize that convenience foods eaten all the time are negatively impacting our health, and start to make different decisions, start to plan our day so that we have time to make a meal at home, most of the time when we eat by the 8020 rule and the convenience foods only happen 20% of the time the body can handle it, if the other 80% of the time it's getting good food. That might mean cooking on the weekend, batch cooking so that busy work days, it's easier to come home and just heat up the meal instead of having to cook from scratch. I know people who batch cook with their neighbors and then swap the food so one neighbor will make a whole bunch of one dish and another makes a whole bunch of one dish and then they split it up so that they get some variety in their week, and they're supporting their own health needs, because this is all beautifully homemade food that fuels your body the way your body wants to be fueled, giving you more energy, giving You better digestion, and reducing your risk of chronic illness. So this is so critically important, and yet, nutrition isn't taught to our doctors. We're not really taught it in the school system, and so it is for us to figure out on our own. And the one thing too, that I want you to know is that the perfect diet for you is just that it isn't some diet that you find in a grocery store shelf. Our microbiomes are as different as our fingerprints, and that means the right way to eat for you is unique to you. So you don't have to listen to all the media and all. All the marketing about all the latest diet crazes. Instead, what you might want to do is continue tuning into this podcast. Go back a few series. You'll I had test Masters on my show very recently, and she was talking about the right way to eat and how we really want to have personalized health. And looking at bio into that individuality when it comes to our health. And then I also have Jen trepik on the show, and she is also very well known for the work that she does with doctors, as well as with her clients, individuals and groups around nutrition and the importance of it, and how when we eat these whole food based meals, rather than processed meals, we're also balancing our blood sugars much more so than the processed foods. And as a result, again, our energy is more sustained and we are in staying in a healthier place and minimizing our risk of chronic illnesses such as type two diabetes. So what's one meal that you could start making for yourself that will allow you to start just having one home cooked meal a week? And once you've got that mastered, maybe you get your kids to help. Kids love to help in the kitchen. Maybe your spouse can help. Maybe you do something with the neighbors to get it to a place where 80% of your meals are home cooked, nutritious meals, and 20% of the time you get to enjoy foods that may not be the best nutritional choices for your body. However, you don't have control of the meal you're eating with family friends and you're celebrating, and your body can handle it when it's only 20% of the time. So enjoy some delicious home cooked meals.