Functional Nutrition uses food as the catalyst of healthy change / of Cure
Almost everyone, at least once in their lifetime, has been a victim of a parent saying “eat your food or you won’t grow” or your food habits are blamed whenever you complain about having any issues. Well, Your parents are right!
Most of the problems and chronic diseases you are plagued with are related to your poor dietary practice and lifestyle choices. A person who is Functionally healthy often says “Food is Medicine.”
What is The Role Of Food In Functional Nutrition?
Functional Nutrition is based on preventing and curing health problems principally through a person’s diet and lifestyle choices. After a deep analysis of your blood and body, a Functional Nutritionist heals health issues through holistic techniques that include diet, lifestyle, and supplement regimen.
When it comes to food, Functional Nutrition entails incorporating and/or laying off certain foods from your diet. That is what Functional Food Therapy is all about.
Your diet is a direct link to your health.
Research shows that people with a better diet suffer from fewer diseases. After proper adjustments in their diet considering their sex, age, physical activities, smoking habits, and other aspects of life, they have larger total brain volume. It is also recorded that diet can affect your mortality.
Five Foods One Should Include In A Functional Nutrition Therapy?
A Functional Nutritionist, after a comprehensive analysis of your body, along with changes in your lifestyle, might include some foods that help you overcome your health problems based on the nutrients missing from your diet.
Below are a few such foods that one must have in their diet to live a healthier life
- Walnuts - These nuts contain higher levels of antioxidants than most other foods. They have abundant omega 3 fatty acids which help lower the risk of heart problems. Walnuts also are a great anti-inflammatory.
- Meat - To be more precise, liver. It is one of the most nutritionally dense foods. Eating a single serving of liver can help you meet your daily recommended amount of vitamins and minerals (like folate, iron, vitamin B, vitamin A, and copper), reducing your risk of nutrient deficiency.
- Fruits - Rather than going for the bag of chips to munch on, pick up an apple or a banana. Fruits are one of the basic and most effective foods that act as an excellent substitute for your daily munchies.
- Tulsi - This herb has been used for hundreds of years in traditional medicinal practices and is rightly dubbed as the ‘elixir of life.’ It has lots of benefits - relieves pain, reduces inflammation, soothes the stomach and digestive system - to name a few.
- Eggs - They are a great source of protein and are highly nutritious. They provide good cholesterol and choline. And contrary to popular belief, eggs in moderation are actually good for your heart.
Five Foods To Avoid
As important as it is to include certain foods in your diet, it is equally important to cut out particular food and food products. Consumption of certain foods can be counterproductive to the nutrients received from healthy, valuable foods.
- Gluten - As many know, gluten is a harmful protein present in wheat and other food items. It causes gut problems, and some people can be allergic to gluten. Gluten, when ingested, manifests immediate symptoms in people suffering from ‘gluten intolerance.’
- Corn - The corn sold in the market is genetically modified and has lost its good nutritious value while retaining lethal proteins to pests. This has resulted in corn being a significant contributor to the spreading of many diseases.
- Seed Oils - They contain fatty acids, namely Omega 6 and Omega 3, that promote inflammation, which in turn results in the onset of chronic diseases like arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
- Soy - One of the most popular “healthy” food sources is, in actuality, harmful to your health. Though packed with nutrients, soy has abundant ‘antinutrients’ present in them, making it more harmful than helpful. It also reduces the body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients.
- Plant-based meat - This novel meat may have similar proteins and calories to pure animal meat while providing zero cholesterol; they are very high in their sodium content. Additionally, fake meat is made using soy and wheat gluten to acquire the intended attributes of real meat.
Functional diet may, on the surface, sound similar to a conventional diet but is monumentally different. A conventional diet ensures everyone incorporates a particular amount of nutrients in their daily diet. In contrast, a functional diet makes sure that the food you ingest has a positive effect on your health that goes beyond a basic balanced nutritious diet.
Functional Food Therapy promotes food that guarantees optimal health and disease reversal
To incorporate a Functional Nutrition into your lifestyle, one has to get a deep and comprehensive analysis of their body. This will give you detailed information regarding the nutrients present in your body that are either not sufficiently present or are harmful.
A functional diet is effective only when you have a detailed analysis of your blood and body.
Consult a functional nutritionist, get analyzed, and start on your journey of disease reversal.
