Nutritional Therapy
Good nutrition can make a significant difference to health and energy levels. The food we eat not only provides us with fuel for energy, but also provides the tools and building materials needed by our bodies to break down worn-out and diseased tissues and cells, as well as to replace and rebuild them.
Good nutrition provides vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients, as well as proteins, carbohydrates and fats. A deficiency in any one of these can cause imbalances or under-functioning within the body, and - if not attended to - can lead at best to a lack of energy and feeling under par, and at worst to pain and ill health.
Incorporating just some of the following into your diet could make a significant difference to your overall health and energy levels. Good nutrition means including plenty of whole foods in the diet, such as wholegrain bread, pasta and rice, as well as at least five portions of fruit and vegetables. Good quality protein will also help, including beans and pulses, such as lentils, kidney beans and chick peas, as well as meat, fish, dairy and eggs. Fish is particularly important, especially oily fish such as salmon, trout and mackerel, which provide essential oils for the body. Nuts and seeds are also beneficial and can be used as snacks as well as in cooking. Drinking plenty of fresh water is also important, as is cutting down on caffeinated drinks, perhaps replacing some of them with green, herbal or fruit teas.
Just as important to good nutrition, is the body’s ability to use food efficiently, to be able to break it down and absorb it into our bodies. Many people, particularly as they age or because of the lifestyle they lead, find that they are less able to digest their food adequately, leading to impaired digestion, heartburn, wind and bloating. Simple supplements, taken perhaps for a few months, can provide the needed support, whilst the body repairs and renews itself.
Another key aspect of Nutritional Therapy is in improving the body’s ability to get rid of dead cells and other debris, referred to as toxins. The build up of toxins in the body contributes to ill health and disease. Toxins can come from outside the body via the many chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis. These include household cleaning products, cosmetics, petrol fumes, the additives, preservatives and colourings added to processed foods, the pesticides and fertilisers sprayed on food and the medicines we take, both prescribed and over-the-counter. They can also come from inside the body as the normal breakdown products of our own metabolism.
The liver is the body’s powerhouse when it comes to removing toxins, breaking them down so that they can be excreted from the body. The right nutrition can make a big difference to the efficiency of the liver, for example cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage will all help to support it.
Lifestyle is also important in Nutritional Medicine, with regular exercise a very positive factor, and smoking and stress potentially negative ones.
As a trained nutritional therapist, I can advise on the key dietary changes needed to help with particular health problems, together with any dietary supplements that may also be needed. Remember often relatively simple changes in nutrition and lifestyle, together with dietary supplements, can improve overall health and energy levels significantly.