The Role of Diet for Natural Wellness
Diet can be defined as “the food that a person or animal consumes.” It does not mean a short-term weight-loss plan, focusing on calories or cutting out certain food groups. In order to stay naturally well you need to eat foods with good nutritional value.
These foods serve three purposes; to nourish you so that the body functions optimally; to maintain good health and to prevent diseases.
To do this the body needs a balanced diet including:
- protein (for growth and repair; and to make enzymes, hormones and neurotransmitters) (1)
- carbohydrates (for energy) (2)
- fats (for further energy, insulation, cell and brain health) (3)
- Vitamins and minerals. (4)
A balanced diet is important for natural wellness and contains a variety of foods from all the food groups. These include ‘eating a rainbow’ of fruits and vegetables; whole grains, dairy products and protein-rich foods. A natural diet for wellness is about cutting down on unhealthy processed food products and consuming more of the healthy ones.
Think back to millions of years ago. There were no ready meals, no take-away and no sugary treats. Food that kept our ancestors healthy did not come out of a factory and did not have a list of ingredients. All foods had just one ‘ingredient’ and that was the name of the actual food.
Think meat, fish and fruit and vegetables. All washed down with fresh water.
“Does that mean I can’t eat the bread, pasta and cake that I love?” I hear you cry. Yes, you can, but if you want a diet that will keep you well naturally, you need to eat as many whole foods as possible. And everything else in moderation.
The data doesn’t lie. If our ancestor’s diet did not keep them healthy, the human race would not have survived. But for the first time ever, right now, the younger generation is predicted to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents (5). The main reason is due to diet that has led to obesity which increases the risk of death by cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes (6).
A healthy, balanced diet is key for natural wellness. By following a few simple tips and making sure the foods you eat are nutritious, you will ensure that your diet is supporting your health and wellbeing.
Before you even think about what you are going to eat you need to get back in touch with your instincts. So first of all, only eat when you are actually hungry. The clock on the wall is not the signal to eat. Listen to your body and eat only when you need to (7). Breakfast means breaking your overnight fast. But you can break a fast at 7am or 12 noon. Our ancestors didn’t eat as soon as they woke – unless there was an uneaten mammoth steak hanging around.
When you wake up is the best time to down a pint of water. You are dehydrated as you haven’t had anything to drink for 8 or so hours (8). So that pint of water will go down really easily and kick start your organs that have become sluggish overnight. Water is the most important part of a natural diet for wellness. You can survive for weeks without food but only a couple of days without water (9).
While we are talking about listening to your body, make sure you eat slowly and chew your food well. This starts the digestion process off and helps your body access all of the goodness from the food. Eating slowly and mindfully gives our stomach time to send the message to our brain that our hunger is satisfied (10). Then we can stop eating. We eat to satisfy hunger – not to feel full and uncomfortable. This is a natural way to eat the food that we need to survive. There is no necessity to calorie count. Our body will tell us when we have had enough – instinctively.
If you are thinking about natural wellness then it is best to eat food as nature intended. Which means as free from chemicals as possible. Unfortunately, organic food is often more expensive than food treated with chemicals. The good news is that there are ways to include it in your diet.
Keep an eye on the reduction counter at the supermarket –it is a great way to find organic cuts of meat and fish. You can grow your own organic vegetables – which gives you a great deal of satisfaction as well as being good for your mental health (11).
You can ‘invest’ in your health and buy one piece of grass-fed beef, line caught fish or free-range chicken. Then enjoy every single bite by eating it mindfully. Savour the natural taste. Meat is ok in moderation but it’s best to limit its intake. It is more about quality than quantity.
Pesticides and herbicides can cause disease and also prevent our bodies from absorbing certain nutrients (12). This is why it’s important to always wash and/or peel fruit and vegetables. Try naturally cleaning your fruit and veg using lemon juice, cider vinegar or even just plenty of water. This gets rid of the chemicals that the food has been exposed to.
Eat fruit and vegetables that are in season (13). This means they are more nutritious, fresher, have ripened naturally and not been transported thousands of miles around the world. And they taste better! Strawberries travelling on a plane ripen on the plane, not on the plant (14). This is not good the strawberry or the planet (15). Eating in season also means that your meals are more diverse. Who wants to eat the same thing all year round?
Try to eat at least 5 servings of vegetables every day. Aim to eat all the colours of the rainbow. A good tip is to eat 25 different types of vegetables over the course of the week. This ensures you get the full range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Vegetables are packed with these vital nutrients that protect against cancer and disease (16). You can eat them roasted, boiled, steamed – or better still, raw. There is no wrong way to enjoy vegetables!
Fruit, especially berries, also contain antioxidants which protect us from disease. Fruit is the healthiest way to satisfy your sweet tooth! And it tastes delicious. Nibble on blueberries instead of sweets/candy. Berries are also really good for keeping inflammation at bay – another reason why they are so good for our bodies (17).
Instead of snacking on crisps/chips, salted peanuts or sugary popcorn try fresh, natural nuts. They are a great way to get some healthy fats into you that keep you feeling fuller for longer. Almonds contain anti-oxidants and are packed full of nutrients. They play a part in preventing inflammation and protecting against life-limiting diseases, so are an ideal snack (18).
Although our ancestors didn’t eat probiotics, they did eat fermented foods. We should follow suit and get more of these good bacteria into us. Try a small glass of natural organic yoghurt every day. This is another great way to satisfy your sweet tooth! It would be fool hardy to ignore the science that tells us that having a healthy gut is essential for optimum mental health (19) and also to boost our immunity (20).
In conclusion, our diet is best when it’s all about eating natural foods, eating instinctively and minimising manufactured foods. This equips our bodies to flourish and grow, survive and fight disease.
- 9 Important Functions of Protein in Your Body https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/functions-of-protein#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2
- Key Functions of Carbohydrates? https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/carbohydrate-functions
- Researchers Try to Pin Down How ‘Good Fat’ Fits into a Healthy Diet https://www.healthline.com/health-news/what-is-good-fat
- Micronutrients: Types, Functions, Benefits and More https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/micronutrients
- Mortality in the United States, 2017 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db328.htm
- Age-adjusted death rates for the 10 leading causes of death: United States, 2016 and 2017 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db328.htm#fig4
- 7 Things I Learned During My First Week of Intuitive Eating https://www.healthline.com/health/my-first-week-of-intuitive-eating
- Waking Up Dehydrated and Thirsty https://www.drinkhydrant.com/blogs/news/waking-up-dehydrated
- How long you can live without water https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325174
- Eating slowly helps you eat less https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/eating-slowly-and-weight-loss
- Why gardening is good for your mental wellbeing https://www.thrive.org.uk/how-we-help/what-we-do/why-gardening-is-good-for-our-health/why-gardening-is-good-for-your-mental-wellbeing
- Pesticides and human health https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Aaron-Blair-4/publication/270003458_Pesticides_and_human_health/links/54ca31d90cf2c70ce52192fa/Pesticides-and-human-health.pdf
- EAT Seasonably https://eatseasonably.co.uk/
- The Role of Ethylene in Fruit Ripening https://extension.umaine.edu/fruit/harvest-and-storage-of-tree-fruits/the-role-of-ethylene-in-fruit-ripening/
- The challenges of eating a healthy and sustainable diet https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/96/3/459/4576746
- Vegetables Pack a Powerful Punch Against Cancer https://www.rogelcancercenter.org/living-with-cancer/mind-body-side-effects/nutrition/vegetables-pack-powerful-punch-against-cancer
- Everything you need to know about blueberries https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/287710
- 9 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Almonds https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/9-proven-benefits-of-almonds
- The effects of probiotics on depressive symptoms in humans: a systematic review https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5319175/
- Probiotics and immune health https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4006993/