Nutrition That Works!

Diet controls your weight. Exercise helps keep you fit and healthy. These are the two basic rules of thumb to stay at the top of your game.

First, diet. You need food security to eat properly to begin with. If you can, try to grow as much of the food you are consuming as possible. If that isn't feasible then shop in places where the food is as fresh as possible. In the area I live in we have excellent food security. This was a banner year if you had a garden. The harvest has been bountiful and has gone on for quite some time. Part of this is how involved you get with your diet when you grow your own food. You can plan and control what goes in your body much more coherently and efficiently when you do this. Tomatoes, beans, peppers, broccoli, lettuce, chard all fresh and completely organic create a wonderful foundation for you to build a healthy eating plan around. If you connect with farmers or go to a farmer's market you can complete your menus in a healthy and delicious way.

Fats are important in this planning. If you fry your eggs in olive oil for breakfast (for example) you are accomplishing amazing things regarding the way fats are used by the body. Healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil (especially MCT oil), butter and the like contribute a great deal to your overall health and wellness. It is satisfying to discern what is good for you on your own terms. The whole idea that fats are bad and grains are good is backward thinking, and much of the reason we see chronic debilitating diseases and obesity in this country. If your diet is a mix of vegetarian and paleo/keto thinking, it's difficult to go wrong. Meat is an excellent source of protein and nutrients, but not all meat is healthy. Again, your farmer or farmers market is your best source for healthy protein. Farm to table is the best way.

In order to best utilize your food security, you should have a professional (like myself) do a complete diet analysis and meal planning for you. This will show you your nutrient strengths and weaknesses and give you insight you weren't aware of before.

Despite what some RD's will tell you, you just can't get all your nutrients solely from diet. It's a nice concept, but a little assistance from supplements will help make the difference. For example, women need 440 mg elemental calcium every 24 hour cycle in order to have proper body functions, hormonal circu;lation, lymph and strong bone health. It's a challenge to get 1000 mg of external calcium to convert that into the 440 elemental the body. That's where your diet analysis comes in handy. It will help you pinpont your strengths and weaknesses and act accordingly. Nutrition that works is more than a concept. It's a way of life.