Looking & Feeling Your Very Best

There’s no doubt about it, diet is definitely a major component to optimal wellness. However, there are a number of areas to consider beyond what you eat. Think of it as a layering approach with each new layer inching you towards your best self.

Let’s start with blood sugar balance. Stable blood sugar equates to less snacking and longer satiety (4). It also leads to stable moods and even energy (4). This is a great resource for understanding if you’re on the right track.

Metabolic flexibility is the ability to utilize both glucose and fat for fuel. When blood sugar is dysregulated, it can be hard for the body to tap into fat, our abundant energy source. In order to utilize fat for fuel, insulin needs to be low. If you’re snacking all day, you’re making it hard to tap into your fat stores.

They say you are what you eat. It’s really what you digest and absorb though! Your digestion and gut health play a critical role in your overall health. After all, 70 to 80% of immune system cells are found in the gut(3)! Look for ways to bolster your gut health through abundant fiber-rich vegetables and beneficial bacteria like those found in fermented raw sauerkraut and full fat kefir.

When you eat is as important as what you eat. You want to be mindful about food timing and start to be cognizant about snacking and caloric beverage consumption. Working towards 3 square meals with no snacking is ideal.

The body was designed to move. Movement helps your cells remain insulin sensitive, which helps keep blood sugar in check(2). It also helps with mitochondrial density(6), which means more energy to do the things you love. Finally, moving helps circulate your lymph, which aids in healthy detoxification(5).

Did you know that sleep deprivation can mess with your blood sugar and hunger hormones? Ample good quality sleep is an essential component to looking and feeling your best.

Ah, stress. There’s good stress that helps with resiliency and then there’s the unrelenting never-ending type of stress that wreaks havoc on our health goals. Stress comes in many forms. There’s the emotional forms like work and family stress, and then there’s the often overlooked forms - like eating too many carbs, over-exercising, and lack of sleep. Stress can impact our neurotransmitters(1), our hormones(1), and lead to inflammatory pathways(2). Learn more about stress here.

Speaking of inflammation, we need the ability to both inflame and anti-inflame. The real concern is when inflammation becomes chronic with no end in sight. Balancing our fatty acid intake and blood sugar are two crucial components to a healthy and harmonious immune response. To learn more about inflammation check out this article.

Finally, toxic burden is something that’s often overlooked, but critically important as we work towards the path to optimal wellness. Toxins come in many forms and are everywhere in our modern society. A good starting point is to ensure you’re getting clean water, avoiding toxic household cleaning supplies, questionable cookware like those with non-stick coatings, and eating organic fruits and vegetable to avoid pesticide residue.

References

(1) Ballentyne, S., PhD (2017). Paleo Principles. Canada: Victory Belt

(2) Nutritional Therapy Association. Blood Sugar Regulation Student Guide. Olympia, WA.

(3) Nutritional Therapy Association. Immune System Student Guide. Olympia, WA.

(4) Nutritional Therapy Association. Macronutrient Guidelines. Olympia, WA.

(5) Nutritional Therapy Association. Module 12 Nutritional Detoxification. Olympia, WA.

(6) Oliveira, Ashley N. and Hood, David A. (2019). Exercise is mitochondrial medicine for muscle, Sports Medicine and Health Science, Volume 1, Issue 1, 11-18. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666337619300083