The Importance of Good Food For Your Whole Body And Overall Wellness

Have you ever heard that food heals? Well, it is true. The benefit of food is much greater than just satiation. (eating to satisfy a craving, for energy, stress eating etc. people may not know satiation) Think about how you feel if you don’t eat for a while or eat a really greasy meal. Skipping meals or eating the first thing you can get your hands on, things that may not be healthy is so bad for our bodies. I am sure you can remember eating something unhealthy and having your whole body feel bad. Feeling weak, tired, having a headache, upset stomach, sore joints and so many more ailments come from not giving our body the food it needs.  We need food to keep us going.  Food is the medicine that naturally powers our bodies and heals our ailments.

In a previous blog post, I shared my experience with eliminating sugar and how it eased my anxiety. I have a friend who suffers from terrible arthritis. Her diet was not very good. She didn’t eat junk food all the time, but filled her body with a lot of high inflammatory foods like gluten and dairy and sugar. I gave her a list of things to eat and things to avoid. This included fatty fish at least once per week, fruits(especially berries) and veggies throughout the day, ginger, garlic, turmeric and limiting the amount of dairy, sugar and gluten she was consuming. These small changes, even after a few weeks, allowed her to stop her daily intake of ibuprofen and helped her get down a flight of stairs without wincing in pain. How did this help? These foods helped to decrease the inflammation in her body.

When I was getting my health coaching certification, a good portion of my courses focused on food as a way to of “keeping your internal pharmacy open”. It included information about taking care of our bodies and nourishing them with the right foods. We learned about how our bodies will make their own medicines that will keep us from getting many illnesses and diseases. This does not mean you won’t ever get sick. It does mean that you  will be healthier overall,  get sick less and help protect your body from things like hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, dementia just to name a few.

Foods today, especially in the United States are highly processed and made with many chemicals. If you look at food labels they are filled with tons of ingredients and many you cannot even pronounce. These chemicals and preservatives are so bad for our bodies. Some actually can change our brain chemistry. Some of the ingredients in food are used to make things like plastics and home cleaners…yikes! So, the best thing to do is start reading labels before you put anything in your grocery cart. The healthiest foods have less than ten ingredients. You should be able to pronounce all of them. Focus on real foods, not processed, like fruit, veggies, meat(organic and lean is the best), whole grains, legumes and nuts a good place to start. Stay away from things that say light or fat free. This is tempting, but chemicals and sugar are what make them light or fat free to make up for the taste. Eating foods laden with chemicals and that are highly processed increase inflammation, lower our immune system, increase belly fat and alter our brain chemistry, all leading to illness.

Take a look at the list below of some healthy foods and their amazing benefits they have on your body:

Berries – These are powerful antioxidants which are antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immune boosting. Not to mention blueberries, which are considered the powerhouse of all berries and have properties that protect you from DNA damage which can cause cancer. They aid in brain function, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, reduce your risk of heart disease, help with muscle repair and lower risk of urinary tract infections.

Nuts – These are a good source of healthy plant based protein, but also have high levels of Vitamin E and Zinc. which protects our your cells from damage and boosts your immune system. Eat them sparingly though, because they are high in fat and calories.

Vegetables – Leafy greens and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts provide tons of vitamins and increase your immune function. They also help in recovery from illness and injury, due to high levels of B and C.

Fish – Fish, especially wild caught salmon and other fatty fish have so many benefits. Their biggest benefit is the dose of Omega 3’s. that you get. Fish is are also a great source of protein, potassium and Vitamin B. These vitamins and minerals make in fish help with aging and inflammation. anti-aging and anti-inflammatory. Fatty, oily fish like (Salmon, Trout) support healthy brain function, a healthy heart, healthy bones, lower cholesterol, and they protect against cancer, asthma and arthritis. Salmon, a fatty oily fish, gets its color from a powerful antioxidant called astaxanthin.

Sweet Potatoes – These are a healthy carb, packed with vitamins and enzymes that aid in wound recovery and increase immune response.

What we feed our bodies is so much more important than we think. The old adage “we are what we eat” is very true! The best thing you can do for your body is to feed it good, wholesome, real foods and limit your intake of processed, chemical laden sugary foods. Sure, having some candy, cake or pizza is fine, but in moderation.

Stay tuned for my next blog post, where I will share some of my favorite, go to healthy snacks and meals.