Are you a passionate foodie who juggles nutrient deficiency and obesity, or do you wish to break the vicious cycle of binge eating with a rigorous diet? If so, then the “food as medicine” concept is the perfect solution to your plethora of health troubles.
Sitting at a crossroads of nutrient overload and healthcare, “food as medicine” has garnered widespread applause over its feasibility and countless advantages. For the unversed, the “food is medicine” aims to help through nutrient density and an antiinflammatory approach to meals.
Jumping onto the bandwagon of healthy eating, many food enthusiasts have successfully decoded the secrets to healing with the help of dietary changes and lifestyle amendments.
Below, we have listed some of the key strategies that will slowly but surely help improve one’s health by adopting new eating habits.
Healing autoimmune and inflammatory issues
Combating autoimmune and inflammatory issues simultaneously takes a significant toll on your physical and emotional health. But the good news is that the battle can be made uncomplicated by working on your eating habits and making some lifestyle changes. Start focusing on embedding nutrients in your diet and have a slightly more inclined holistic approach towards treating your inner system well.
First and foremost, remove junk food from your diet, which is the reason for the overabundance of calories. The next step is to eliminate stress triggers in your life and tackle the impaired digestion with precision. When you’re in fight or flight your digestion is impaired, so eating when in a relaxed state is imperative for digestive function. You can also add in bitter foods, apple cider vinegar or digestive enzymes to help your body secrete the adequate digestive chemicals.
Moreover, you should significantly increase the consumption of multicolored vegetables and low-sugar fruits. Our body already has powerful intracellular antioxidants. We can elevate our health by consuming antioxidant-rich foods, for example, Vitamin C. Do also try a vast collection of recipes ranging from comfort foods like wholegrain burgers, pizzas, and pasta to baked delicacies like avocado brownies is advisable.
Using food as medicine to heal inflammation
What is inflammation? The immune system becomes activated when one’s body detects foreign substances like any invading object, pathogen or chemical. Immune cells called macrophages produce free radicals while fighting off invading germs or pathogens. These free radicals can damage healthy cells, leading to inflammation. To reduce inflammation, an anti-inflammatory diet can be followed, which is high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, fish, and healthy fats. Foods high in antioxidans help fight free radicals.
As inflammation is the trigger response to injuries, you can use different types of foods to battle inflammation. Foods rich in anti-inflammatory omega-3 like salmon, sardines and algae help your body combat inflammation and injury.
It is pertinent to mention that anti-inflammatory diets have noticeable effects on our physical and emotional health; it reduces the risk of chronic diseases and helps improve the overall quality of life.
Incorporating carbs for better hormonal and emotional health
Contrary to the typical notion, an intake of the right amount of carbohydrates can help manage stress hormones. While enlisting food under the good and bad categories is a slippery slope, it’s time to shun the stereotypes regarding carbs and learn how to use them to support emotional and physical health.
The intake of carbs lowers cortisol, which helps people feel calm and relaxed. It might be beneficial to have a bulk of carbohydrates toward the end of the day for anxiety management. The need for carbohydrates varies, especially between men and women, depending on multiple factors.
A bioindividual approach to macronutrient intake is key, as our needs very. However focusing on whole, unprocessed foods is universal. Try upping your carbs by adding sweet potato or beans to your next meal.
Everyone seeks to optimize their health and immune system. Some take the medical route, while others prefer to make conscious changes through a nutritional regime. Both are effective and work well together, it doesn’t have to be one or the other.
Bottom line
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle looks challenging on the outlook, but it’s all about sticking to the nutrient density and creating consistency. Climbing out from the exhaustive mess of pleasure eating and dealing with its emotional hurdles that keep us in a sick state.
Food nourishes and protects your body, there is no doubt about that. Eating nutritive foods is important because the nutritional value works in synergy with health benefits and boosts energy and mood. There are no magic pills, getting healthy takes time and dediction, but it’s worth it.
