You are what you eat

How to find your optimum diet

Food has the power to heal or to cause damage depending on how we use it. Processed food can lead to cravings, inflammation and hormonal imbalance. Sugar causes addiction, is inflammatory and causes obesity and inflammation.​

How much and how often to eat

We are overfed, under nourished and facing a global diabetes problem where at least 10% of the world’s population is obese – not just overweight but obese. Obesity carries with it every possible risk of disease. There are also rising significant problems with blood sugar imbalance and what happens when we are getting inadequate amounts of energy and nutrition, particularly when we are food restricting which can lead to elevated cortisol.

​Cortisol can prevent us from losing weight because it makes our brain perceive that there is an emergency and duly store calories, particularly belly fat. Obesity is pro-inflammatory and causes all kinds of problems with mind, mood, auto immune disease and more.

​So finding that right balance by eating three healthy meals throughout the day is key and if you are someone who tends to have low blood sugar, having a high quality snack with a good quality protein and fat such as nuts or a hard-boiled egg or hummus and vegetables.

Food mindfulness

​However, it is not just what we eat but how we eat. Most Americans are having at least one or more desk or on the go meals per week. Taking 10 deep breaths before we actually start to eat activates our parasympathetic nervous system which is important for proper digestion. Bringing the senses into play and allowing adequate time for chewing and tasting our food allows us to tune in to what we are eating and gives us a better understanding of when we are hungry, when we are full and reminds us to actually focus on and enjoy our meals.

​How to eat for health

​The optimum diet for health is the Mediterranean diet. No other diet has been proven in study after study to not only prevent heart disease, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, diabetes and dementia as well as to improve fertility. The Mediterranean diet has also been shown to reverse these conditions.

​The Mediterranean diet is also optimal for women’s hormones, prevention of breast cancer and promotion of optimal fertility.

​What is the Mediterranean way of eating? Vegetables, legumes and grains, small amounts of dairy, and small amounts of meat or fish or poultry. Large amounts of olive oil and nuts. Eating almonds, walnuts and pecans on a regular basis because they are so antioxidant rich as well as consuming good quality fats.

The core groups of the Mediterranean diet