Currently, I'm in a nine-month continuing education course through the Nutritional Therapy Association that will certify me as a Nutritional Therapy Consultant when I graduate in November (the midterm is next week - I should probably start studying!).
This course is built upon six foundations. These foundations are at the root of our health. Most disease can be traced back to these imbalances as a root cause, and you know how much I love root cause medicine!
Today, I wanted to introduce the six foundations, and in the following weeks, I'll be going into more detail about each of them.
1. A Nutrient Dense Diet
Obviously, a nutrient dense diet based on real foods is the base of the foundations. It is what gives our body the fuel and nutrients it needs to be at its healthiest! However, so many years of miseducation on exactly what a nutrient dense diet entails has led us so stray. When we get back to our roots with real, whole foods that work for our individual bodies, we enable our body to heal as well!
2. Digestion
This foundation is near and dear to my heart. After not having digestive issues until three years ago when I was under a tremendous amount of stress, I now know quite a bit about proper digestion and how to fix any issues that may arise. Digestion is how we absorb nutrients from the foods we are eating, so even if we have the perfect diet, if our digestion is off, we can't absorb the nutrients anyway!
3. Blood Sugar Regulation
Most people need to work on blood sugar regulation. It is something I work on with all of my clients, as well as in my 21 Day Sugar Detox groups. Keeping our blood sugar from crashing throughout the day helps keep our hormones, mood, energy, cravings, digestion, and sleep stable. It is usually where I start with clients when beginning a health journey!
4. Essential Fatty Acids
After being told not to eat fat for so many years, many of us are deficient in essential fatty acids, or, we are eating too many of the wrong types, thereby skewing the balance that needs to be kept between these fats. How many of you are deficient in vitamin D? Did you know that is a fat soluble vitamin, meaning it needs the presence of fat to be absorbed? There are so many nuances that come into play when we don't get enough healthy fats in our diet!
5. Mineral Needs
MInerals help make up our cells, and our cells are the building blocks of our bodies. Real, whole foods have the essential nutrients we need (chromium, magnesium, calcium, etc) in the most bioavailable form, which makes it much easier for our bodies to absorb the nutrient they need!
6. Hydration
You probably need more water than you think, especially if you drink diuretics on a regular basis (coffee, pop, juice, tea, etc). The amount of water you need per day is:
Ounces in diuretics
+
(Body weight in pounds)/2
There you have it- an intro to the foundations. As we move through each in more detail, take not of which one speaks to you the most. It's probably the foundation you need the most work on, which just means you have more room to grow!
Stay tuned for future posts over the next several weeks.
xoxo Olivia
