Clinical Nutrition Counseling
The basis of good health is depended on what foods we put into our bodies. Food is medicine. In modern life, we get busy and the time allotted for food preparation diminishes. We opt for easier options which are abundant and enticing. Eating in restaurants as a daily habit decreases our nutritional status drastically and introduces toxins into our system. Luckily there are many fast and easy options for at home food preparation, even for a busy person. There are a few guidelines to eating better, and one of my favorites is by the author Michael Pollen:
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Vegetables."
A great guideline for a healthy diet with medical explanation can be watched in the TED Talk by Dr. Terry Wahls, an MD who had advanced MS and was cured by eating a high antioxidant, vitamin and mineral diet.
PRACTICAL FOOD GUIDELINES
- Eat whole foods: Eating food in their natural form, or processing them yourself at home by peeling, freezing or warming.
- Plate Partitioning: Each of your lunch and dinner plates should be around 50% raw vegetables, 25% protein, 25% nutritious carbs
- Use good oils: uncooked oils like flax seed, olive oil, avocado and coconut have great anti-inflammatory characteristics
- Mind your antioxidants: BRIGHTLY coloured foods contain antioxidants which combat free-radical damage produced by biochemical reactions. Berries, peppers, green lettuce, pomegranate, pumpkin, carrot, green tea and more.
- Nuts: are a good source of fats, minerals, vitamins. They combat conditions, like cancer, heart disease, degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, high blood pressure, strokes, high cholesterol, schizophrenia and depression.
- Fiber: in the form of freshly ground flax seeds, whole oats and raw vegetables are important to help bind toxins for waste removal and improve transit time.
FOOD ALLERGIES
Food allergies can develop over time. There are many types of food allergies aside from just anaphylactic peanut or nut allergies. Not all immune molecules die off as fast as they are made. Some (IgG) can stay in the body for 28 days. These molecules pool in the system and wreak havoc. Each time we eat foods we are allergic to more and more immune molecules are made. They cause inflammation and can lead to skin issues like hives or eczema, urticaria, bowel issues and more. Over a long period of time the inflammation from this response weakens the intestinal lining and our gut become permeable to small pieces of food. Once the food is in our blood, our immune system treats it like a foreign invader and mounts a much larger immune response. This is called LEAKY GUT SYNDROME or intestinal hyperpermeability syndrome.
FOOD ALLERGY TESTING
This is a test to identify your food allergens. Collection is done in-house. Once we know what you are allergic to, we can eliminate the foods for a period of time and heal your gut! Its amazing what a non-inflammed system feels like, and all the symptoms that inflammation can create.
Additionally we can do a FOOD ELIMINATION DIET which is a strict and simple meal plan for 2 weeks, followed by an introduction phase. During the reintroduction we can clearly see what foods your body is reacting to and make a new meal guide for healing your gut. WATER FASTING is also a great way to heal up the gut. Are you ready?
As part of your complete treatment program, we will look at your diet and see where helpful changes can be made to improve nutrition and make life more delicious and easy in the process. A good diet is the foundation of good health. Lets begin!