INTEGRATIVE NUTRITION
More about my nutrition philosophy:
As a clinical nutrition specialist, I know that nutrition, food choices and behaviors around eating can be complex. I’m on a journey to help others simplify and find balance in their eating. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring, it can be vibrant and creative! I’m here to help inspire your food choices to be exciting, flavorful and nourishing.
In integrative nutrition, food is only one piece to the puzzle. The food we eat, impacts our bodies all the way down to the cellular level, however, the field of integrative nutrition goes beyond to look at the quality of the food, the quality of the soil, the impact of food additives, the health of our gut microbiome and digestion, mental health, stress levels, sleep quality, activity levels and more! Optimal nutrition proceeds far beyond the food itself, and takes into account how food fits into each bio-individual system. Optimizing our dietary habits, optimizes our bodies functioning and everyone’s pathway to optimal health may be different.
Nutrition really needs to be a personalized approach for each person as lifestyle, genetics, environment, etc… is different for everyone. So… what works for me, may not work for you! Remember, you know your body best, if it doesn’t work for you, keep searching and learning to find what does.
My own nutrition has largely been inspired by my experiences surrounding autoimmunity and athletic performance. These are populations who have specific nutrient and dietary needs in order to optimize performance and health. It can be really hard for anyone to figure out what to eat to feel good, and especially for these populations where nutrition can make a big impact on daily life.
Typically I am an advocate for an anti-inflammatory and paleo-ish style diet with an emphasis on whole, real foods. When I say diet- this is not a dogmatic approach! As individuals, we have to explore our own needs, and find what makes us feel our best. My goal is to help provide information to inform different approaches to your healing Everyone is bio-individual, so meals and eating styles are not all one size fits all. However, I do have a few research based principles that apply to most.
Nutritional needs are based off an individual—> everyone is different, so what works for me, doesn’t mean it will work for you. And vice versa. Always listen to your body, you know it best!
We are what we digest—> If we aren’t properly able to digest foods, it doesn’t matter how healthy we eat, we will not be extracting all the nutrition and benefits from the foods, and it may be causing inflammatory responses in our body.
Diversity is key—> Having diversity in our diet, allows us to get a plethora of different nutrients. When you hear eat the rainbow— this is because all the different colored veggies and fruits provide us with different key phytonutrients and antioxidants.
Balance = sustainability —> Super restrictive “dieting” is unsustainable, and quite frankly un-pleasurable. Food has more meaning than just the nutrients. It’s social, it brings people together, it’s meant to be enjoyed. If we can practice balance, we can enjoy food, and also use it to nourish us physically and socially.
Eat real foods —> Food that has been minimally processed or not processed at all gives us whole food ingredients, that are nourishing and help our bodies and minds perform optimally. Additives (high fructose corn syrup, sodium, inflammatory oils, food dyes, etc…) are some of the top contributors to disease, obesity, gut issues, and more… The more research that comes to light, is starting to show how additives have been linked to more cases of chronic and lifestyle disease.
Quality—> The quality of our foods makes all the difference. When we source foods that have been made with added hormones, antibiotics, inflammatory oils, pesticides, and chemicals, we can disrupt our bodies normal functioning and signaling (like hormones, gut health and digestion, DNA replication, etc..) These environmental and man made chemicals can be harmful and promote disease.
Research based—> The field of nutrition is young, and constantly growing and shifting. It is important to me, as a Nutritionist to continue to grow and learn with the research that is out there too. I try as much as possible to eat and share what is based off of research. I’m not perfect though and I certainly do not always eat perfect! But I aim for balance! (most of the time) 🙈
Hopefully I can provide some helpful resources and tools to help you take charge of your health and nutrition! When cooking at home, we control what goes into our foods and thus what goes into our bodies. Let’s take control, together!!
