Food Mantras to Achieve Holistic Nutrition

What is holistic nutrition?

Holistic nutrition is about eating healthy food; eating food that is as close to its natural state as possible. It considers you as a whole and tries to enhance your physical, spiritual, and emotional health for you to attain a state of optimum well-being. Holistic nutrition includes whole foods that are unrefined, organic, unprocessed and locally grown.

Why follow a holistic diet?

Holistic nutritionists view food not just as fuel for the body, but as medicine that wields immense potential to heal and cure the body. Believe me, a holistic nutrition plan is better than a keto diet plan for weight loss.

Here are some benefits of having a holistic diet:

• Increased immunity
• Higher energy levels
• Enhanced emotional well-being
• Better sleep
• Improved digestion and excretion
• Reduced cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar
• Effective weight management

It's tempting to try out a holistic nutrition plan after considering its numerous benefits. Isn’t it? Confused on how to go about it? Worry not, below are some food mantras to help you get started:

Eat raw, whole foods

Our bodies are designed to consume, digest, assimilate and subsequently eliminate natural foods. So, the next time hunger strikes, eat an apple, or banana, or carrot, or any natural food, the way it's meant to be eaten—raw and unprocessed.

Eat organic

Eating organic involves avoiding foods treated with pesticides, insecticides, and all other forms of chemical substances. Organic food also tastes better and is more nutritious.

Stay hydrated

Nutritionists recommend drinking a minimum of eight glasses of water every day. This promotes proper digestion and health. However, make sure to avoid all aerated waters, alcohol, and caffeinated beverages.

Watch the sweets

While refined sweeteners taste wonderful, their impact on health is not so good! Try replacing refined sugar and other artificial sweeteners with naturally sweet foods like fruits and dry fruits.

Buy local produce

Locally produced food is naturally suited to the surrounding eco-system and will best compliment your nutrition requirements. Local produce tastes better and is high on nutrients. It is considered better than certified organic food shipped over long distances that contain additional preservatives. Consider growing your own fruits and veggies, find a farmers' market in your area, or ask your grocer to offer local produce.

Do away with white flour and rice

Many holistic nutritionists recommend avoiding wheat. But if this doesn't work for you, opt for whole-grain options while buying bread, pasta, etc. as their white varieties are stripped off of most of their nutrition and fibre. Similarly, it's also advisable to pick brown rice over white rice.

Reduce your sodium intake

Sodium is a key culprit behind hypertension. Most people consume more sodium than the ideal limit of 1500-2300 mg per day. Reduce your sodium intake by avoiding processed food.

Eat healthy fats

Our bodies require healthy fats, so incorporate organic oils like extra-virgin olive oil, or flaxseed oil into your meals in moderate quantities. However, avoid trans-fats from hydrogenated oils, and saturated animal fats from red meat and dairy products.

Moderation is the keyword

Enjoy food. Eat a variety of nutrient-rich healthy foods. Occasionally indulging in not-so-healthy favourites too is acceptable. Healthy eating isn't about deprivation. Instead, it's about sticking to healthy choices in the long run.

Health is the greatest gift known to humanity. It's by being conscious about things comprising the regular meals that we can afford to stay hale and hearty. In addition, getting proper health insurance is important to make sure your good health stays as is, i.e., good. Learn more