Nutrition
When I was growing up I heard the saying “You are what you eat” and I never really got that. Maybe I took it too literally, so I just never really connected. But now that' I’m a bit older I get the essence of what it means = what you put into your face (food and fluid) becomes apart of your body, if even only temporarily.
The quality of what you fuel your body with has a direct impact on how your body copes, recovers, rests, moves and feels.
I’m not a qualified nutritionist by any means, so you should seek independent advice before you consider changing your diet. But here are a few things I’ve learned over the years;
Gut-Brain Psychology
“The gut-brain connection is no joke; it can link anxiety to stomach problems and vice versa. Have you ever had a "gut-wrenching" experience? Do certain situations make you "feel nauseous"? Have you ever felt "butterflies" in your stomach? We use these expressions for a reason. The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation — all of these feelings (and others) can trigger symptoms in the gut.
The brain has a direct effect on the stomach and intestines. For example, the very thought of eating can release the stomach's juices before food gets there. This connection goes both ways. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, a person's stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression. That's because the brain and the gastrointestinal (GI) system are intimately connected.
This is especially true in cases where a person experiences gastrointestinal upset with no obvious physical cause. For such functional GI disorders, it is difficult to try to heal a distressed gut without considering the role of stress and emotion.” Credit to Health.Harvard.Edu
Cutting things out of your diet
In my mid twenties I cut out Gluten, Dairy and Sugar, at the same time, and wondered why I couldn’t get out of bed or leave the house. I was exhausted! Turns out you shouldn’t cut out heaps at the same time and instead gradually reduce one at time so you body can adjust. This also gives you a chance to see how you body feels when you’re eating less of something.
Another thing I’ve heard over the years is that cutting certain groups out for longer periods of time stops creating the good bugs in your stomach that break them down. So if you cut out gluten for 6 months, don’t go and smash a croissant because your body won’t know what the heck to do. Try slowly reintroducing one mouthful at a time.
How much water to drink
There is the standard “drink 2L’s a day” but that is actually an average. You should be drinking 30ml per kg. So if you’re 80 kgs you should be drinking 2.4L’s per day.
What to eat
There are so many diets out their - vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, anti inflammatory, FODMAP, counting calories, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Keto, Low carb - high fat, blood type… honestly the list if huge (just google it). But I think the basics are pretty simple;
Eat a variety of vegetables. I heard this thing one “eat the rainbow”, which means eating different colours fruit and veges everyday. They have different vitamins, fibres and minerals that help your body
I know pricing is crazy but try to eat organic produce.
If you eat meat, eat a variety - fish once a week and red meat twice a week or less as it’s more inflammatory
Avoid or keep processed sugar to a minimum - if you read into gut-brain psychology this makes sense. The more you eat, the more you want. And honestly when you reduce it your taste buds change overtime and you crave it less (once you get over the initial cravings)
Avoid artificial colours and flavours, they are just crap for you. Read the list of ingredients on the label.
Eat in moderation and portion control - someone once told me look at your plate and visualise that all sitting in your stomach. Food processing takes a lot of energy.
Treat yourself now and again. Life is for enjoying. Because I’m gluten and diary intolerant I have really specific things I can treat myself with.
Ultimately link how you feel, what you think with what you eat. I’ve been trying so hard to get my son to realise the link here, because there is a direct correlation. That’s not to say if you eat well your life will be easy peasy, obviously it won’t. But nutrition plays a huge part in keeping your one and only body healthy.
Supplements
My husband and I have differing feelings about supplements - I’m massively into them, him not so much. I highly recommend working with a nutritionist or medical practitioner before you start self diagnosing (which I’ve been guilty of and ended up wasting so much money). And introduce them one at a time so you can feel the difference it does or doesn’t make.
Here are a few I’ve tried over the years and for what.
Vitamin B - covers the majority of B Vitamins which helps with your cells function properly
Vitamin C - is helpful for your immunity and recovery for your muscles, bones, skin and blood vessels (and doubles as something to help curb sugar cravings)
Vitamin D - helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body. These nutrients are needed to keep bones, teeth and muscles health
Pre and Probiotics - help with creating harmony in your gut. There are tonnes of good ones of the market, but check the label and see what strains of pre or probiotics are in there.
EPA/DHA fish oils - Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is an omega-3 fatty acid that is found along with docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in cold-water fish, including tuna and salmon. EPA prevents the blood from clotting easily, reduces triglyceride levels in the blood, and has effects that might reduce pain and swelling.
Ashwaganda - contains chemicals that might help calm the brain, reduce swelling, lower blood pressure, and alter the immune system. I was told it was helpful for anxiety
Magnesium - SOOOO good for helping recover your muscles and getting a good nights sleep. I take Life Extension Neuro Mag which crosses the blood, brain barrier
O-Clear by Metagenics - which helps clear out the excess estrogen.
Turmeric and Saffron - to help reduce inflammation. I use a metagenics one called Inflamood, which is awesome.
There are honestly SO many, but as I say seek professional advice before you start buying supplements up and introduce them one at a time for a few weeks.
Overall my main advice when it comes to nutrition is;
understand the importance of good nutrition
make small changes and monitor how you feel as you make them
Get inspo from apps like Pinterest, which is great to coming up with different meal ideas.
Get advice from a qualified nutritionist. With the world wide web it’s easier than ever to connect with clever people who know this shit in and out
Happy consuming!