Hi friends!
I hope your nervous system and brain aren't too overwhelmed with the state of the world and the fact that winter feels like it is 987 days long. I feel tired, honestly, but I'm making time to go touch grass (literally, even though it's crunchy and brown because winter) and create something. I think I'll bake some bread today.
For our final pillar, I'd like to focus on nutrition. And here's the thing, I'm not going to tell you what to eat, because that's actually supposed to be different for all of us. This is called the concept of bio-individuality, and it's a core framework for functional medicine. It's something I am getting more and more attuned with, in myself and my body as well.
Your Own Individual Diet for Total Wellness
Bio-individuality is defined as "recognizing that all of us are individual and unique with distinct genetic makeups, gut microbiomes, cognitive processes, hormone levels, etc., and therefore, we all need to investigate what works best for us when it comes to nutrition, sleep, exercise and managing stress. You are the expert in you. Seriously. You do know what you need best, most of the time, even if you don't actively choose that.
If we look at nutrition as a key piece of wellness, but we see it as some mysterious thing that we can't figure out, then we may never get to experience feeling our best. Here's some ways to improve your knowledge about your own bio-individuality when it comes to eating well:
Keep a food diary for 14 days. During this period of time, change nothing about what you eat. Just eat and notice the following factors:
How is my energy level after eating that meal or snack approximately 2-3 hours later?
What does my stomach feel like?
Do I notice any gut issues, like diarrhea or constipation?
How do I feel about myself emotionally after eating that food or meal?
Identify if there's different timings or patterns that would work better for you with regards to nutrition.
For some people, considering some form of intermittent fasting is helpful.
For others, it's eating food in a different order, like the Glucose Goddess recommends.
Sometimes, people do better if they add more of one thing and less of another, like my clients with food intolerances and allergies.
Find resources that fit into your preferred pattern of eating and what foods made you feel your best. But be sure to scan the resource to make it's free of shame around food and nutrition.
Nobody changed for the long term because of shame, and nobody ever will.
Create a neutrality towards food within yourself.
Food is morally neutral. It doesn't say anything about you as a wife, friend, dad, husband, mother, child, daughter, son.
What you choose to eat and how it makes you feel is just data, more information about how to best live your life in this body you've been given.
Understand that much of the research around food and eating as well as exercise is conflicting and based on whichever monopolies are facing the nutrition marketplace today.
No one food group is the solution to all of your problems. (Cough cough, just eat MORE protein and you'll magically lose 107 pounds easily and with no effort).
Try to find ways to include more whole foods and less super-processed foods into your diet. That's it. Don't throw your McDonald's fries out of the window. Just add in more unprocessed options throughout your daily life.
Explore making 1 new recipe per week at home. Just one.
Most of us eat out way too much, and cooking is good for you both physically and emotionally. Cooking is creation and humans were designed to create.
Remember that nutrition and eating 'healthy' needs to be sustainable for the long term. Sure, drinking a protein shake per day sounds doable initially but what happens when the newness wears off and you begin to hate the taste? What happens when you begin intuitive eating and then realize that your intuition is... drawn only to foods that you know, deep down, don't help you feel your best?
Once you discover what types of food and eating patterns best support your wellness, you can then identify what you need to adjust in order to obtain optimal health, but it will feel less rigorous, less restrictive. And isn't that what we all are looking for? More ease, more confidence in ourselves and our choices.
If you want to work with a therapist who understands the complexity around health, nutrition, and the emotional mindset work around pursuing total wellness, I'd love to chat with you further about what your goals look like, and where you feel like you're currently stumbling. Schedule your free consultation here.
Take exquisite care of yourselves,
Megan
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