Week Five - Practice Natural Nutrition

Food nourishes the body and gives us energy to get through each day. Natural nutrition is a key element in healthy human development, from the prenatal and early childhood years to later life stages. Healthy eating is equally important in reducing the risk of many chronic diseases.

Who would have thought we could fight cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke … with a fork? One of the most important things we can do to protect our bodies from these diseases is to keep our organs in good shape. Whether or not we have a family history of cancer, diabetes, heart disease or stroke, what we eat - and how much we eat - can help reduce our risk of developing fatal diseases.

Natural Nutrition is the practice of protecting our bodies from the inside out. This means, keeping our vital organs lean and clean. Core Nutrition is determined largely by decisions we make about our daily food and drinks intake. Let's analyze some facts. Our livers, intestines and kidneys must process every morsel of food that we ingest. When we overeat, especially foods low in nutritional value, we allow toxins to build in our systems. When the toxin level is too high, our vital digestive organs weaken. Our hearts also start to weaken and, inevitably, our bodies deteriorate.

There are six major classes of nutrients: carbohydrates, fats, minerals, protein, vitamins, and water. These nutrient classes can be categorized as either macro-nutrients (needed in relatively large amounts) or micronutrients (needed in smaller quantities). The macronutrients include carbohydrates (including fiber), fats, protein, and water. The micronutrients are minerals and vitamins.

To practice natural nutrition, this week you are going to put dietary emphasis on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, poultry, lean meats (for non-vegetarians) and low-fat dairy foods to ensure that your body has a steady and adequate supply of required nutrients. Here are some important facts to remember:

• Nutrients are essential for cell growth, maintenance and repair.Nutrient deficiency causes over-eating and weight gain. When your body is depleted of nutrients, it sends hunger signals to the brain, asking the body to eat. If you eat junk food, the hunger signals will continue even if you're full because you'll still be nutrient deficient; this leads to over-eating and weight gain. When your body is well-nourished, the hunger signals will stop so you'll eat only when your body really needs to; this prevents over-eating and weight gain.

• Nutrients provide energy to enable your body to function efficiently. You can lose weight and gain muscle mass by cutting out high fat foods like snacks and desserts and eating and drinking more fruits and vegetables.

• Nutrients, along with fiber and water, are essential to your good health. Instead of starving your body to shed fat, a more effective method is to eat high quality food, rich in nutrients to help your body flush toxins.

• Although nutrients can work alone, each depends upon the others to be the most effective.

• Natural nutrition helps you diminish food cravings, flush your system, and build your body to a higher state of health. Vegetables are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and an endless variety of trace nutrients.