DIET & NUTRITION
As we all know, it can be very difficult to eat well and maintaining a healthy diet. It’s one of the most important ways you can take care of yourself! It matters what you put in your body. There is so much information out there about how to eat and what to eat that it can be confusing to know which foods are right for you. Each person is unique, and there are many diets and lifestyles that are healthy, and the amount of options can be staggering! Naturopathic doctors work with you to come up with a diet plan that makes you feel great, suits your lifestyle, and has your optimal health in mind.
Why is nutrition important?
It’s simple: you are what you eat. Food you ingest gets broken down and incorporated into your cells and tissues. Your cells need the right food to perform all the essential functions they do to keep you alive, to give you the energy you need to do the things you love, and to keep you feeling great.
It might be surprising to learn that malnutrition is common even in Canada! Undernourishment doesn’t always look like the pictures you’ve seen of starving children on foreign continents: if the food we’re eating doesn’t contain the nutrients we need to thrive – even if we get enough calories – we can still be malnourished. In our culture where processed food is cheaper than real (whole) foods, it’s often easier to eat poorly than it is to eat well. It’s worth it to spend the time and money on eating well- your future healthy self will thank you.
Quality v.s. Quantity
Quality of food aside, quantity of food is another issue that’s affecting Canadians more and more. 2011 stats show that 18.4% of Canadians are obese, putting them at unnecessary risk for heart disease, diabetes, and premature death. If your weight has gotten out of control, there’s no better time than now to take action. Naturopathy can help you take the steps you need to lose those extra pounds by assessing your diet and providing you with the to make healthy changes. We also know which herbs and supplements are the most effective at controlling blood sugar and balancing your metabolism.
Do superfoods really work?
It seems like there is a new food almost every week that’s being touted as the new, best thing to solve all your health problems. It’s true, most of these foods are indeed good for you, as they usually contain high levels of antioxidants or essential fatty acids that are missing from standard diets.
However, that new superfood may not be the best solution for your condition.
If your diet is lacking in nutrients and you start eating lots of a particular food that’s especially high in them, it makes sense that it will help with your health. But the hype around superfoods is unnecessary. If you eat a well-balanced, whole foods diet, and avoid foods that are unhealthy and that you’re sensitive to, that’s the most super food you can eat.
It’s hard to keep up with all the health trends and new superfoods. Naturopathic doctors are trained to take care of the research for you, so you don’t spend unnecessary time and money on foods and diets that don’t work. Your naturopathic doctor will be able to identify which of these superfoods (and even ‘regular’ foods) will be the most effective for you to feel your best.
Naturopathic doctors have extensive nutrition training
Nutrition is one of the core clinical skills that naturopathic doctors learn in our 4-year medical school training. We spend hundreds of hours learning in-depth clinical nutrition, and how to put together the best diets for whatever medical conditions you might have. We know what’s popular, and what works. We know how to optimize nutrition for sports, pregnancy, and everyday life so you can feel great.
Next time you get hungry and decide to start eating right, we want to help! Call and book an appointment with us!
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