Your personal roadmap for holistic eating

Thankfully, these days there’s a lot less emphasis on fad diets and instead, being healthy is the goal. In fact, #HealthyIsTheNewSkinny is something that’s constantly trending on social media, and as we get older, this is even more important to remember. After all, its never too late to start making positive changes.

So, what is holistic eating?

There are a number of definitions for ‘holistic eating and nutrition’ but generally, it’s understood to be the use of unrefined, unprocessed, real foods in balance and variety to maximize health, according to allthingshealing.com.

It is believed that we need a certain balance of protein, vitamins and other nutrients to help our bodies reach maximum energy levels and over physical and emotional health. A holistic nutritionist will devise a diet that matches your health and emotional needs. But it’s not just about food – the goal is to unify the physical, environmental, emotional, spiritual AND nutritional components of your life.

So there’s no one size fits all, but there is plenty of general advice that you can start to incorporate into your diet today and see results.

Where do I start?

Simply put, it’s about minimizing processed foods that are laden with preservatives, artificial sugar and fat. Processed foods are also high in hydrogenated (trans fatty acids) fats and salt. Some are also low in nutrients, and are generally high in calories.

If you can’t tell what is whole and what is refined, ask yourself if the food won’t spoil for a fortnight. If the answer is yes, then it’s probably refined.

Cut back on stimulants

Try cutting back on your stimulant of choice – whether that’s tea, coffee or alcohol. If you must indulge, aim to match it with water.

Instead, try green tea or Roobis tea. If a sweetener is absolutely necessary, opt for Stevia as a more natural alternative.

If it doesn’t grow, don’t eat (too much of) it

We all know the importance of eating fruit and vegetables. But if you make the commitment of eating as much as possible, it has another effect – you’ll be crowding out the breads, cheeses, sweets and other refined foods. That’s not all - You are what you eat, and your skin reflects what’s inside. Changing up your diet and increasing your vegetables i will help give you the glow!

Read the label

Most of us have learned to check the sugar and fat content on our food labels, but what about the other ingredients? You may be shocked to find a stream of numbers – and maybe you have no idea what they mean.

A good rule of thumb is to avoid foods that have over four ingredients or ‘numbers’ on the label. You’ll automatically cut down on the colourants and preservatives you’ll be ingesting.

So next time you pick up a something like a box of cereal, consider where the ingredients came from, and ask yourself if you could do better. In this case, you may want to look at the ingredients list, in particular the additives. Instead, try making your own cereal filled with a nutritious blend of oats, nuts, seeds and dried fruit.

Buy local, buy organic where possible

Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides – it can be quite shocking to find out what our fruit, veg and grains are subjected to before it reaches our supermarket shelves. The debate on whether it’s worth buying organic continues to rage, but consider some of these facts:

• Organic, locally grown food is higher in nutrients.
• Organic food is ‘earth supportive’ in that practices are used that support our environment and reverse and environmental damage to wildlife habitats through sustainability.
• It tastes better.
• It’s not exposed to gas ripening.
• Organic farms are safer for farm workers .
• It lessens your exposure to antibiotics, synthetic hormones and other drugs used on animals.
• It will stay fresher for longer.

Banish sugary drinks and sugar

Sugar has received a bad rap of late with some even calling it nutritional heroin. It’s blamed for everything from compromising your immune system and causing bloating, causing skin problems, weight gain and mood swings. While there’s little doubt that excessive consumption of refined sugar may contribute to a lot of these problems, the jury is still out whether that applies to fruit. Stick to the recommended dose of 3 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables a day.

When it comes to liquids, it makes sense to drink real water or fresh vegetable juice instead of sugary soft drinks. Be wary of store bought fruit juices as these can have just as much sugar as a chocolate bar and preservatives. Your kidney’s need to be filtered, and nothing does it better than clean water! Aim for at least a litre a day. If you’re thirsty, chances are you’ll already dehydrated.

Juice and blend

Juicing has become a huge trend over the last few years, and for good reason – it’s an easy and delicious way to get your 5 + servings of fruit and vegetables in one sitting. Also try blending – that way you won’t be missing out on that wonderful fiber that will help you feel full. You can use it to make smoothies, soups, juices and so much more!

Make each meal a ‘rainbow’

An easy way to know if you’re getting enough of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals is to try and make each meal a rainbow of colour – with greens, yellows, oranges and purples.

Also use herbs and spices like cinnamon, garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric, oregano, basil, thyme and cilantro in your cooking (fresh is always best) and swap out your iodinated table salt for sea salt.

It’s not just about what you eat...

No matter what your age or physical condition, find a way to get your blood flowing every day. 30 minutes of sustained physical activity three to five times a week will do it.

Try to come back to yourself, or live in the present by taking time out from your busy schedule. Stress can have a huge impact on your health. Yoga, meditating or even just a walk can help reset your system. Deep breathing will help you tune into what’s going on in your body.

90% for the body 10% for the soul

If you eat well the majority of the time, then you can enjoy that piece of chocolate, that ice cream or pasta on occasion. Knowing that you can have a treat every now and then will make you less likely to overindulge and feeling guilty knowing that you ‘can’t’ have it.

Another way to look at this is when you do indulge, go for the good quality, organic stuff like 70 percent cocoa chocolate. If you’re going to do it, may as well do it properly.

Can food cure?

There is also an argument that insists eating foods in different quantities can help cure different ailments. But before embarking on advice you may have read on the internet, it’s worth getting the advice of your health care practitioner to make sure the advice is right for your specific circumstances.

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