Understanding our food is key to a healthy lifestyle

Did you know that we have around 1.6 trillion skin cells, and lose one million every 24 hours? Our skin constantly replaces and renews itself.

We are a bundle of cells, all working in perfect harmony, trying to heal us 24 hours a day. Never going on holiday, never sleeping, always looking out for us. Can we say the same about looking after our body?

Most people never think about their body in that way. How would we know?

There is much more going on in our body. A constant support system, every pain is a scream for help, every fever you have is your body trying to help you heal.

We are conditioned to believe that circumstances and events are responsible for the way we feel. When the sun is shining, I feel great. My work is making me feel really stressed. My husband is making me feel loved.

We also look elsewhere for the answers to our problems; when we go on holiday, then all is well again. When I drink that glass of wine, the world is alright again. When I take that pill, all is okay.

I invite you to sit still for a moment, and consider what does your body/you need in that moment? You know the answer. Listen to that. Don’t concentrate on treating symptoms, but what is the underlying issue?

Consider the new food strategy, and, for example, a salt and sugar tax, and food choices.

If people want to buy something, they will, even if it is more expensive for them. Smoking is one example. Did people really stop smoking when the prices went up? There is also money to be made from our choices.

Salt use is another example of our choices. It is not clear that a low-salt diet doesn’t contribute to heart disease. A study in the medical journal of The Lancet recommended a dosage of 4-5g of salt a day, that’s around a teaspoon, is actually beneficial for your heart health.

Sodium chloride (NaCl) is supportive for the uptake of different nutrients, regulates blood pressure and maintains the right balance of water. So don’t you think it is important to have some salt in your diet?

Part of our choices is knowing about options, for example different salts. There is table salt, rock salt, sea salt. Normal table salt we usually have when eating most processed food has most likely a low sodium chloride percentage and includes fillers and other chemicals. Rock salt, for example Himalaya salt, has not only a higher amount of sodium chloride percentage but also includes around 82 other minerals which are beneficial for your health. Nature supplies us with everything we need.

I think the more important question to ask is, why do we eat unhealthy, highly processed food, and not healthy, nutritious food? Why do we like it so much? One factor seems to be convenience. Secondly, we usually don’t know how the food we eat can support, or sabotage our health.

Do Doctors prescribe vegetables to their clients? Do we actually want a Doctor to prescribe vegetables, or just want to have the easy fix?

How about taking responsibility back into our own hands? We have the chance to do that today, it is our choice!

Maybe you tried, but then fell back into unhealthy ways. It can seem difficult, but is it the chocolate cake that is calling you to eat it? We buy the food and eat it. How committed are we about change, especially when this involves other people, like children, for example?

Understanding the different effects of food in maintaining a healthy lifestyle is important, but even more important is to understand yourself, and your beliefs about food and eating, that alone will help you achieve change.

If you would like to find out more, or have any questions, please get in touch.
I would love to hear from you. 077153 10920 www.HealthyLivingwithPaolaRoyal.co.uk