How is your health?
Anxiety, depression, autism spectrum, attention deficit, hyperactivity, some form of binge eating? These troubles spread among us, like chronic diseases not transmissible: food intolerances, rhinitis, fibromyalgia, diabetes, skin and thyroid problems, chronic migraines, irritable bowel syndrome, hypertension, cancer, alzheimer's, multiple sclerosis...
If you do not identify with any item on this list, surely someone close (neighbor, family member, co-worker) has any of these conditions, or any pathology still being investigated or treated.
We treat the symptoms and do not try to understand what is making us sick.
The body gives signs that go unnoticed by most people: trapped intestines, gases that bother you, insomnia, hair loss, joint or muscle pain, spots on the skin, chronic coughs, headaches, lack of de disposition and energy, among many others. At these times, doctors of all specialties are called in; several tests are carried out and a series of medications are prescribed. Thankfully we have all these features in our hands. The problem is that we only treat the symptoms, we don't try to understand what is making us sick. Why don't we change our stressful lifestyle, our diet lacking in nutrients, a lack of regular exercise, sleep that doesn't regenerate? Why don't we look at the source of the problem?
what is the impactThegivesfoodin our life?
A study by Johns Hopkins University, in the United States, in 2013 demonstrated that practicing regular physical activity, maintaining weight, following the Mediterranean diet and not smoking, when practiced together, reduce the risk of death from diseases by 80% for 8 years, the period monitored by the study.
The cells that line our stomach and intestines are all exchanged each 3 days. In the blood, white blood cells last 15 days and red blood cells, 120 days. Our liver is completely replaced every 2 years, whereas our bones, every 10 years. All these new cells that appear daily in our body, as well as brain synapses and neurotransmitters need nutrients to function well.
However, unfortunately, our nutrition is not usually on our priority list. If the body has a problem, we go to the doctor and ask for a medicine to temporarily solve the symptom that arose.
What about Epigenetics?
Today it is known that 99.9% of human DNA is exactly the same as that of an earth worm. So what makes us unique? We now know that genes are not static. Our lifestyle can activate some genes or silence them. The science that is exploring how the environment influences the activation of genes is known as Epigenetics. Environment includes diet, obesity, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, environmental pollutants, psychological stress, night shift work , among other factors.
Are you getting the nutrients you need?
Have you ever stopped to observe how your intestines are doing? your skin? hair? Are you without power in the afternoon or at the end of the day? Do you have asthma? Eat without being hungry? Can't gain weight? Do you feel anxious or depressed? Are you irritable e no patience ?
Is your body getting all the nutrients it needs to function properly? We know that the body is capable of fighting germs, virus, bacteria naturally. It is estimated that every day, from one to five of our cells become cancerous, and your immune system captures and exterminates them. However, for the immune system to function properly, the body needs certain nutrients, just like a car needs the right fuel e a plant needs fertilized soil.
The problem is that we usually have the impression that we are eating well, but what is "well"? Also, changing eating habits is not an easy task. And unfortunately we still don't understand how much our daily meals impact our health. We are used to blaming our genes or family history.
Have you heardI was going to talk about da "Anti-Diet" or "No Diet"?
Nutrition normally is associated with diet and diet with aesthetics, that is, nutrition and health are not usually related. Furthermore, the topic of nutrition is quite controversial: there are those who say that intermittent fasting is ideal, and those who advocate eating every 3 hours. Is egg recommended or should it be eaten in moderation? And the coconut oil? And the miracle teas? Are gluten and dairy products really the big bad guys? All this, in the midst of a whirlwind of diets: Mediterranean? Low Carb? Paleolithic? Ketogenic? Dukan? Atkins? Ayuvedic? Who doesn't feel lost?
I, particularly, am a fan of the "non-diet" also known as "anti-diet" which covers the concepts "eating intuitively" and "eating with full attention" or "Mindful eating" in English. And what is this? It is a non-restrictive approach that focuses on eating healthy when you're hungry, not feeling guilty about eating something high in calories; maintaining a good relationship with food, differentiating emotional hunger from real hunger; eat gradually, without distractions, using all the senses and allowing the "I'm satisfied" signal to reach the brain, as well as developing a favourable environment to make meals (eating in company, at well-defined times and places). After all, some studies show that strict diets in the long term lead people to put on weight.
Did you know that what we eat impacts our mental health and mood?
Research that has already been published relating food and well-being demonstrates that nutrition plays an important role on mental health and well-being of people. Also, a bad diet can negatively affect the emotional and cognitive state. A recent 2019 study conducted by researchers at the University of Manchester, UK analysed 45,826 participants. The findings, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, showed that improved diet reduced symptoms of depression, even in those without diagnosed depressive disorders. Furthermore, when this dietary change was combined with regular physical activity, the positive effect was even greater.
"Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food."
Hippocrates (400 BC)
Physical illnesses, or rather their symptoms are normally treated quickly. As for the symptoms of mental illnesses, such as exacerbated irritation, anxiety and a lack of courage; these tend to be ignored as if they were something that will go away soon or something that cannot be resolved.
Also, we don't want to be labeled crazy or rely on prescription drugs. But what if you knew that these remedies were supposed to be temporary while we work on the source of the problems?
What if you knew that psychiatry has finally reached the conclusion that mental health depends on a balance of brain chemicals and that nutrition plays a key role in that balance? This is already a reality and gave rise to a new area of science Nutritional Psychiatry.