Food is the foundation of your health, for better or for worse. Your body breaks down the foods you eat each day into tiny molecules that make your body function, grow, repair, and heal itself.
How often do you stop and think about the foods you eat in this functional way? Yes, it looks good and tastes good and makes us feel good, but when food is digested and broken down, it is simply water, sugar, protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals for our body.
In addition, food directly impacts our health. From heart disease to cancer to Type 2 diabetes, chronic disease is warded off at the cellular level by what we eat. A healthy gut microbiome, a healthy weight, and a healthy immune system are other natural byproducts of healthy eating.
Though many people will blame genetics for their disease state, the reality is that for the vast majority, our dietary choices are largely responsible. Research shows that lifestyle and environmental factors contribute to our health more than genetics. Exercise is important also, of course, but it is hard to “out exercise” a very poor diet.
The causes of poor health in America are multifactorial. They can be attributed to a changing food environment, changes in daily physical activity due to occupation type and urban environments, sociocultural changes, increases in certain kinds of medication, an aging population, and even some minor genetic risks. While these are all factors, the quality of food we choose to eat is of utmost importance!
Powerful Nutrients
Colorful fruits and vegetables contain thousands of different compounds called “phytonutrients” that play a unique role in our body’s health. How many phytochemicals are there? According to Dr. Blumberg of Tufts’ University, “We don’t know yet! There are millions of phytochemicals in the natural world. The scientific community has studied only about 150 in depth…In all, scientists have chemically identified about 100,000 phytochemicals in plant foods.
Scientists believe most of the 150 phytochemicals that have been studied in-depth have actions in the body that can help us live healthier lives and reduce the risk for chronic disease. Just like vitamins and minerals, different phytochemicals have different effects. Some have an effect on the immune system; others are involved in glucose regulation and insulin secretion; others have antioxidant activity.
One simple approach to increase phytonutrient intake is to eat a wide range of minimally processed plant foods — and seek out a rainbow of choices. Many phytochemicals are also plant pigments (colors), so eating a rainbow of foods provides a spectrum of phytochemicals.”
Also, it’s important not to rely on supplements. There is no data that phytonutrient supplements are helpful, and too much of any one manufactured compound has the potential to be harmful. Aim for a healthy dietary pattern based on whole plant foods instead.
S.A.D. News
In contrast to what was just described, the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) is high in processed foods, refined oils, and saturated fats, and it is very low in fresh fruits and vegetables. In turn, over 70% of Americans are overweight or obese and have significant health risk factors.
Despite the rise in popularity of weight loss medications and supplements, without making sustainable lifestyle changes in the areas of nutrition, exercise, stress management, and sleep, the weight and corresponding health issues will continue to resurface and escalate.
Good News
Advances in nutritional sciences have revealed the wonderful God-given medicinal properties found in our natural food! God gave us all the foods we need to fuel our body well and regain our health.
Eating large quantities of high-nutrient foods is the secret to optimal health, disease prevention, and maintaining a healthy weight. You could call this way of eating a “nutrient-dense eating pattern.”
Many chronic diseases, which are often an effect of obesity, can be treated through nutritional changes and, in many cases, can be reversed through proper nutritional intervention that is personalized and sustained.
The key equation to good health is choosing foods with a high proportion of nutrients compared to calories. These high nutrition, low calorie foods are called “nutrient dense” foods.
Where do we get nutrient dense foods? These are mainly our high fiber, high water content foods, such as non-starchy vegetables, fresh fruits, and beans.
For example, dark green vegetables, such as spinach leaves, are extremely low in calories and contain significant amounts of micronutrients and phytonutrients; they should be eaten in high quantity. High nutrient, low calorie whole foods are the healthy formula for weight management and optimal health.
Jump Start Your Health Journey!
Aren’t you thankful for your health? We are to be a good steward of what God has given us to manage. This includes our own body and how we choose to take care of it.
Psalm 139:13-14 comes to mind as I think of how incredible and complex God’s design is. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
The best rule of thumb is to eat more whole plant foods and fewer processed foods. Just making this change alone will jump start your personal health journey! Get started by choosing some of the foods from the list above.
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