This simple guide to holistic nutrition and wellness is a great way to start your healing journey and to help you empower your health through whole foods and natural living.
“Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrates
For us to find true health and healing it needs to come from a place of balanced self-transformation. We need to find our way back to more natural living and listen to our body’s languages, learning to build connections within ourselves to be able to create true recovery and change.
What is holistic healing and holistic nutrition ?
While holistic healing is going to look different for every person, its main purpose is to help us understand the connection between all of the bodies systems and recognize that every individual has a unique makeup. These bodies consist of not only our physical body, but also the mental, emotional, spiritual and energetic body.
Holistic nutrition focuses on the whole person, making specific changes to their diet that take into account their eating habits, mental wellness, and lifestyle factors to create a whole-body balance and encourage healing.
Unfortunately, a lot of people will face challenges in their health at some point in life. Many will battle with symptoms from a chronic illness or an inherited disease. Some may have chronic inflammation from an old injury, or deal with daily digestive upsets. Others may face the terrors of mental illness. The things that we chose to put into our bodies can either heal or destroy us. Being mindful is one of the greatest strengths in our journeys.
To apply this healing to our lives we must get to the root cause of our problems by getting to know our bodies rather than just trying to treat their disease or illness.
Holistic nutrition and wellness guides you to look out for yourself and find what type of self-care healing works best for you.
How can you get started healing?
A good place to start is to focus on optimal nutrition which encourages a healthy, balanced diet.
Learning how to read labels and ingredients lists, and choosing organic whole foods to help avoid toxic ingredients and processed foods that lacks nutrients.
Holistic nutrition is not a diet plan that focuses on losing weight, instead when you practice being mindful of your diet you will be sure to give your body the nutrients it needs to run properly and avoiding foods that are harmful. By doing so you will lose unhealthy weight, bloating and improve your overall health.
If you want to learn more about these factors, be sure to check out my eBook- A guide to empower your health through holistic nutrition and wellness.
5 simple tips to start your health journey through holistic nutrition & wellness.
1. Help improve your mental health and promote gut healing by focusing on eating plenty of whole fruits and vegetables. Enjoy organic whole fruits, dried fruits and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Supplement with clean non-toxic sources of zinc, vitamin D, magnesium, probiotics and prebiotic enzymes to help heal the gut lining. Always be sure to inform your healthcare provider of any supplements you begin taking if you are currently taking prescription medications to avoid any complications.
2. Detox from alcohol, unnecessary drugs, sugary foods, drinks and caffeine. All of these influence dehydration and inflammation within our body and upset the gut flora. After a period of detoxing from them you will likely begin to feel much better. Though, be prepared to go through a phase where you may feel poorly as your body adjusts and heals. Support your system with plenty of clean water and natural whole foods like fresh fruits and vegetables. If you have any serious health concerns, be sure to reach out to your health care provider for guidance.
3. Learn to practice other types of holistic healing other than just nutrition. Create exercise routines, gratitude and mediation practices and connect and create space for your emotions regularly. Learn and practice shadow and trauma work for inner child healing. Many of us go through our days taking short shallow breaths that may leave us feeling tired. Notice your breath and learn breathing techniques and exercises that can help eliminate stale air, increase oxygen levels and help fight stress and anxiety.
4. Be mindful that what we take into our mind on a daily basis also plays a huge role in our health. Most people think of boosting our brainpower through learning something new or engaging in stimulating activities. While these routes are definitely helpful, learning to limit certain activities like watching horror films or other television programming that cause you to feel stressed is also a way of encouraging self-healing. Break bad habits like too much screen time and scrolling through mindless social media posts. Be aware of things you’re reading that may provoke negative thoughts and who you are engaging with on a daily basis. Choose to be involved in positive situations that uplift your wellbeing like yoga classes, support groups or even book clubs.
5. Include plant-based and herbal medicine into your wellness plan. Natural medicine is one of my favorite holistic self-healing techniques to include into your wellness routines. Plant and herbal therapies are usually less expensive and safer than allopathic medicine, and they encourage balanced whole-body healing and side effects that are beneficial to your health. Herbal medicine will always work best with a holistic lifestyle, diet and learning to listen to your bodies language, to find what remedies are best for you. Of course, some people may have conditions where prescribed medications may be necessary, so it’s best to not think of herbs as a replacement for your medications, but instead adding herbs in with your medicine to help your body shift into more healthy patterns and away from illness and disease. A great place to start is by including herbal teas and infusions into your daily routines. My most used favorites are digestive teas like ginger, lemon, chamomile and licorice root. These herbs can work together to promote gut healing, reduce inflammation, boost your immune system and even help alleviate symptoms of anxiety. Always be sure to inform your healthcare provider of any herbal medicine you begin taking if you are currently taking prescription medications to avoid any complications.
All in all, holistic nutrition is a great way to rid your body of toxins, promote natural healing and to help become more mindful of your relationship with food and how it affects your body. However, please do not think of holistic nutrition as a replacement for your medical advice or medications that are given by your health care provider.
By including holistic nutrition into your health care plan, you have a greater chance of one day eliminating some medications and working towards a more natural way of living. If you are interested in learning more about holistic nutrition and wellness, be sure to check out my e-book – A guide to empower your health through holistic nutrition and wellness.