Nutrition, or We Are What We Eat.
In order to maintain optimal health, it is essential to « eat right », meaning adopt a healthy daily diet which is balanced and appropriate to one's specific needs. Learning to eat well is therefore of capital importance.
It's a challenge these days to eat wisely, as most foods on the market are processed and laced with preservatives, pesticides, chemical fertilizer residues, artificial aromas and colorants, to say nothing of possible irradiation. All this processing results in a net loss of nutrients and vitamins. It is therefore essential to opt for whole, fresh foods, locally and organically grown whenever possible.
Further, the stress of modern life is such that we often grab something fast on the fly instead of stopping to sit and enjoy the very whole foods so vital for our health.
From a naturopathic point of view, right diet means choosing foods appropriate to our lifestyle, our tastes, and our individual state. In the face of food allergies, balancing glycemia, cardiovascular illness, the need to lose weight, detoxify, etc., or simply to maintain our good health, our choice of foods must be in response to our individual needs, not to marketing or pop culture.
Learning to eat healthily is both simple and rewarding. Meal times can become a source of pleasure and relaxation, a chance to literally restore ourselves --physically, psychologically, and spiritually.
