The body has an amazing capacity to initiate healing given the right environment, and a key element of the ‘right environment’ is the diet we eat every day.
Using nutrition as therapy involves identifying and correcting vitamin and mineral deficiencies, supporting vital organs and ensuring the digestive system is effectively processing and absorbing nutrients. It is not only the physical body that is influenced by diet – hormones and neurotransmitters have specific nutritional requirements so emotional and mental health is affected too. I use kinesiology to test appropriate foods and supplements rather than advocating a specific diet and see nutrition as just one part of a wider approach to improved health.
Nutrients are involved in the creation of every cell and the maintenance of all body systems – building structures, producing energy and supporting chemical reactions. To a degree, the body can adapt and tolerate an unbalanced diet but there comes a point at which symptoms of disease start to show and changes are necessary.
There are few more emotive subjects talked about than the food we eat.
Diet and recipe books abound, fads and trends come and go, research 'proves' that what was good for you yesterday is questionable today.
We are over-loaded with information, opinion and advice, and yet illnesses that have been specifically linked to diet are increasing at an alarming rate.
Is it GL? Perhaps GI? Low-fat? Or was that no-carbs? Does that mean high protein? Alkaline? Blood-type? Body-type then? Prehistoric? Should I be eating at all or fasting?
Thankfully, there is some common ground that most experts agree on - like we generally don't drink enough water and the fact that vegetables, particularly green leafy ones, are hugely beneficial.
There's no doubt that improvements to the diet can have spectacular results and we all want to look and feel in the best of health.
As with so many things, changing the diet involves breaking old habits and patterns of thought, and creating some new ones. So supporting emotional, in addition to biochemical health, can be really helpful. It's amazing how you can try for years to 'give up' something in the diet, berating yourself for not having any will-power and yet, when a negative thought pattern is 'given up' the same food is just no longer wanted. There is such a strong emotional connection with diet - we have no appetite when shocked or upset or cannot satisfy a sweet tooth when feeling down and life's just not sweet enough.
What your body needs or desires is so individual - the diet that worked so well for your friend, colleague or neighbour may not suit you at all. Kinesiology can be really useful here as it can be used to muscle test for food intolerance or blood sugar imbalance (which influences cravings) and deficiencies of vital nutrients.
Bach remedies like Crab Apple (when you are not happy about your physical appearance) or Chestnut Bud (if you have been a yo-yo dieter and not been able to break that pattern) or Hornbeam (putting it off until 'tomorrow') can be really supportive - when you feel stronger emotionally it's much easier to tackle your diet.