Real Health and Nutrition is the Skinny on Weight Loss

Fresh produce and the nutrients they contain are a part of the skinny on weight loss!

The number one thing to look at is what you put in your body. Get rid of counting calories or the idea that fats make you fat, these strategies don’t work. If a calorie is empty, meaning it has no nutritional value, then you’ve fed yourself nothing that will nourish, nurture or feed your body. What kind of calories are more important than how many. This doesn’t mean overeat, it means be smart about what you eat: how much was it processed? Did it come out of the ground that way? Was it genetically modified? Does it have chemicals and pesticides on it? Was the meat you are eating pumped full of hormones? Eat as clean and balanced as possible and make sure you get a good variety of foods along with a good vitamin & mineral supplement.

Exercise is essential and the effects are exponential. It kicks in our metabolism. Start where you are at even if that means walking for 5 minutes outside; next week you can make it 10 minutes and keep building on your progress.

If you are truly eating well with little to no processed foods and you exercise, you would start looking at things like the thyroid which regulates metabolism. If you are constantly tired, overweight, having hair loss, cold body temperature and/or experiencing brain fog, you may want to get your thyroid checked. This is a simple blood test that your doctor can prescribe. To find out more, a good book is Solved: The Riddle of Illness by Stephen Langer, MD.

There is also the issue of absorption in the digestive system and food allergens which should be looked at. If a person is consuming something they are allergic to it causes inflammation in the digestive system, interrupting absorption. This can actually make a person over eat because the body truly is hungry, not getting nutrients and energy out of the food that’s being consumed. Really common food allergens are gluten (wheat, rye, barley), soy, corn and dairy.

Toxins must also be considered. If the body is overloaded with toxins and can’t eliminate them, those toxins get stored in the body and guess what? Those toxins are toxic, so they get buffered with fat. The body does this to protect itself. We are in a day and age when we are literally bombarded with toxins like never before in the history of humanity. We all know this, but because it’s part of daily life, it’s easy to forget how big a deal it really is. Most people have a large toxic load in their bodies that the liver, kidneys, lungs and skin can’t completely eliminate. It also explains why we keep getting heavier and heavier as a society.

Bottom line: there’s no quick fix. Look at your lifestyle, make some changes to take better care of yourself and consider doing some cleansing to help eliminate toxins. If you need help, there’s tons of amazing practitioners out there who would love to help you! Open your mind and find them and if you don’t know where to start, check your local health food store. Remember to be patient and kind to yourself in the process!