Along with oxygen and water, food is another essential element needed to sustain life. We can

only last several minutes without oxygen, several days without water, and several weeks without food.  

While we’ve all probably experienced the painful hunger that makes it impossible to forget our need to eat, hunger doesn’t help us to choose quality foods. In fact, it usually provokes us to choose unhealthy foods. Poor nutrition is very common in modern society and is another major reason why poor health and disease is so common. The sugar, chemical toxins, and artificial additives found in many of today’s foods certainly don’t help either.

As with oxygen and water, every one of the trillions of cells in our body are influenced by the

food we eat. Without the proper nutrients from natural whole foods such as meat, fish, fruit, and vegetables, they won’t develop or function properly, and this is the beginning of what eventually becomes poor health and disease.

Although we all need quality nutrition, we each have a unique need for different types and

proportions of food, and this is an extremely important aspect of a healthy diet. This science

based philosophy, referred to as Metabolic Typing, can make a significant difference in your

health.

Because everyone has individualized needs regarding nutrition that can be affected by their gender, genetics, lifestyle, age, and goals it’s difficult to give specific dietary guidelines to serve the masses. One’s heritage also plays a large role into creating a personalized optimal diet, for example descendants of colder climates would consume more animal protein and fat in order to sustain long winters, where those with Caribbean ancestry would be accustomed to a diet higher in tropical fruits and fish.  With that being said there are some general healthy eating tips that can benefit us all:

• Choose foods that are in their whole form and unprocessed, this means avoiding packaged items which often contains preservatives, GMOs, artificial sweeteners/ingredients such as aspartame, dyes or high fructose corn syrup to name a few

• Eat fresh and locally when possible, foods shipped in by truck or boats from foreign countries are often  picked far too early before they reach full ripeness- this results in lower levels of nutrients

• Incorporate variety into your diet, eating different foods ensures that a wide array of vitamins and nutrients will be consumed and available to your body

• Plan your meals and have healthy options available. Most of us tend to fall off the wagon when we’re starving, meal prep and having healthy snacks readily available helps us to avoid prolonged periods between eating that will trigger excessive hunger. Some examples of healthy snacks could include nuts and seeds, bcaa’s, a protein shake, beef jerky, chopped veggies with  nut butter or homemade bean dips, raw coconut ect.

• Become conscious of how you feel after eating, food reactions and energy levels can be varied so becoming aware of how your body reacts to certain foods can help you to shape a diet plan that’s individualized. If you notice your tired or lacking energy after eating fruit or pasta you may be sensitive to carbs, also notice which foods leave you feeling bloated and gassy, not everyone’s gut can tolerate broccoli and coffee for example

When it comes to a healthy diet success is achieved by focusing on whole foods and creating a routine that fits your lifestyle, it’s not necessary to do a drastic overhaul overnight, studies have proven that lasting change is attributed to making small Improvements over time.