If any one of you guys follow me on any other social media platform, you might take notice that I am kind of obsessed with food being the "cure all" to pretty much everything. Got a stomach ache? Drink some mint or ginger tea to help relax your intestinal tract. Headache? Try eating something spicy to increase vasodilation. Cramps? Eat a banana for some extra potassium-which plays a large role in muscle contraction and relaxation. Of course, I love eating pizza or ice cream on my night out with friends as much as the next college student, but aside from those special occasions, I actually enjoy keeping my diet plentiful by consuming a rainbow of fruits and veggies, fiber-rich whole grains and limit the amount of processed, convenience-style foods I consume on a regularly basis. I am firm advocate in the belief of Socrates in that, "food is thy medicine." Recently I have been more and more involved with the research behind the nutritional benefits of consuming whole and natural foods, much like the local produce you would find at your local farmer's market. This past year, while I have been as much of a locavore as I can given my finances and time restraints being a college student and all, I have been attempting to consume as much of my foods from local vendors as possible as well as ensuring that my diet has a wide variety of different nutrients from different foods. Now, the kind of "holistic nutrition" I am talking about is not some "health coach" shake company that tries to sell you green powder mix and a bottle of random multivitamins but rather the simple fact of consuming unprocessed, locally grown, plant-based foods that have been produced in your very own community!
What are the benefits of practicing holistic nutrition?
Think about nutrition in simple terms. When it comes to eating food, we as humans have been genetically bred to consume food to get energy back when we were hunter-gather-ers and needed to stay healthy and fit to pass on our genetic information to each generation. Food as it was back then is far different than it is today, and while the food industry has made leaps and bounds in regards of food safety regulations, fortification of processed foods and creating longer shelve lives, humans today are not consuming the same diets we had before, which has some positive and negative side effects. While I assume that many of us don't really have to worry about the fear of starving in the winter and needing to put on excess fat to ensure we have enough energy to well, survive, we as as Americans are actually more sedentary than ever before and are consuming foods that are directly correlated to a variety of health concerns like heart disease, Type 2 Diabetes, obesity and more. While I'm not saying it can be 100% realistic for every one to consume a 100% local and whole food diet, there are amazing benefits that come with incorporating more of these nutrient-rich foods in your diet and limiting the foods that our bodies are not really adapted to be consuming. First of all, what even ARE "whole foods?" In simple terms, whole foods are nutritionally "complete" in their natural form-think all of your fruits and vegetables, eggs, unprocessed grains, nuts, legumes.
How can nutrition and diet improve overall health?
While science has made amazing advancements in medicine and supplemental nutrition, there have been an expansion in the research regarding the utilization of whole foods, which are already rich in macro and micronutrients, as remedies against the many diseases than can arise due to malnutrition. A great example of ways nutrition can impact health is the addition of the DASH diet in those experiencing hypertension, or high-blood pressure. The DASH diet is fairy in simple the sense that it steers patients away from excess sodium and saturated fat, commonly found in processed foods, and focuses on a a shift to a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats and low fat dairy products. This diet has been shown to dramatically decrease blood pressure and improve many of the problems associated with high blood pressure. Because locally grown, whole foods are free from additives and processing, they essentially contain all of the good stuff- like vitamins and minerals, without the stuff we don't want a lot of, like salt, added sugar and unhealthy fats. Unfortunately, with the greatness of holistic nutrition also comes some negatives in the sense that there are very misleading sources about certain "food combinations" that have been broadcast-ed on social media with claims stating that certain foods can "burn fat cells" or "cure cancer" where not enough research has been done regarding said claims. When in doubt, always looks for multiple science-based sources from professionals in the nutrition field before believing anything you read in magazine or online.
I've listed a few of my favorite reads if you are interested in learning more about the holistic nutrition approach.
High quality nutrition isn't magic, it's simply just eating the foods that we were always meant to be eating before we let the food industry kind of take over. Another benefit of consuming locally grown produce is the fact that you are contributing to your community businesses that are non-commercialized which benefits your local economy. Local produce also produces genetic diversity because farmers will grow a wide variety of crops that can withstand different seasons as opposed to genetically modifying the food to withstand harsh winters. Did you know there's THREE main varieties of kale and then even more sub-categories below that? Who knew there was so many different kinds and types of foods out there that all posses different nutritional value! Another benefit of buying local is that you are consuming food from farm to table which is key because the shorter amount of time it takes for your food to get to you, the less likely it is that the nutrients will be lost in the process.
Isn't eating local really expensive???
While eating locally can be a little bit more expensive then say, your local convenience store or fast food meal combo, in the long run you may find that the little extra cents you may need to pay for local produce and goods that contain little processing may be more beneficial in the long in regards to your overall health. In 2015, U.S. health care spending increased 5.8 percent to reach $3.2 trillion, or $9,990 per person and while not every disease out there stems from diet, the correlations between a healthy diet and a healthy body are unmistakable. Many brand-name grocery stores have recently been adopting the locavore produce movement by making deals with local farmers to sell there produce at competitive prices in grocery stores. While no expects us to be shopping at "all-organic and local" farmers markets everyday, because let's face it, that just isn't realistic for the average American.
The take away of this article is to express the importance of consuming the foods that our bodies need to help keep us as healthy as possible. When it comes to nutrition, supplementation is a great resource where there is food insecurity or clinical factors that are preventing a patient from absorbing or taking in a certain nutrient. If you have access to fresh, local foods, I encourage you to visit your local farmer's market or co-op and if anything, taste the difference between products that have been take in their whole and natural form in comparison to your conventional strawberry that has been shipped from thousands of miles away., which in turn, benefits the community as a whole.
Hope you are a little more interested in trying out some local produce this week!
~Happy *local* snacking,
Courtney xxx
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