Are you eating life to it's fullest?
Did you know there are many chronic diseases that can be reduced and also reversed by changing your diet? I am shocked by the number of warnings people need to have before they make changes to their diet. With the amount of research available at the click of a button, why are we still eating ourselves to death rather than eating life to it's fullest??
Take the die out of diet!
*"History of prostrate cancer in your family? Put down that glass of milk and add flax seed to your diet. Have high blood pressure? Hibiscus tea can work better than a leading hypertensive drug and without the side effects. What about liver disease? Drinking coffee can reduce liver inflammation. Battling breast cancer? Consuming soy is associated with prolonged survival. Worried about heart disease? Switch to a whole food, plant based diet, which has been repeatedly shown not just to help prevent disease, but arrest and even reverse it."
You are what you eat!
My name is Louise Astell, I am a certified nutrition adviser and personal trainer at HardFitness and Dynamo Training. I have been trialling diets since I was an adolescent teen and worked out regularly for most of my life, I considered myself healthy and if you asked most people they would probably agree. But actually it turned out I wasn't as healthy as I thought, I was suffering with amenorrhoea and no one knew why? Several tests later found that my hormones were not typical for a women of my age and left untreated could cause infertility. I was told by the doctor to take pills to treat it.
To find out my body wasn't doing what it is meant to do is my definition of bad health and a big eye opener. It turned out the cause was due to restrictive dieting habits. I competed in bikini fitness shows for a couple of years, at times restricting my calorie intake massively to shred down to a very low body fat percentage, insane!! I could not believe my quest to become the perfect woman was actually causing me to lose the most distinctive part of being a woman.
Left pic is me shredded and restricting my calories for show purposes and the pic on the right is me now! Strong, fit and eating a more wholesome healthier diet.
Winner, Winner Organic Dinner!
I decided to investigate my diet in greater detail, making sure to eat foods that would help my body to function better. I found out that certain foods like meats and dairy were not the same. Some animals are fed hormones to grow faster, bigger etc. So of course I am consuming these meats, therefore I am consuming those hormones too. I started buying organic produce and eating more whole foods like beans and legumes to help combat my imbalance. Pretty soon I noticed my cycle becoming more regular and on time, I can't tell you how happy that made me feel!
Now I am not saying that you shouldn't see a medical professional when you aren't feeling well, in fact it was my visit to the doctor that set me off on my quest to alter my diet. However we should also look at what we are eating in more detail and not just tuck into food because it tastes good, looks good or especially if it's cheap. The secret to living a long and satisfying life is with appropriate nutrition and hydration.
So where do you start?
Well eating more colourful fruit and veg is a great place to start.......
Decreasing processed foods and increasing water intake is good too.....
Then there is the topic of fats! They are not actually all that bad, it depends on what type and how much you're eating...
High quality animal products. Yes, they're a good source of protein, but not the only source.....
Ultimately, you need to do your own research. Care about what you are putting in your body and the impact it may have on your health. Find out how to enjoy nutritious food, be creative, take some time. It's important and it could mean life or death or even the beginning of creating a new life or not.....
If you are struggling with your nutrition and would like a helping hand then get in TOUCH
Follow my INSTAGRAM to get insight into what I love to eat and get some recipe ideas.
Louise x
*extract/quote taken from "How Not To Die" by Dr Michael Greger