Something that hasn’t been sitting well with me lately is how we’ve lost our own instincts as humans when it comes to making food choices.

We’ve put all our faith and trust in OTHER people such as influencers, diet creators, and even health professionals to tell us what to eat.

We’ve handed over the most important decisions, around our most powerful form of medicine (food), to…. STRANGERS. (insert gasp here)

And because we’ve given the responsibility to someone else, we’ve lost our own ability to listen to our body when it comes to making the best food choices for our own bio-individual needs.

We’ve stopped experimenting with food to find what makes us feel best.

A concept that Nutritional Therapy Practitioners embrace is using intuition and the practice of tuning into our bodies to make informed food choices.

It’s something I teach my Nutritional Therapy clients to do within the first couple of weeks of working together.

Why?

Because no ONE diet, or ONE macronutrient ratio, or ONE food, or ONE nutrient is the right and best choice for everyone.

(Btw, we talked about bio-individuality in nutrition in last week’s email in case you missed it or need a little refresher!)

The best way to know if your macronutrient ratios, or specific foods, are working for your body (vs against it), is to learn the cues (symptoms) your body sends you when it’s not doing well after you eat specific foods and meals.

After eating foods and meals you want to look at things like:

• Hunger
• Satiety
• Cravings
• Energy levels
• Bloating
• Belching
• Heartburn
• Gas
• Nausea
• Mood, anxiety, depression
• Focus
• Sleepiness
• Hyperactivity
• Skin rashes, hives, flushing
• Heart palpitations
• Headaches

Timing of these reactions, as well as the types of reactions, can mean different things.

The reactions could be telling you that you are experiencing poor digestive function, have a microbiome imbalance, food sensitivities or allergies, blood sugar imbalance, or simply that that meal was not the right balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates in that meal FOR YOU.

Journaling is one of the most helpful ways to determine the best meals and foods for your needs.  Writing down what you eat, and paying close attention to timing and reactions, can tell us what is going to serve us best, while helping to alleviate any of those nagging symptoms.

My Nutritional Therapy clients start by completing a one-week food journal where they will document specific details of their meals and food timing as well as writing down specific things they notice.

We look at this together to consider the cues their body is giving them about the foods they are eating and their current eating patterns.  It can also help us uncover underlying root causes for some of their health concerns.

I use this as a teaching opportunity to help my clients learn what to pay attention to, possible connections to what and how they are eating, and ultimately them how to listen to their body’s own instincts.

Today’s take-away is that you will be your own best judge of which foods and macronutrient ratios are the best for your body.  You are the one who knows your body best and actually feel the impacts of your choices.

Influencers, diet creators, and even health experts like doctors and nutritionists, don’t live in your body so they have no way of knowing how your body feels or reacts when you eat certain foods.

They can’t tell you that one food or diet is best for you based on what has worked for them or others. Because again, we are all bio-individual with unique nutritional needs.

I’m a proponent of being a life-long learner and taking wisdom from others.  It’s important to take in other people's philosophies and opinions (including mine) and “try them on”.  See what works well for you and adopt your own nutrition beliefs and practices.

Let’s get back to living how our ancestors did where we experimented with food and made choices based on what made us feel alive or what made us feel sick.

If you want support and guidance through this process, I’m here to help.

In one click of a button, you can schedule a complimentary discovery session with me to discuss your nutrition and health concerns and goals.  Learn how Nutritional Therapy, and a root cause approach to wellness, can help you achieve your dreamiest health goals. 

PS ~ I promise I’m approachable and won’t tell you to cut out all of your favorite foods forever!

Now is the perfect time for you to nourish your body to thrive! 

Heather Glenn, FNTP, RWP, HHC