Why good nutrition is the perfect compliment to herbal medicine PLUS how to implement it
I am a huge advocate of herbal and holistic treatments for health and wellbeing. But I can tell you if you are taking herbal medicines while also weekly drinking alcohol, eating highly processed foods, takeaways, food high in salt, sugar, and neglecting the whole fresh foods (like fruits and vegetables) that are full of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, then you are wasting your time!!
No matter what supplements of herbal remedies you take they will never be a substitute for a good healthy and nutritious diet.
In fact may results will be diminished or negated if you are trying to use herbal medicines with a bad diet… the body cannot heal and repair without the proper fuel and building blocks it needs!
What is Good Nutrition?
Any term can be vague when it has such an individualised interpretation. So what do we mean by good nutrition?
When I use the term good nutrition I am talking about a mainly (or high percentage of) wholefoods diet. These are foods that in themselves are a single ingredient and can usually (or mostly) be bought with little to no packaging — fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, rice, legumes, leafy greens, nuts, seeds — and, on top of using whole food ingredients we are creating meals that are not just delicious and nutritious, but that also cover our macronutrient requirements.
Macro nutrients are Proteins, healthy Fats, and Carbohydrates. All foods will fall into one of these categories, and most often we fall short in getting enough of what our body needs in one area, and eat too much of the others.
For most women, we aren’t getting enough protein in our diets. Protein is something our body needs to have not just healthy muscles but a healthy menstrual cycle too.
To really have good nutrition we want our diet to be at least 50% fresh fruits and vegetables. And within that we should be aiming for each meal to include 40-50% Carbohydrates, 30-40% Protein and 10-20% Healthy Fats.
As well as plenty of water for hydration.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have treats of course or enjoy the occasional unhealth food - their are no bad foods, and a health diet is all about moderation, sustainability, and enjoying your food. A good rule of thumb is the 80-20 rule. That is healthy food choices 80% of the time, and 20% for chocolate, snacks, treats etc.
Good nutrition should fuel and sustain you, give you energy not leave you sluggish, and fill you up both physically, mentally, and emotionally — no diet is worth being miserable. So it’s important to find ways to enjoy the good foods so you want to eat more of them!
Why is Nutrition Important?
When it comes to the body good nutrition is one of the basic needs to ensure we stay healthy. The food we eat affects and impacts our mental health as well as our physical health.
The body needs nutrition to literally fuel you and keep you going. But the energy that the body breaks down from food is used for repairing damage, creating new cells, allowing the organs to function and do their jobs - including removing toxins and waste, breathing, moving blood and fluids around the body, and brain function, focus and thinking clearly.
If we chose to eat over procced foods such as fast food, takeouts, pre-packaged meals full of salt sugar and preservatives, fatty foods such as donuts, cakes and sweets high in processed sugars we are essentially eating empty calories that your body can get little nutritional value out of.
The nutrients we talk about in whole foods especially can be broken down into micronutrients - these are the vitamins, minerals, essential salts and metals our cells need to function and stay healthy
The food we put in our body literally becomes a part of us, as it is what the body uses to replenish cells, the building blocks to create a new layer of our skin, or repair muscle and tissue.
So if we are what we eat….. What would you rather be?!
We can choose to fuel the body with what it needs to be at it’s best so that we can feel and function at our best, or we can choose to eat what feels good in the moment, but that satiation is short lived and in the long term leaves us lethargic, fatigued, unenergetic or able to think clearly and leaves our bodies struggling to function on depleted resources and unable to maintain healthy functions properly.
A body that doesn’t have the fuel and energy/micro nutrients it needs to fully function properly and maintain homeostasis is what we would call malnutrition; and despite what you may have been told, you do not need to be starving to suffer with malnutrition. Obese people can also suffer with malnutrition if they are eating a poor diet with little to no fresh fruits and vegetables.
In fact many people in the western world will be deficient in one or more of the essential vitamins and minerals our bodies need purely due to poor soil quality and farming methods.
When we then introduce Herbal medicines into these two scenarios hopefully you can see which would have the better outcome?
While a herb can be used by the body to try and treat an ailment, health issue or relieve a symptom it would be the equivalent of trying to use a band aid to mend a broken arm if the body is already missing so many vital components of the health equation.
Whereas a body that is receiving the fuel and resources it needs to have the basic health requirements met is NOT depleted of resources and has the ability to utilise the herbs and actually use them for improving health and supporting healing.
Simple Ways to Start Implementing Better Nutrition Habits + Choices
If some of the bad food habits mentioned above sound like you here are some simple ways that you can start introducing better food choices into y our weekly nutrition and diet, and not feel completely overwhelmed…
The key is to start small and make one change at a time instead of trying to do everything at once.
Small changes are more likely to stick and be sustainable for you in the long run!
1|. Plan out meal ideas each week so you know what ingredients you need to buy and will never be lost for what to eat when you’re tired or feeling uninspired. You can use Pinterest for a good resource of healthy recipe ideas based on your personal tastes and preferences
2|. Decide on one bad habit you want to change eg. reducing alcohol or sweets/chocolate on an evening. It’s best to tackle bad habits on at a time and gently phase them out or switch them for a healthier option than to quit everything cold turkey all at once.
What is it about that food or habit that you enjoy, what is it giving you? Is it an emotional crutch or a way to relieve stress? - it’s always important to look at what’s going on behind your food and habit choices
3|. If you want to check or make sure you are getting the right amounts of Carbs, Proteins and Fats try using a tracking app such as myfitnesspal that can give you a breakdown of the macro’s for your meals, if you start by using the app before you make your food it can start to help you understand the makeup of the food you eat as well as make any tweaks to your recipes and ingredients to get your macros back on track.
4|. Find healthy foods you love and enjoy! When you enjoy the foods you eat it isn’t a hardship to eat good food. Flavour is everything so experiment with new dishes, herbs and spices, and different ingredients you maybe haven’t tried before.
5|. Don’t obsess over it. The more you think about it, the more likely you are to feel hungry or feel that you are lacking in food. The best, and most sustainable way to change how you eat is to take the time to find similar recipes, ways to adapt meals, you already love and make them better for you, or find new foods and recipes that you enjoy and you know a healthy — this also links back to the first point and planning out your meals.
6|. Aim for each meal to include one source of protein, a form of complex carbohydrates and be made up of at least 50% fruits and/or vegetables.
7|. Allow yourself treats. Remember the 80-20 rule and still allow yourself some of the ‘not so good for you’ foods you like. You are far more likely to succeed if you aren’t cutting out all of the foods you enjoy. Having a little something sweet after dinner or perhaps the occasional take out once a month.
It’s all about moderation.
xo Emily
