Good Nutrition:Part 2

So in part one, we explored Macro-Nutrients. Now allow me to explain how it's possible to get too eat too much, yet still be malnourished. In order to do that, we'll have to explore the other 2 aspects of nutrition: Micro and Phyto:

Micro-Nutrients- Just because they’re “micro” doesn’t mean they’re not important, they are vital for proper body function. Involved in everything from immunity, muscle function, bone integrity, cell regeneration, nerve function and much, much, much more!

• Vitamins- i.e. Vit A, B12, B6, folic acid, E etc…
• Minerals- i.e. calcium, iron, magnesium etc… 

The distinction between macro and micro nutrients starts to explain how someone can be overweight (too many Macro-Nutrients) but still be malnourished (lack of Micro-Nutrients.) Junk food and processed food is full of calories, but they’re empty calories with little if any vitamins or minerals.  If we're not eating enough Micro-Nutrients, we're essentially starving our body even when we're putting on weight. 

Of course many people take multivitamins in order to help compensate for missing vitamins and minerals. However, vitamins are meant to be a boost or an insurance policy, and shouldn't be the dietary foundation. And choosing the correct vitamins and a reliable brand is very important. 

Phyto-Nutrients- I lovingly refer to these as the “backspace button.” These are the various anti-oxidants responsible for correction of DNA code and cell function. Studies show that increased amounts of phyto-nutrients in our diet can improve immune function, detoxify, prevent disease (like heart disease and asthma) as well as prevent and fight cancer. It’s the colorful component of fruits and veggies- the more colorful your diet the better!

A few examples are:

• Apiole – parsley
• Naringenin – citrus fruits
• Catechins – white tea, green tea, black tea, grapes, wine, apple juice, cocoa, lentils, black-eyed peas
• Resveratrol – grape skins and seeds, wine, nuts, peanuts 
• Lycopene – tomatoes, grapefruit, watermelon, guava, apricots, carrots

The various colors are indicative of various kinds of anti-oxidants. This is why choosing foods from various color spectrum is so important! (Stay tuned for the next blog for more on these!)  It is possible for these to be supplemented by powder or tablet form; HOWEVER a good source is vital! there's so many brands out there claiming to have active antioxidants in their formula, but most are well absorbed.  (What kind do I recommend? Go to my site to see!)

Seems pretty straight forward, right? Make sure you have all these components in high quality on a daily basis and viola! You have a great diet! Sure, but who are we kidding? With work, family and day-to-day stress many of us let one (or more) of these vital components go. Before you know it, you’re skipping breakfast on a regular basis or no more veggies at lunch.

Besides getting it all in, choosing the right sources are vital, understanding the value of organic foods, grass feed beef or hormone-free dairy and where to get it is also important.

So yeah, sure, it’s essential to understand these 3 components, but learning how to incorporate it all into each of your meals and snacks can be a challenge. It takes some time and effort…. But by learning to eat this way you’ll be changing your life. 

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! A nutritionist and Health Coach can be invaluable to helping you succeed. But it’ll be worth it to helping you in managing your weight, slowing down aging and preventing disease!

Finding Balance: The Rock Theory

I tend to take on a lot. Anyone who knows me knows I love making new friends, starting new projects, learning new skills and discovering new hobbies. I’ve been made to feel admired, criticized, questioned and overwhelmed for this little “habit” of mine. But when it comes right down to it, I wouldn’t change any minute of this crazy, hectic, fun and amazing life! But what I have learned is how to take it as it comes and make sure it all fits in.

So at some point in the late 90’s I got a forward. No Earth shattering news there, but the content of that forward has stayed with me (unlike the thousands of other forwards I’ve gotten since). Let me see if I can rephrase its words of wisdom to demonstrate my point.

Say you have a clear glass jar, filled with sand. You add to it pebbles and maybe a few little rocks. Now your jar is filled pretty much to the brim. The problem is you have some larger rocks that you were supposed to put into the jar, but since that the jar is full, they won’t fit.

Moral of the story, the rocks and sand represent different aspects of your life; family, friends, career, spirituality, hobbies... etc. The size of the rocks is proportional to the importance of each aspect of life to you and your happiness. For example if you think family and friends are important, they’re the big rocks. Learning Dutch, that’s more like a pebble (well for me anyway.) The size of the jar is also significant. The fixed, inflexible glass jar represents time and its constraints.

That being said, why would you put the least important stuff, sand (for me that’s organizing my closet), in first? When it’s all said and done the things in your life that you value most you’ll eventually run out of room for. All of a sudden, you’re unhappy and wondering how you can make more time to squeeze it all in. The thing is the glass jar isn’t going to change size any time soon, just as time isn’t a flexible commodity either.

But what if we were to change our perspective? Rather than creating more time, we reorganized our priorities. Take that same jar; put your big rocks in first. Next take the smaller rocks and pebbles and drop them in. Watch how they find their way between the crevasses of the larger rocks. Also notice that there’s still space in between all the stones, and go ahead and add the sand to the jar. Again the sand trickles through the tiny spaces between the rocks and pebbles. Oh hell, go ahead and even pour in some water, it’ll fit!

Life’s short and there’s a lot to take in. Keep your priorities in mind. Time management is a misnomer; what we need to manage has nothing to do with time. You can’t control time, that’s a constant, inflexible factor. You’ll have to decide what’s most important to you in your life. Make sure you create space for those things first and respect that commitment. The smaller, less important things will find their way into the crevasses.

How do you fill your jar?