HEAL FITNESS
Johnny Miller
Health & Wellness Coach
Heal 30
Diet & Nutrition
How we eat is the single most important aspect of nutrition.
Our mind set, and the emotional state that we are in when we consume our food, has more of an influence on our health than the actual food we eat.
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When it comes to our diets, we often need to start by learning to let go of our resistance, anxieties and fears around food. When we are able to do this our bodies will start to respond better to everything around us, including what we eat.
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Participants in the HEAL30 program are asked to follow a nutrition plan of their choice. (Preferably a healthy one.)
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But the real goal is to learn how to calm the nervous system, be present, and make the food you eat a blessing, no matter what it is.
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The important part is that you enjoy it fully, without resistance, guilt, shame or fear. Just slow down, enjoy and be present when you eat.
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Should you find yourself in a place of anger, fear, or distressed, wait until you are able to shift into a less resistant mindset before eating.
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It is best to be intentional with your eating habits. Try not to eat when your in a hurry or on the go. This is essential in order for us to benefit from the food we eat.
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A healthy diet means nothing when the nervous system is under stress and we are unable to fully digest our food.
The Mediterranean diet.
​The Mediterranean diet has received much attention as a healthy way to eat, and with good reason. The Mediterranean diet has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, certain cancers, depression, stroke, parkinson's, alzheimer's and many more inflammatory conditions.​​​
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There are no concrete rules for following the Mediterranean diet, but general guidelines can help you incorporate its principles into your daily routine.
The whole 30 diet.
The idea behind the Whole30 program is simple, for 30 days, you completely cut out specific food groups that are believed to cause or be linked to chronic inflammation.
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After 30 days, you slowly reintroduce some foods while monitoring the effects they have on your body.
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This is a pretty intensive elimination diet, so it has a strict set of guidelines.
The whole 30 website will provides you with a list of allowed foods,
as well as a list of off-limit foods.
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During the month-long elimination period, no cheating is allowed. It’s recommended that you start the challenge over if you get off track.
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The founders claim that strict adherence to the diet allows your body and immune system to reset in isolation from certain foods that may cause inflammation, gut disruptions, or hormone imbalances.
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Although I personally do not recommend strict nutrition guidelines although the whole 30 program will be beneficial for those who do not find the rigidity to be anxiety provoking.
The Carnivore diet.
Despite my concerns for using the carnivore diet as a long-term health solution, there are some areas where the carnivore diet is worth consideration as a short-term strategy to manage inflammation in conjunction with other Functional Medicine interventions.
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Here are a few possible benefits:
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Reduced GI symptoms. When the digestive system is in an acute inflamed state, such as with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) or diverticulitis, sometimes a low-residue diet can help to reduce inflammation and symptoms while we work to heal the gastrointestinal system at a deeper level. A low-residue diet simply means low-fiber, and although there are other ways to implement this, a carnivore diet is one option.
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Reduced inflammation. For some, the carnivore diet can greatly reduce inflammation, both in the digestive system and throughout the body, making it a possible solution for those with autoimmune disease and other inflammatory conditions as a way to calm the system while putting other measures in place.
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Weight loss. Since fat and protein can both be very filling, it is common for those following a carnivore diet to naturally eat fewer calories and even enter the state of ketosis where the body primarily uses fat (including body fat) for fuel. Just like a ketogenic diet can produce weight loss, a carnivore diet could have the same effect. It may be an option for certain people, although there are other, less extreme options that would be more sustainable for the long-term.
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