THE FOUNDATION OF HEALTH: NUTRITION.
As you’ve probably learned by now, the root of Water and the Well is nutrition. As Hippocrates once said,
“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
While there are so many different things that can positively or negatively impact our health, nutrition is truly the foundation of overall health and wellness. Food can cause, prevent, and even heal underlying issues. We often hear the debate of which is more important — nutrition or exercise? But I ask you to think — could we exercise without proper nutrition? Will we see results without proper nutrition? The answer to both of these is NO. Not only this, but nutrition is FAR more than a number on a scale, or the calories labeling a food item. Nutrition is NOT calories in / calories out. After all, do you think it affects your body equally eating a donut or half an avocado? They are about the same in number of calories, but is that all that matters? What about the macronutrient distribution? How do carbohydrates affect your body vs. fat vs. protein? What if we throw in fiber?
Let’s take it one step further. Think about the rise in chronic disease around the world, things like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, autoimmune disorders, etc. Do you think the QUALITY of food plays a part in any of these? Of course they do. Food has the ability to control blood sugars, to prevent or cause flare-ups in many autoimmune disorders, to increase or decrease inflammatory markers, and the list goes on. Food is about QUALITY and QUANTITY. But if you read my first post, you will see that we place far more of an emphasis on quality over quantity at Water and the Well. Why? Well food is meant to nourish, to fuel you, and for enjoyment. After all, almost all holidays are surrounded by food. Why is it that dieting and weight loss goals always start after these holidays? Why is it that we as a nation are constantly on a roller coaster of yo-yo dieting and a cycle of overeating and undereating? These roller coasters cause immense harm on the body long-term. Not only that, but how do we stop this roller coaster and why do we keep hopping on it in the first place?
My goal as your Registered Dietitian is to help you find a healthy relationship with food. At Water and the Well, we drop the talk about weight, we drop the talk about calories and dieting, and we focus on healing your underlying health concerns. We focus on how to know what foods are of highest quality, when is the best time to choose certain foods, as well as how to properly pair foods for your health. We focus on satiety, or the feeling of being FULL. This is a feeling that so many of us have lost or continuously pushed down, or have just forgotten to “listen” to. I promise you, your body is a lot smarter than you are — it knows when you are hungry, when you are full, and how to let you know that it is out of homeostasis. We have just forgotten to listen!
As we begin to master these concepts, we will then dive more into calories, what they are, what they mean for you and your health. Don’t get me wrong, they do play a part — but this is NOT where we start on our holistic health journey. If I can help get you to your health goal without ever having to count calories or deprive yourself, I have achieved my goal. Then you never have a fear of what to eat or how often to eat or making sure you track your food, because that’s not reality, that’s not enjoyment, and that is not at all helping your mental health. Remember, these are stressors in our lives, and increasing stress increases your blood sugars, leading to fat storage — but more into that later!
It’s time to get back in the driver’s seat of your body and your health.
At Water and the Well, we offer several different packages to choose from based on what your previous knowledge and/or comfort level is with holistic nutrition and exercise. Sign up for a free 20 minute consultation with me to get a better understanding of the memberships and if this seems like the right path for you, or check out our “Memberships” tab to see for yourself!
I’m looking forward to taking this journey with you ✨
