The Food First Approach

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Nature has packaged nutrients and phytonutrients in a perfect and balanced way. We underutilise food as medicine every day, as our society eats more ultra processed food. My practice has a food first approach compatible with nature, this is sustainable, accessible, affordable and more enjoyable than living on supplements.

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The new field of nutrigenomics (the scientific study of the interaction between nutrition and genes), has taken the world by storm, as people look for a better and safer way to manage diseases. This has led to evidence-based research to support the specific intake of health promoting foods and the development of supplements made from whole foods (nutraceuticals).

Dr Christine Houghton a nutritional biochemist has forever changed the world in this field.

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Healthy foods are not just a collection of minerals and vitamins; they contain phytochemicals, fibre and antioxidants which upregulate every cell in the body.  Antioxidants are not only found in food, but your body also makes these internally and when you stimulate these with specific foods and lifestyle changes, they are hundreds of times more powerful than your standard vitamin C.

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Food contains potent signalling molecules which switch on cellular gene expression (Nrf2), this upregulates cytoprotective genes which are critical to disease prevention and health promotion.

Our whole body is made up of individual cells, when you target health at a cellular level you can treat the underlying cause of disease.

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So where do you begin?

Start a diet of inclusion!

Eating 600gms (yes weigh them) of low starchy vegetables per day, from all colours of the rainbow. Include a little in each meal and you will change your health, this crowds out the bad eating, feeds good bacteria, ensures you gain all the polyphenols, potassium, fibre and nutrients.

 

And book in to see your GEMM trained naturopath!