The perfect balance!
Stop the bans and the dictates!
To feel good once and for all, there’s just one rule: eat sensibly… and enjoy your food.
With a constant barrage of new dietary guidelines, supposedly “healthier” diets, and foods that are one after another being shunned, we thought we’d finally made our dietary revolution… And yet, it’s actually by using our awareness and our bodies as our compass that we find the path to better eating in 2020.
True autonomy, where the body and mind are no longer constrained by the pursuit of a utopian “ideal” weight, but where finding one’s healthy weight is a natural byproduct of embracing the concept of a healthy body.
Here are 6 simple rules to help you achieve this:
.1. Look toward the garden
.2. Cut out processed foods
.3. Put the sugar back where it belongs
.4. Stop butting in
.5. Try "intuitive eating"
.6. Regain fluidity
1. Look on the garden side
The cycles of nature shape life in the vegetable garden just as much as our biological clock does. Eating what the earth produces at the time it produces it means respecting how our bodies work. In the summer, our bodies get thirsty and seek to protect themselves from UV rays.
BINGO: The cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, and eggplants on our summer tables are hydrating and help fight free radicals.
Following these connections is what’s known as functional nutrition.
“Functional nutrition highlights the ability of foods—through their rich content of vitamins, minerals, trace elements, fiber, carbohydrates, fats, and proteins—to subtly nourish our body’s vital functions at the exact moment it needs them,” explains Céline Vaquer, a certified functional nutritionist who is also an iridologist and naturopath.
How do I do that?
Respect the natural rhythms of the seasons and the body.
“For example, in the morning, dopamine—the neurotransmitter that kick-starts our energy, joy, and motivation—is metabolized by protein intake. Breakfast should therefore include protein, combined with whole grains and healthy fats. This is when our vital functions need them to provide the boost needed for an energetic day and to support focus and memory.
And at 5 p.m., when serotonin—another neurotransmitter that promotes calm—kicks in, it helps combat addictions and curbs those 6–7 p.m. cravings; it also subsequently triggers the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. “So, opt for fresh fruit, 2–3 squares of dark chocolate, and a few rawcashews,which are rich in tryptophan, an amino acid that is a precursor to serotonin,” recommends Céline Vaquer.
