Nutrition Tips with Julia O’Loughlin, RHN
- Eat natural foods in their whole form – Honour the synergistic combinations of vitamins and minerals that naturally occur in whole foods
- Eat organic foods – to avoid herbacides and pesticides
- Eat seasonal foods – These foods are fresh, local and appropriate for seasonal requirements of the body
- Eat fresh foods – nutrient levels peak at the time of harvest; fresher foods are more nutrient-rich
- Eat a variety of foods and rotate them – to ensure all nutrients are acquired
- Eat in moderation – smaller meals more frequently are preferable to 3 large meals per day as this is easier on the digestive system and increases metabolism
- Don’t eat rushed, under stressful conditions, or in front of the television – we do not properly digest food under stressful conditions and thus, nutrients are not sufficiently absorbed
- Participate in the preparation of your food as much as possible – get acquainted with the food you eat and connect with it
- Avoid processed, refined, and “enriched” foods – these foods are nutrient deficient and lead to nutrient debt
- Avoid foods cooked at very high temperatures (BBQ) – damages the nutrient quality of foods and produces free radicals
- Use plenty of beneficial oils and avoid hazardous oils – Consume organic, cold-pressed, unrefined oils (coconut, olive, and flax are particularly useful), and avoid processed, hydrogenated oils, particularly those that have been heated at high temperatures (deep fried foods). (Never heat polyunsaturated oils – flax oil, borage oil, corn oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, sunflower oil, and evening primrose oil)
- Chew food thoroughly – digestion for carbohydrates begins in the mouth
