Nutrition

Hippocrates, who is considered to be the “father” of modern medicine, used the phrase: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food”. That itself signifies without a doubt the importance of food to our bodies, furthermore, the importance of correct nutrition to our health. Our body takes all the vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbs and fats from the food we give it. This means that if we give it, for example, junk-food (fast-food) our body’s capability to break it down into needed nutritional parts decreases thanks to the low quality of that food. This is how deficiencies are created. Adding to that are our hectic lifestyles and everyday pressure which force the body to use its natural resources, creating an even greater deficiency that may express itself in the form of an illness. Let’s take the example of vegetarians, since they don’t eat any meat, it can create a deficiency in vitamin B12 or iron, therefore their nutrition needs to be constructed in a way that includes the right natural substitutes or supplements of the missing vitamin or mineral.

People who experienced different illnesses might need a more specific nutrition in order to heal and improve their quality of life… there’s the possibility of constructing a liquid based menu from fruits and vegetables (together or apart) in order for the body to absorb the vitamins and minerals better without the need for any complex digestive action. This saves the body some much needed energy when it’s at a low state after a serious illness or at an old age. In illnesses such as: colitis and diverticulitis for example, during an acute (strong) seizure you should avoid eating salads, or proteins that are harder to digest (like red meat) etc. and instead eat steamed vegetables and foods that are easier to digest but sometimes has a reduced nutrition value (Like white rice instead of whole rice). This will help the body recuperate better from the seizure, afterwards, though, you must return to eat those same previously excluded foods in order to prevent another seizure from happening.

The body puts a lot of energy into the digestion process, therefore when it’s ill and needs to cope with germs/viruses by giving more energy into the fighting process we tend to lose our appetite… when the body is busy fighting it has less time and means for digesting food.

Our job as nutritionists is to construct and create menus that will eventually serve and contribute to a change in lifestyle and a healthier more balanced conduct. 

Over the years the quality of the food we consume has decreased and is continuing to decrease every day whether it’s for the acceleration of growth or ripening in order to supply the overgrowing demand… growing fruits and vegetables out of season… plucking them before they are ready… ripening them in fridges…decreasing quality of the components of the soil in which they grow… spraying… the medicines we give to the animals we later eat… contamination of groundwater… air pollution etc. plus our constant rhythm of life, levels of stress and worrying. When you put all of this together you get deficiencies that develop in our body over time even if we believe that we are in fact eating correctly or healthy.

Therefore, we should be aware of these facts and give our bodies the correct and healthy nutrition they need by refilling their different deficiencies, if created, with nutritional supplements from a range of companies that exist in the market today.

You shouldn’t consume any supplements without consulting someone who knows and understands it because sometimes an excess of supplements can create even greater problems than a deficiency can.

Moreover, I consider drinking water as part of good nutrition, due to the fact that our body consist of abt. 60% water it acts better when we give it enough water for all its activities. Consuming a good amount of water helps the body to function better while dealing with infections caused by bacteria, viruses or funguses and even helps in losing weight. So, drinking water no matter if it’s summer or winter and even if we are not thirsty, is very important.