ExpandYourDiet.ca - the Nutritional Education site of Andrea Bartels

Holistic Nutrition Philosophy

What makes the philosophy of Holistic Nutrition unique? Currently, each of us has different nutritional needs, based on genetic, life-stage and lifestyle differences.

The following beliefs form the foundation of my philosophy.

Fact:

Each of us is biochemically individual.

• For example, smokers have a higher degree of physiological stress, and require more vitamin C than a non-smoker who has the same diet and lifestyle practices.

Fact:

There is no single ideal diet that will keep you well from birth until death. Nutritional needs change according to growth stage, activity levels and health status. As stress increases, so do our nutritional needs. Stress can come from mental/emotional/spiritual, chemical/nutritional/ environmental, structural/physical, or electro-magnetic factors.

• A woman requires more dietary protein during pregnancy than she did beforehand to support the growth of the new life growing rapidly within her.

Fact:

We are not just what we eat, but what we absorb. Efficient digestion is central to health. So is our ability to dismantle the toxins we absorb through food, water and air.

• Certain food preservatives interfere with the absorption of vitamins, whereas some promote the formation of carcinogens (cancer-causing substances) if certain dietary nutrients are lacking.

Fact:

Supplementation of a nutritionally inadequate diet with extra amounts of nutrients may be necessary to achieve wellness. This is largely due to modern agricultural practices and food processing, particulars that are important determinants of food quality.

• What touches the skin, goes in. This is why topical hormone patches and creams are so effective. Meanwhile, the absorption of dietary nutrients depends largely on adequate availability and function of enzymes and other specialized digestive secretions.

Fact:

Food QUALITY is more important than food quantity. Many of us are overfed yet undernourished. Food needs to be fresh, clean and uncontaminated.

• The soil in which most food is grown is incompletely nourished; that is, North American soils are widely deficient in important trace minerals such as zinc, selenium and chromium. Nutritional supplementation of these hard-to-get nutrients ensures that the body stays in balance. Just because a person eats the number of servings recommended by the Food Guide does NOT ensure he/she is well-nourished. It's not how many selections of grains and cereals you choose that's so important; rather, it's the difference between white rice and brown rice that decides a person's nutritional status.

Fact:

Everything we take in -- be it food or information -- needs to be fully digested if we are to be well. This means that emotional and spiritual health is a vital part of achieving optimum health.

• The thoughts you feed yourself can have a positive or negative impact on your physical well-being.