6 Steps to Optimal Health
6 Steps to REACH Optimal Health by Erica Rudesyle NTP
Modern diet is consumed by foods that is foreign to our bodies. How can one reach optimal health or how does one live longer? Although genes have not changed, the food industry and cultural norm has drastically changed over time. Blaming one thing over the next, yet not blaming our lifestyle will not solve the problem. Yet, the solution to make healthy changes that will shift over time for the next generation and beyond is to make a change now and follow these 5 Steps to allow your body to function how it was born to. The six Steps to Reach Optimal Health are as follows: Maintaining a Nutrient Dense Diet, Having a Healthy Digestive System, Maintaining Blood Sugar, Healthy Fatty Acids, Eating Minerals and Staying Hydrated.
Let’s discuss further.
Step 1 Maintaining a Nutrient Dense Diet
The American diet at times consists of pizza, french fries and a soda which contains more carbohydrates and hydrogenated fats than protein or fatty acids. Having a highly processed carbohydrate diet consistently can eventually lead to blood sugar dysregulation. Selecting high quality whole foods that are dense in nutrients and minerals will optimize our health and prevent disease and dysfunction within our bodies. Based on the Basics of Nutrition, “Eating a properly prepared, nutrient-dense, whole food diet provides the fuel and essential building blocks the body needs to maintain health and balance” (NTA 2021, pg 1). By consuming whole foods that are closest to what nature provides, our bodies will properly fulfill the nutrients it needs to properly function. When eating natural foods, the process of digestion and elimination will allow nutrients to be absorbed, using it as fuel for cells that make up the organs and tissues in each body.
When maintaining a nutrient dense diet, blood sugar can be regulated which relate to energy levels and the balance of macronutrients. Too little, too less of glucose can cause dysfunction within the body so it is important to understand how to have an adequate balance of macronutrients for optional health. Additionally healthy fats found in foods such as animals and plants have a key role when properly preparing whole foods.
Fats are extremely important since they are the building blocks for cellular membranes and hormones. They also help regulate our bodies’ inflammatory response. Our bodies need additional minerals from food in order for every system to function. “Minerals are required to transfer nutrients across cell membranes, build healthy bones, regulate nerve signaling, and contract and relax our muscles” (NTA 2021, pg 3).
By drinking plenty of water, and consuming a nutrient dense whole food diet, minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium will be consumed. The most important nutrient that we can consume daily is water. Enough water allows for our body to work and function optimally. Water is found in every single cell, tissue, and body fluid with our bodies. The role of water is so crucial to our system because it helps with breathing, helps lubricate joints, delivers nutrients and oxygen to the cells, improves digestion, and helps regulate body temperature. Without water, our bodies would only last a few days, whereas it can live about 8 weeks without food. Adequate Hydration is the most important nutrient that we can easily add to our day for optimal health. Each person is different from the amount of water they take. For example, a nursing mom will need more water to take, rather than a non active retiree.
Having a deep understanding that our bodies need an adequate amount and balance of macronutrients to provide the fuel and energy to our body to function properly. Macronutrients include proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Through a Nutritional Therapist lens, the amounts of macronutrients needed are based on the clients bio individuality and unique needs such as their lifestyle, age, activity level, genetics, etc. For example, athletes will fuel differently than a non-active retiree. Dysfunction can arise when there is a large amount of a macronutrient imbalance, a strong presence of one of them within the diet or when there is a lack of nutrient dense, whole foods.
As stated before based on one’s biodiversity, your intake of macronutrients that are nutrient dense, must be balanced because Proteins, Fats and Carbohydrates create cell function. The sourcing of our proteins and carbohydrates must be carefully considered and selected so it is easier for our body to recognize and digest properly. As consumers, we must value label reading and choose proteins with labels such as grass fed, pasture raised, organic, etc.
Let’s talk about Carbohydrates. Carbohydrates provide fuel for our brain, it helps the breakdown of glucose, once broken down it contributes to our immune system and helps fight off infections. The most important fact is that carbohydrates are NON essential in our body and our body can actually make its own carbohydrates! Which leads to another important tip:
Carbohydrates are the fuel to our kindling fire.
Our body will crave more if we feed and consume it with highly processed refined foods such as chips, baked goods, breads, etc. Our blood sugar tends to spike with an excessive amount of glucose into our meals and our bodies easily become under stress when we continuously feed it with high doses of sugar, aka processed foods. By focusing on nature’s carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, or Brussel sprouts will not only provide additional carbohydrates to burn for fuel but will provide nutrients and minerals into our body to help regulate the blood sugar naturally. When our body has more protein, it is fueled and converted into energy. Protein should be “100% grass fed, pasture raised poultry and eggs and wild-caught fish” (BS Regulation25).
For optimal health, consuming healthy fats is of great importance due to the key role that fats play within our cells and body. When it comes to fats, Americans do not ingest as much healthy fats as needed due to the cost and production. Fats not only is an energy source, it creates energy, a key component of our heart, is the building block to cell and that all cell membranes rely on fats to keep the volume of water in. Fats also keep us satiated longer like a slow burning log. Fats also play an important role for proper absorption of vitamins and minerals. For example, fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, D, E, K need healthy fat to help absorb them within the bloodstream.
As humans, we store more fat than carbohydrates within the liver and muscles which makes it essential to have high quality fats such as within our cells. Fats have an important role in our cell and organ structure which are essential for optimal health. By avoiding hydrogenated oils, margarine, seed oils, we can prevent toxic build up in our fat tissue which can lead to disease. You need to ingest healthy fats such as olive oil, avocado oil, butter, lard will allow your body to function properly. It is recommended to get rid of the unhealthy fats that are not only taking up room in your refrigerator and cabinets but are harming your health. These unhealthy fats are often cheaper to increase the amount of shelf life. For optimal health, it is advised to throw away and avoid buying the following fake oils that your body doesn’t not recognize: vegetable oil, canola oil, seed oil, margarine since these are manufactured and processed forms of Omega 6s. For ideal health, people should focus on their ratios of omega 6s to omega 3s with a goal of 1:1, rather than 6:1.
Step 2 Healthy Digestion System
Sleep, Lack of a Balanced Nutrient Dense Food, Stress, and Hydration are all some factors that contribute to a poor digestive system. Every cell that makes up every tissue requires optimal nutrients to function. Our bodies need these optimal nutrients as stated before through digestion. In order to get the nutrients that our bodies need which are essential for our nervous system, endocrine, cell function and structure, we need to digest and absorb high quality, sourced foods.Optimal health relies heavily on a healthy balanced microbiome. The saying, “You are what you eat” becomes true after understanding how having proper digestion can lead to optimal health. Improper digestion can lead to many diseases and dysfunction within our body but also can be affected by sleep, movement and stress as well. Digestion is dependent not only on a nutrient dense diet, but is also a key factor in other parts of reaching optional health that will be discussed later in this text.
So let’s talk about how digestion really works!
Every cell in our body contributes to a healthy digestive system. Digestion is a north to south process that begins in the brain. For digestion to begin properly, our bodies must be in a parasympathetic state, or we need to feel calm, relaxed, and safe while eating. By taking a deep breath, engaging our senses and giving tanks, our brain makes the connection to our gut to relax and signals that the process is beginning. Once we take a bite, our brain messages and recognizes if it is sweet, flavorful, sour and then the saliva begins to form. Our enzymes begin to break down the food, where it is essential for us to chew the food 20-30 times before swallowing it. Once we swallow the food, it goes down the esophageal sphincter and into our stomach. The stomach is the chamber for digestion, in order to prepare, disinfect the food in order to prepare for digestion. Stomach issues such as bloating, burping, heartburn, etc are all symptoms of one not having enough stomach acid, or Hydrochloric acid. Stomach acid is incredibly important and without enough of it, it makes our bodies more vulnerable to pathogens which are largely made up of protein. Pathogens can leak into the bloodstream causing dysbiosis or leaky gut which is the root cause of many dysfunctions and inflammatory diseases of the body. Stomach acid is important because it helps to absorb the nutrients and vitamins such as calcium, iron and zinc. The hormone which is responsible for the breakdown of fat and proteins, tells the pancreas to release the bile that is made in the liver which is a hormonal response. The bile and the function of the liver help digest and break down the fat. Once this occurs, enzymes help with the absorption into the small intestines, building amino and fatty acids, absorbing and breaking them down into carbohydrates. Fiber rich foods help this break down, as well as bile and water in order for the vitamin and minerals to get absorbed into the bloodstream. After the waste gets to the large intestines and then the colon, it prepares for a bowel movement.
Each part of this lengthy process contributes towards reaching optimal health. Optimal health is linked to a healthy digestion system which includes having at least 1-2 bowel movements per day while categorizing the stool in a type 2 and/or type 3, based on the Bristol stool chart. If digestion is not working properly, then is there enough fiber whole foods, an adequate amount of water, is the body at a parasympathetic state, is there a balance of micronutrients and less highly processed foods or is sleep and movement a factor? Optimal health is needed when our body is aligned, with healthy digestion being a high priority.
Step 3 - Regulating Blood Sugar will Prevent Disease
Blood sugar regulation is driven by foods that we choose to ingest. Think of starting your morning with a cup of coffee with cream and sugar and a donut. You will most likely experience a “sugar crash” two hours later and be ready to take a nap, but then decide to reach for something sugary to help you stay awake. This sugar roller coaster within your body will cause feelings of exhaustion, maybe anxiety, anger, and etc. Not one of your children, coworker or spouse would want to be around you if this is what is fueling your body.
If one is able to regulate their sugar levels, the risk for future disease will decrease and optimal health can be reached. The American diet has an increased amount of high blood sugar, and it has become a nation-wide emergency. Research shows that 1 in 3 people will have Type 2 Diabetes in 2050. Type 2 is a lifestyle disease while the American mindset has always focused more on genetics as the root cause. From a NTA perspective, diabetes is based on diet, and it can be controlled and reversed with nutrient dense whole foods and balanced meals with protein, fat and carbohydrates.
When we have high glycemic foods and highly processed foods like crackers, chips, candy, caramel lattes etc, our blood sugar rises and it creates a vicious cycle in our bodies which will eventually cause our cells to begin screaming at us.
Once we fill our bodies with these processed foods, our central nervous systems then says hey, liver and hey pancreas, you need to release insulin to get these sugar levels where they need to be. Ideally, we want our blood sugar to be at 80-90 mg. Our body needs insulin to open the door to our cells to assist the glucose into the bloodstream. It becomes a problem when there is an excessive amount. When we have too much, our cells do not know what to do with it. The insulin rushes out glucose into the cells, and then our body then reacts with symptoms of feeling tired, exhausted, yet also known as a sugar crash. At this time, our body is already under stress when the adrenal glands release hormones like cortisol which can feel almost like adrenaline and you can feel jittery and shaky. Hormones such as insulin and glucagon help the blood sugar to balance, they are often like book keepers to keep the roller coaster a smooth curvy ride. Once your sugar is balanced, you may feel more energized until your next meal. The rise and fall of your blood sugar is highly related to the food choices throughout the day. If it consists of processed foods, high carbohydrates, the body doesn’t like when there is too much sugar in the body. It doesn't have anywhere to store it, except the adipose tissue, which is also known as fat tissue. It is also stored in our skeletal system when the cells have enough. Inflammation over time cannot occur within the body leading to aches and pains, but more so when one consumes higher glycemic foods. Overtime, cells in our body cannot handle an excess amount of glucose and actually become resistant to it, which is the lead cause of hyperglycemia. Being insulin resistant means that the cells are full with glucose, and no more can come in.
Step 4 Consuming Healthy Fatty Acids will lead to Longevity
A common myth that we used to think is if “I eat foods with whole fat, I am going to be fat”. This is so wrong! Fatty acids are essential for humans, and the only way for our bodies to have it if we properly ingest healthy fats. Fats are actually categorized based on their makeup, their ability, and can become rancid if not stored properly. Consider fats as the building blocks of our cells and without fat, important vitamins such as A, D, E, and K cannot be absorbed. Fats not only allow food to taste good, it helps our body to regulate energy by slowing down the digestion of our foods as well so nutrients can be properly absorbed. Longevity is also linked to people who have high Omega 3 and Omega 6s in the body, ideally with a ration of 2:1. Today’s modern diet is focused on the consumption of less healthy fats which actually can lead to the following dysfunctions within our body. Musculoskeletal issues, Endocrine issues, Cardiovascular issues, Immune issues, Allergies, Skin problems, Depression, and etc. Inflammation is also caused by a deficiency of fatty acids within the body.
Our bodies need to have two types of fatty acids, Omega 3 and Omega 6s which you probably have heard of. Ideally, our bodies need to have a balance of 1:1 ratio of these, but with our modern diet today, most people are consuming EFAS with the ratio of 1:20 which causes dysfunction within our bodies due to the important roles that fatty acids play in our body. When we consume more of Omega 6 such as vegetable oils, margarine, and other industrial oils, our body is more prone to inflammation. On the other hand, if we consume more Omega 3s, like nut butters, olive or avocado oil, animal fat, we decrease the amount of inflammation in our bodies. Some people with achy or stiff joints can resolve their symptoms with just adding more Omega 3s into their diet because of their anti-inflammatory properties.
Additionally, by adding more fats in your diet, you will feel more satiated. One of the several roles that fat has is making our food taste better and making us feel more satiated. By using the metaphor of a burning fire, the logs are the fat. When we add logs to our fire, the fire lasts longer, and the fire burns slowly. When we add more fat to our diet, we feel satisfied. In your food and mood journal, I observed a consistent pattern of feeling “hungry” or “starving” and sometimes “fatigued”. The level of hunger is due to the amount of exercise that you participate in and the lack of healthy fats into your diet. If you were to add a few additional healthy fats each meal, you will feel satiated longer, and less prone to reach for a highly processed, sweet treat at night such as a cupcake.. Because you are active, you want to focus on preventing injury and supplying the nutrients your body needs to recover and support your muscles. For example, by adding cashews, it will provide healthy fat and also additional magnesium to support your muscle recovery.
People are eating less types of food, with less Omega 3 and Omega 6s and therefore are eating less healthy fats. The consumption of less healthy fats causes a dysfunction in the following: Musculoskeletal issues, Endocrine issues, Cardiovascular issues, Immune issues, Allergies, Skin problems, Depression, and etc. Inflammation is also caused by a deficiency of fatty acids within the body. If we focus on eating more healthier fats, then optimal health can be reached.
Step 5: Eat your Minerals
Did you take your women’s multivitamin today? Minerals are an essential part of our body system. Our bodies rely on a nutrient dense diet to obtain the minerals that it needs to function. Only about 4% of minerals are found within our bodies therefore the remainder is dependent on foods. Minerals are responsible for regulating nerves, contracting and relaxing muscles, building health bones, and transferring nutrients across the cells. Some minerals work together well like iron and copper, and magnesium and potassium. Other minerals like zinc and copper may inhibit proper nutrient absorption or interfere with functions. When it comes to calcium, it depends on its cofactors for pepper absorption and functioning which is highly important to our muscular and skeletal systems. The mineral calcium is prominent in our bones and blood. We all get enough calcium, it just is a matter of cofactors that allow our body to absorb it properly. If we want our body to absorb calcium, then we need the adequate amount or function of fatty acids, digestion, proper hydration, hormone function, and other minerals. For example, one may be eating healthy foods, but may have poor digestion or dehydration which is problematic for a true calcium absorption.
Step 6 - Maintaining Adequate Hydration throughout the day
Most Americans are suffering from chronic hydration. This leads to many symptoms that many are unaware or. The common myth is to drink ½ of your body weight in ounces but what would you recommend to someone who is breastfeeding, active in sports, participates in hot yoga, and drinks a lot of coffee or alcohol? The recommended water intake would not be the same as someone who does not do any of the above listed. Hydration also depends on environmental factors as well such as those living in higher elevation levels like Utah, Montana, etc.
The amount of water intake could be considered to the recommended weight and gender, however, the amount should be based on a person’s bio individuality. In order to reach optimal health, one must be hydrated since the role of water is an integral part of our function and possible dysfunction it can cause if not adequately hydrated. Our body has 60% of water, think of all of the bodily fluids. As stated before, water is responsible for breathing, helps lubricate joints, delivers nutrients and oxygen to the cells, improves digestion, and helps regulate body temperature.
If someone has a headache or is fatigued, the first remedy may simply, drink more water! As a busy parent, one may have a difficult time reaching their water intake goals, but can add a little fun to it! Have a work water challenge, purchase a water measuring tumbler that marks the ounces and time of day, add an alarm or reminder to your daily phone calendar that sings a fun tune as a reminder to drink your water, and so on.
Conclusion
Optimal health is accessible to everyone based on their biodiversity and individual make up. This can be achieved by following these steps and being aware of the role and importance of each foundation of nutrition. In summary, each cell in our body contributes to digestion, relies on fatty acids and proper hydration, is affected by blood sugar dysregulation, allows the transfer of nutrients and therefore a nutrient dense diet is extremely important to our health so that each cell can properly function and optimal health is reached.
