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NaturalWay – Margit Slimáková

care about your health

How to Keep Your Body Fit Irrespective of Where You Are

Historically over eating has been a rare syndrome and only limited to some groups of people. Regular nutrition was based on grains and beans with lots of vegetables and fruit.

Is there a Universal Healthy Diet?

We are living at a time of prosperity, where deficits are not due to shortage of food but mostly from excesses of improper nutrition. Hundreds of books and articles have been written about this subject. There have also been all kinds of suggestions from different self-proclaimed experts, who offer conflicting advice on nutrition. How is it possible to separate good and bad advice from these very different, and often contra- dietary recommendations? 

Unfortunately, the food industry does not make enough money on carrots or lentils, but on processed food laden with unhealthy sugars, fats and many additives. Modern fad diets should be viewed with caution. Most of them recommend unbalanced or unnatural diet rules, which are not good in the long term. They only benefit the authors of the diets and the food industry because they present new opportunities to produce special foods, for example low-carbohydrate breads, high-protein cocktails, and low-fat, and even no-fat, crackers. 

It is better to take seriously the recommendations from independent experts and professional organizations, if indeed they do exist. We can also take inspiration from traditional medical systems, such as Ayurveda or traditional Chinese medicine and nutrition regimes used in medicines based on many ancient and historical observations and teachings. Even at a glance, different traditional nutritional philosophies such as vegetarianism, macrobiotics, five element nutrition or Ayurveda have a lot of common and it is easy to summarize their recommendations in three basic points:

  1. Natural food is preferable
  2. Plant-based food is healthier
  3. Support nutrition with a healthy lifestyle 

Natural Food vs. Processed Food

Not so long ago, most of the consumed food was cooked at home from natural ingredients. Furthermore, it was usually grown or raised organically, and did not need any food labels or certificates. Today Americans spend up to 90% of their food budget on processed food. Based on my knowledge and experience, this shift from a natural to a processed diet is the single most responsible factor for the epidemic of obesity and related health problems in developing countries.

While eating natural food, there is no need to count any calories or restrict the amount of food intake. Believe me, I have had no clients who got fat on carrots, beans or walnuts. The need to count calories and to be on restrictive diets is the result of the consumption of unnaturally concentrated and chemically distorted food. 

Plant-Based Diet

Today, most experts advocate plant-based diets and this is supported by results from many nutritional studies. A plant-based diet means gaining nutrition from a regular and sufficient intake of various plant resources. According to the most comprehensive study on nutrition ever conducted, "The China Study," people who eat mostly animal-based foods get the most chronic diseases. In America, more than 15%-16% of the total calories consumed come from protein and more than 80% of this amount comes from animal-based foods. However, in rural China, only 9-10% of total calories come from protein and only 10% of the protein comes from animal-based food. 

It is possible that many individuals consume even greater amounts of animal foods, but this has to come from naturally raised and fed livestock. It is a proven fact today that meat, and the large quantities in which it is consumed, does more harm than good. 

Healthy Lifestyle

For a healthy body and mind, it is essential to support nutrition with a correct lifestyle. Healthy eating, non-smoking and regular physical activities are the most powerful protection again the majority of chronic diseases and this is my first recommendation when treating many chronic health problems.

Nutrition therapy is a natural and inexpensive way to treat illness without side effects and is most important when dealing with the root cause of the problem and not just suppressing symptoms.  Regular sleep, plenty of fresh air, adequate exposure to sunlight and the ability to manage stress are vital to good health. 

For example, chronic lack of sleep as well as stress can support weight gain, skipping of breakfast leads to later overeating, and deficiency of sunlight leads to deficiency of vitamin D and consequently weakens the immune system. Any dieting without regular physical activity will also result in loss of muscle tissue.