Core Principles Of Nutrition

What should we eat is a question that seems to come with endless debate. More carbs, fewer carbs. All meat, no meat. While nutrition is unique to each individual, there are common principles that apply across cultures and time.

1. The single most important element for recovering health and maintaining health is to eat a nutrient dense, whole foods diet. This single principle removes the noise and toxicity of our modern processed food supply and is rich in the elements our body needs to function. 

   
   

2. While it is easy to focus on what needs to be removed from diet, the purpose of food is often overlooked. For our bodies to heal, for our bones to be made strong and our biological web to dance — we require certain fundamental inputs. Imagine each nutritional building block -- from minerals to proteins to vitamins and essential fatty acids -- as an instrument in an orchestra. When any one is missing, the full expression and harmony of sound cannot be achieved. Similarly, the dance and full expression of our biology cannot be articulated without the raw materials to do so. 

The core essence of diet is to give the body what it needs and to remove what gets in the way. What are the core elements that allow biology to fully express itself? 

1. Maximize nutrient dense whole foods, primarily cooking at home.

2. Adequate protein intake.

3. 6-8 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Local > Organic > Conventional.

4. Repletion of minerals and trace elements.

5. Quality fats.

6. Repletion of antioxidants, particularly flavonoids.

7. Repletion of essential fatty acids, EPA and DHA.

8. Grass fed, pastured animals, ideally locally sourced.

9. Whole food carbohydrates.

10. Key supplementation of nutrients.

11. Removal of food intolerances.

Imagine the song available to the body when all building blocks are present.

Dr. Jane Litsey