Why do we eat and need to eat?

The only reason we need to eat and drink is to give our body energy and the right amount of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, fibres, water, fats to stabilise our hormone balance.

We need nutrients to stabilise our nervous systems, so that our bodies function to its optimum level and to fight infections, diseases and boost our immune systems.

So, the foods you eat are quite simply what makes up the entire structure of your body – and mind.

Make sure you chew your food properly, it not only helps you digest it easier, but the more you chew the more natural enzymes will be released for the benefit of your body as a whole and you will ingest more vitamins and minerals.

What you put in your mouth makes up every cell, tissue and organ of your being.

If, therefore, you can move further and further toward a wholefood, natural diet, you’ll be feeding your body with the correct material, cellular information and energy to function optimally – not just OK, but optimally.

The types of food you eat either tell your cells to express health and vitality, or, to express disease.

It’s your choice. The foods I am going to describe contain all the correct and vital information and energy for your cells.

More specifically, the right amount of vitamins, minerals, other plant chemicals, antioxidants (which give nature’s foods their wonderful and diverse spectrum of colour), fibres and water are important.

The right amount and type of carbohydrates for energy as well as the amino acids to build and re-build structures and tissues is key.

And finally, we need essential fats and fatty acids to keep the cells fluid, flexible and fully functional, and to help us receive oxygen and nutrients, expel waste, keep our nervous systems and brains healthy.

Fat, incidentally, is also vital for hormone production and hormone balance. It helps control inflammation and encourages healing processes in the body.

Our body still craves and requires the natural foods we ate and drank many years ago.

Processed foods, simple sugars, contaminated water, and artificial stimulants are all still alien to our body.

All of these accumulated unnatural products (toxins) are stored in our fat cells while our body decides what to do with them.We are slowly being poisoned as our body stores toxin after toxin.

Following a high protein nutrition plan with a good level of essential fats, low starch carbohydrates and high fibrous carbohydrates (vegetables and fruit) will strip you of this toxic fat.

In order to achieve this you need to return to the natural foods that we have evolved to eat and process comfortably.

Useful Tips

  • Learn how to cook wholegrains. Grains such as rice, quinoa, oats and barley (hulled wholegrain, pot or pearl barley – which is the quickest to cook) are very easy to cook, and wonderful natural foods. Just rinse, add the correct amount of water and boil, or steam. There are no culinary skills required here, just the ability to take action. The health benefits are well worth it. Start trying them one by one. If your life is very busy, cook double the quantity of rice or quinoa, use half and put the rest in the fridge for a quick salad base, or meal the next day.
  • Remember that beans and pulses are great sources of carbohydrate (and happen to be good sources of protein too), so stock up on tins of organic ready-cooked mixed beans, butter beans, chickpeas, pinto beans etc (with no added salt or sugar) and use in stir-fries, salads or soups.
  • If you have time, buy dried beans and pulses, soak for eight to 10 hours, rinse well, and boil in water with a pinch of cumin. Mung beans are particularly nutritious and an excellent protein and high mineral food. After soaking you could even sprout them instead!
  • Make up a small freezer bag or tub of unsalted raw nuts such as almonds, or pecans, or mixed seeds with a splattering of raisins for sweetness. This is the perfect snack to keep in your bag or briefcase for those times when you’d normally reach for a muffin, bagel, shortbread, or chocolate bar – or for those crucial times when you find there is no food available yet your blood sugar has dropped.
  • Invest in a thermos flask so you can take nutritious homemade soups or stews to work. Hearty vegetable soups are a great lunchtime filler and nourishing food.
  •  Buy a set of plastic containers for packed lunches like salads, pre-cut vegetable crudités or baby vegetables, one for a simple olive oil/vinegar salad dressing to add when you are ready to eat and one filled with houmous or an avocado. These are incredibly useful for preparing food for the day ahead.
  • Begin to build a stock of spices and herbs for the kitchen (remember spices and herbs are not only great to add flavour, they promote good digestion too!). You could begin with fresh root ginger, cinnamon, some ground cumin or fennel (or use the whole seeds), and fresh herbs too, like a bunch of fresh basil, dill, parsley, lemon thyme, or coriander.
  • Research each spice or herb that might interest you – take one by one. Learn how to cook with them, what their digestive and medicinal properties are, and the flavours they will add or impart to a simple meal or dish. Begin now to see your food and cooking as fun and interesting as well as healthy nourishing