March is nutrition month and time to think more about what we feed ourselves. Food has a tremendous impact on how we perform both mentally and physically. Do you pay enough attention to the connection between food and how you feel?

There is a lot of confusion about food with different groups arguing that their program is the best. Nutrition has become as divisive as politics! There are so many dietary options, trends, and powerful marketing campaigns that people are more confused than ever about proper nutrition.

As I have written repeatedly, in both my books, there is no one perfect diet for every single person out there. We are all unique as we are not what we eat, we are what we digest. An approach that can be personalized is most needed.

There are, however, some simple changes that you can all make right now that will not only optimize your gut flora but will help you feel more energized and guide you on the right path.

1. Eat whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods. Sugar and refined carbs are very detrimental to a healthy gut. This means avoiding breads, cookies, cakes, bagels, cereals as much as possible. These are the foods that will spike your blood sugar and zap your energy.

2. 75% of your plate should be plant based. You need to load up on fiber which you get from fruits and vegetables. Fiber helps keep your gut clean as it acts like a brush to help your bowels move well.

3. Eat good healthy omega 3 fats daily to help decrease inflammation. People tend to look at all fats as bad. This is simply not true. Some examples of healthy fats to include in your day are cold pressed organic olive oil, grass fed butter, fatty oily fish such as salmon, sardines, mackerel.

4. Avoid labels, especially when the list is very long filled with words that you cannot even pronounce. If you cannot say it, you should not eat it!

5. Consume a variety of fruits and vegetables to make sure you are getting a good number of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and polyphenols.

As Hippocrates said many years ago ….”food is medicine”. He was thinking of nature. Try and remember that. Choose food from the earth as opposed to the factory!

Frances Michaelson ND