Naturopathic Nutrition
Food as Medicine
Nowadays we are ever more conscious of the importance of a healthy diet and 'clean' eating, which broadly means avoiding processed foods. We know that we should eat fresh, whole foods and preferably organic and chemical free. Naturopathic Nutrition takes a holistic view of health and considers that food is itself medicine and that wellness begins with what we put into our bodies.
Naturopathic Nutrition is an evidence based approach to health which treats the body as a whole, while takings into account our unique biological make up and lifestyles factors. It seeks to get to the core of health issues rather than following the common approach in conventional medicine of only treating the symptoms. Naturopathic Nutrition promotes the therapeutic effect of foods for specific health conditions and the benefit of good, wholesome foods and clean water to optimise general wellbeing.
As a qualified Naturopathic Nutrition practitioner, April Danann believes that natural foods are always the first line of treatment for everyone, whatever stage of life. As part of a Medical Intuitive consultation process, April will want to understand your medical history and current health status, whether you are wishing to alleviate a specific symptom or improve your overall health. Your personal health, symptoms and goals will be discussed and a personalised nutrition plan will be devised on this basis. Nutritional therapy helps you to identify the unprocessed whole foods that make you look and feel your best.
photo credit; Sarah Woods at Ilovecooking.ie
“There are some basic tenents that every human living on this planet needs to get back to - and the fundamental one would be food. How to feed ourselves so that the body and mind is well nourished and in a healthy state has been eroded in less then several generations. We have been duped into thinking that we actually ‘need’ health care - what we need is self care in the form of fresh whole food and clean water.
I know that some may be thinking- well how do I live without this or that? It can’t be all that bad - no? We have been so manipulated into thinking that just because something is on the shelf in a supermarket 365 days a year that it should be consumed as such. Never before have we had access to sugar, caffeine, alcohol, packaged foods, chocolate, boxes of processed stuff- all the time.
Your body is designed to eat fresh, whole veggies, fruits, some grains, some fish, little meat and clean water. Anything else is a stress on the digestion and clogs up the nutrient pathways.
Time to get serious about our food.”
Explaining Intermittent Fasting & Fasting Cardio
April herself practices and is an advocate for intermittent fasting, which is about eating patterns rather than dieting. Intermittent fasting is predicated on when you eat rather than what you eat and that there's a benefit to health in the periods of time between meals as much as the meals themselves. Humans have actually been fasting throughout evolution, back to the days when our ancestors survived by hunting and gathering when food was available and having to fast when it wasn't. It is only in recent times that (in the developed world, at least) food has become constantly available, so having three meals a day is perhaps less natural than having an eating pattern that includes intermittent fasting.
When intermittent fasting is combined with exercise it is known as Fasted Cardio. Simply put, studies have shown that exercising in a fasted state can burn fat more efficiently compared with exercising after a meal. If appropriate, April can create a wellness plan for you that combines Naturopathic Nutrition with Intermittent Fasting or Fasting Cardio.
Naturopathic Nutrition is not intended to replace conventional medicines but to complement them, and, where necessary, dietary changes can be made under the supervision of a Medical Doctor.