Is it in human nature to take care of ourselves naturally, or should we be conditioned and trained? It’s not always natural to see the Food and Wellbeing Connection!
In general, the term nutrition refers to both macro and micro-nutrients. Macro and micro-nutrients are necessary for survival; we do not always eat with nutrition in mind and, therefore, don’t naturally take care of ourselves.
We eat all types of food, animal- and plant-based, with or without awareness of their nutritional content. In making the food and wellbeing connection, we need to learn the right way. When you think about it, there are a number of cultural factors that determine and form a person’s taste, preferences, taboos, and practices in preparing and taking food.
WE LEARN TO DO WHAT WE SEE OTHERS DO
As children, we learn through imitation. Therefore, if we grow up in a home that takes pride in our bodies and is interested in matters of nutrition, then the child will most likely grow into such an individual.
We rarely consider whether the food available is good for or bad for our health. We never consider how many other choices could be beneficial to our health.
On the other hand, if we are brought up in homes where there is no awareness about nutrition and its worth to the human body, then it may happen that a child grows up ignoring his or her own nutritional needs. This may develop into an eating disorder of some kind.
Questions that need to be asked are: “Will this make me ill down the road?” “Is this good for my health?” “Will it make my muscles firm, or will my body even be able to use this food item efficiently?”
WHAT NEIGHBOURS TAUGHT ME about the Food and Wellbeing Connection!
I had not thought about nutrition and its importance to a living thing until the day I met with some of my neighbours who were known to our street as ‘health nuts’.
Some of the other neighbours wouldn’t accept these people because they were quite different from most people living in the street at that time. They were into making their own clothes, growing their own vegetables, baking their own bread, and many crafts like sewing. Being quite self-sufficient was pretty much a strange phenomenon at that time in suburban Adelaide in the 1960s. I got to know these neighbours quite well, and they turned me on to the world of health, fitness, and nutrition.
HOLISTIC LIVING and the Food and Wellbeing Connection.
Holistic nutrition was just something that I came in contact with at high school during biology. However, most of the syllabus was so basic that it left no real mark on my life until now, but perhaps it contributed to my lifelong interest in health, nutrition, fitness, and wellness.
My interest in health and nutrition was mainly due to the people who lived up the road, whom I used to refer to as health nuts. They had the greatest influence on me. The more time I spent with them, the more they offered whole foods that I had never experienced before; I was hooked!
THE ENQUIRING MIND
I started asking them questions like how it was cooked. How was it made? In this regard, I saw how fit and healthy these people were, too. They seldom fell ill compared with me, my family, and my friends. Immediately, I became very interested and posed a question at that time: “Is there some kind of connection between nutrition, what we eat, and our general health?”
I was a young teenager, and already, I started taking notice. I began visiting health shops during my lunch hour, buying vitamin and mineral supplements and other health products that were available.
BECOMING AN ADULT
I trained as a hairdresser and beautician and later became a salon owner. Then, I studied nursing, which included a pretty intensive course on health and nutrition.
During nursing training, I learnt how wellness can be affected by what we eat, the level of fitness we maintain, and psychological factors. That’s when my horizons really opened up, and I started inquiring even more.
I relate them, of course, in the first instance to myself. I don’t mean just with regard to fitness, food, sleep, mental health, and how that’s actually faring on my health and well-being.
Of course, I was concerned for others. As a nurse, we wouldn’t want our patients to lack in proper nutrition, adequate water, and the right amount of exercise for what they could cope with to recover from whatever they were recovering from.
THE IMPORTANCE OF LEARNING NUTRITION
As I grew older and began researching whether nutrition and good health were connected, I found out that the answer was truly a strong yes!
In recent years, nutrition science has turned many historical beliefs about food upside down.
Dr. Mozaffarian points out that foods and dietary patterns have a major effect on cardiovascular and metabolic health. He continues to say that evidence emphasises that food quality rather than calorie counting impacts long-term weight regulation through functions of hunger, satiety, and brain reward. [from: Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2017 Feb; 5(2): 85–88. Published online 2016 Oct 28. doi: 10.1016/S2213–8587(16)30265–0)]
Obviously, that left me in a state of awe and left me with the question: How can nutrition eventually affect our hair and, of course, our nails.
Through training and research, I have learned about much that happens to the human body, including its functioning, nail and hair growth, and all the nutrition that affects the above. Now, I am sharing a few of my insights with you.
I hope the article is helpful to you.
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Live Life on Purpose Because Your Wellness Matters!
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