Welcome to Day 2 of the
Introduction to Fully Embodied Living
Fully Embodied Living is based on 4 Pillars:
Connection to Body
Connection to Nourishment
Connection to Presence
Connection to Growth
Each day of this introduction has 3 gifts:
a guided meditation,
a video of accessible stretches or body practices,
writing on healthy nourishment.
Please enjoy all 3 gifts, or just check out the ones that resonate with you.
This page will always be here for you to come back to whenever you need.Day 2: Connection to Body
Our body is our home. When we can truly feel that, we are never lost.
What is a healthy, balanced diet?
“Eat (real) food, not too much, mostly plants.” - Michael Pollan
This simple advice is actually incredibly well thought out, and I am a big fan of every word.
While our understanding of nutrition, diet, & health is constantly being upgraded and better understood,
the tried and true science of eating food as natural as possible still stands.
There are many other ways that a balanced diet has been simply explained as well:
make 1/2 of your plate vegetables, and the other 1/2 a mix of protein and grains or starches (rice, potatoes, polenta, etc)
shop mainly in the periphery of the grocery store, where most of the fresh, real food is located.
if it doesn’t rot, it shouldn’t be counted as food
These are all good statements to follow, but I would like to go into a bit more detail about what a balanced diet is, and why, so that we can make more informed food choices, and so that we can navigate the often very confusing, and conflicting, information that we get from media and from the food industry.
Macronutrients and Micronutrients
First and foremost, food is meant to be nourishing for the body, the senses, and the soul.
We should always aim for the holistic enjoyment of everything about our experiences with food,
from shopping to eating to washing up afterwards.
Every day of this Introduction to Fully Embodied Living is about exactly that.
With that said,…
There are 3 different categories of macronutrients that food can be divided into:
Protein
Animal-based proteins (meat, poultry, seafood, dairy) are the most complete proteins, meaning that all essential amino acids are present in equal amounts (essential amino acids are those required by the body for optimal function, but are not produced by the body - we need to obtain them from outside sources).
Plant-based sources that provide the most complete proteins include:
quinoa, soy (tempeh, tofu, edemame), buckwheat, hemp & chia seeds, spirulina, nutritional yeast, and amaranth.
All other plant-based sources of protein contain ‘incomplete proteins’ - meaning that no one source contains all essential amino acids in the ratios that we need them - but they CAN be combined in order to create a complete protein. Combining a grain with a legume (beans, peas, or lentils), or legumes with nuts and/or seeds makes a complete protein. You do NOT need to eat these 2 foods in the same meal. As long as you eat them in the same day, the body can make the complete protein, however some common examples of food combining to make a complete protein within a meal are: rice & beans, hummus & pita, and the classic peanut butter sandwich.
Protein is an essential building block of the body, and is present in ALL tissues, such as muscle, skin, hair, & cell structure (think collagen, keratin, & elastin). Proteins make up the enzymes that control digestion, muscle contraction, and blood clotting, and are a main building block of hormones, neurotransmitters and the antibodies of our immune system. Proteins maintain our PH and fluid levels. The hemoglobin of our blood is a protein, and is also vital for maintating good muscle mass and metabolism throughout our lifetimes.
Protein makes us feel the most full with the least calorie intake, and can keep us feeling full for a longer period of time, which is one of the reasons why fad diets with a high protein intake are popular of late. However, most western diets DO have enough protein in them, so we don’t necessarily need to focus on consuming more protein - but instead on consuming better, cleaner protein. The best protein sources are as clean as possible, with as few chemicals, hormones, antibiotics, or other toxins added, and with the least amount of saturated fat (more on that later).
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are made up of 3 components: fiber, starch, & sugar.
Complex carbs have more fiber & starch, and less sugar, whereas simple carbs have more sugar and less fiber & starch.
If a food requires chewing to digest - it has more fiber & starch. If it ‘melts in your mouth’ it is low in fiber & starch.
While having food melt in our mouth is a lovely sensation, it means that sugar is entering the blood stream more quickly, causing a spike in sugar, and triggering a quick release of dopamine - the hormone associated with pleasure - and then just as quick of a pleasure drop shortly afterwards - which can lead us to ride the rollercoaster of sugar & dopamine highs and lows. All of this can contribute to things like food addiction, hyperglycemia, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Hopefully this makes it very clear how important it is to focus on eating complex carbs - which give us more steady energy, pleasure & fullness (satiety) - as opposed to eating simple carbs.
Examples of complex carbohydrates
fruits
vegetables
bread, rice, pastries & pasta made with Whole Grains
legumes (beans, lentils, peas)
Nuts & seeds
Examples of simple carbohydrates
candy
sugary drinks
pastry, pasta, rice, & bread made with white flour
sugary cereals
As you can see, complex carbs are more what we would call ‘whole food’ - with all the fiber, starch and nutrients still intact, whereas simple carbs tend to be processed food, with the fiber, starch, and nutrients removed.
Carbohydrates are the body’s first choice energy source - especially the brain’s.
So while carbohydrates are often not favoured in current fad diet trends, they are crucial for optimal body function.
Complex carbohydrates help maintain steady blood sugar and steady energy throughout the day. As mentioned above, one recommendation is that half our plate be filled with fruits and vegetables - which are complex carbohydrates.
Fat
This vital macronutrient is not the same as what we call excess adipose tissue on the body. Fat is the second favourite energy source of the body, it helps us absorb many essential nutrients, such as vitamins A,D,E,& K, it provides the structural components for the brain and some hormones, and is essential for proper nerve and immune system function.
The most healthy fats are Unsaturated Fats:
Mono-unsaturated is found in nuts, seeds, avocados, olives - and their oils, and
Omega 3, which is a polyunsaturated fat is found in fatty fish, and some nuts & seeds
Omega 6, which is also a polyunsaturated fat, is also essential, but our western diet tends to have an excess of this. This type of fat is found in animal products, corn, and some nuts & seeds, and their oils.
Saturated fat is found in all animal products, as well as in palm & coconut oils, and an excess of it can lead to a build up of LDL (bad) cholesterol in the blood, and contribute to heart disease & stroke. Reducing our saturated fat intake is always recommended.
Finally, trans fat, found in margarine, shortening, all fried and most pre-prepared food, is the least healthy type of fat, because it raises the bad (LDL) cholesterol and lowers the good (HDL) - again leading to heart disease, stroke, and inflammation. It should be avoided as much as possible.
Let’s come back to the simple phrase at the beginning of this lesson:
“Eat real food, not too much, mostly plants”
Eating whole foods is always the best practice. In the context of discussing fat for example, while walnut oil is a very healthy oil for salad dressing, whole walnuts are an even better choice. While juicing has some very good health benefits, eating whole fruits and vegetables is an even better choice, in most circumstances. While taking Omega 3 supplements is great, eating whole food sources is even better, if possible.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients include the essential vitamins and minerals that we need for optimal functioning of the body - for growth, immune system and organ function, energy production, bone & teeth health, brain development, fluid balance, and more. The word ‘essential’ here is just like in the case of describing the amino acids that are needed to create complete proteins, but that are not created in the body. We need to source them from outside. Essential vitamins & minerals are those that we need, but that we don’t naturally produce within the body - we need to source them from outside.
Other micronutrients, such as polyphenols, which have gained popularity recently, stimulating writing about how great blueberries, red wine, green tea, and dark chocolate are (which they are), are not ‘essential’ to health, but have been shown to have MANY health benefits, including reducing inflammation, which is no small thing, considering that most modern illnesses have inflammation at their root. Many vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols (essential & non-essential) are also antioxidants - which have shown to be extremely powerful in improving cellular health, immune system function, and also in reducing inflammation.
These essential & non-essential micronutrients (vitamins & minerals) are found in all whole foods: Calcium is found in dairy products and leafy greens (as well as many other sources), copper is found in crabs and cashews (as well as many other sources), vitamin C (which is also a powerful antioxidant) is found in citrus fruits and Brussels sprouts (as well as many other sources).
Understanding the importance of getting a good variety of micronutrients emphasizes even more how important it is to eat a wide variety of real, whole food. (Eating a wide variety of real, whole food is also the best way to have a diverse amount of good bacteria in the gut microbiome.) While certain processed foods may have fewer calories than a real food alternative, very often it has fewer nutrients, and is more foreign to the body, making it less easily digestable. Over time, too much consumption of processed food can negatively alter our metabolism and our overall health, including an increased risk of diseases associated with inflammation. Whatever promises processed food may offer in the short term, they cannot be sustained in the long term.
There is no substitute for real whole food.
Diets that have no restrictions, or that are lactose-free, or vegan, or vegetarian, or WHATEVER type, can be very healthy, or not - so whatever is your personal dietary choice or practice, you can make very healthy, or not. Again, it can all be summed up in the first sentence of this article.
And here are some more ideas on how to bring more Mindfulness into the Body
Wishing you well. Take good care.