We’ve all heard the word nourishment, but what do we actually associate with the word?
Is it the thought of micronutrients, words like vitamins and minerals? Or does the image of colourful fruits and vegetables come to mind? Or ingredients boasting with beneficial fatty acids like salmon, nuts and seeds? Or is it an action — a peaceful yoga class or a good night’s sleep?
Nourishment is a broad term, and we can associate it with any fuel or action we provide to our body that will give it a beneficial booster. Be it the food necessary for growth, health and good condition, or the action of nourishing our mind, or allowing our body to rejuvenate.
Here at Fresh Start, we’re all about focusing on what we can have — what we can eat and do to enrich (or nourish) our body and mind, rather than focusing on things we can’t or shouldn’t have. Nutrition comes first and foremost; we can only lose weight if we’re properly nourished. This is for a number of reasons, one being that nutrients (vitamins and minerals, fats, protein and carbohydrates) are essential for all the metabolic processes in our bodies. If we’re not absorbing a wide range of nutrients, we might be missing key elements (think of these as cogs of a wheel) that are essential in our metabolic processes, including burning fats or utilising proteins.
Another way to think of this is if we put diesel in a petrol car (think junk food, excess alcohol and toxins), smoke might be produced, strange noises and rattles might occur (think fatigue, gut issues, weight gain) and it’s going to stop working.
If we put regular petrol in a sports car the motor won’t fire as well and it won’t drive to its full potential — it might also do long term damage to the motor (this might be foods high in saturated or trans fats, or sugar).
But if we put high octane or premium fuel (nutrient dense foods) in our sports car, and we service it regularly (exercise, health checks) — it’s going to be a dream to drive, and it’ll keep on driving this way for a long time.
Our bodies are our vehicle, and we need to make sure we’re taking care of them, nourishing them with the right fuels so that we can function to our best ability, for a long time, and be able to reach race speed when we need to.
Our bodies churn through a huge amount of the nutrients and energy we intake to simply live and function, this is known as our basal metabolism — the energy required to keep the body functioning in a state of rest.
Therefore, our bodies require adequate energy from healthy nourishment to continue to do things like exercise and maintain high cognitive function, as well as just to function day to day.
Stay tuned for Nourishment — part two, coming next week!
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