2681: Why It's Important To Eat Right For You (And How To Go About Creating a Personal Nutrition Plan) by Elly McGuinness

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Optimal Health Daily. Why It's Important To Eat Right For You And How To Go About Creating

[00:00:06] [SPEAKER_00]: a Personal Nutrition Plan by Elly McGuinness of ellymeguinness.com and I'm Dr. Neal, your

[00:00:12] [SPEAKER_00]: host and narrator. Welcome back to another edition of Optimal Health Daily. This is where I read

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[00:00:22] [SPEAKER_00]: ongoing audiobook and always with a bit of my commentary at the end. Now we have

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[00:00:30] [SPEAKER_00]: searching for Optimal Living Daily wherever you're hearing this. And with that,

[00:00:35] [SPEAKER_00]: let's get right to today's article and optimize your life. Why It's Important

[00:00:44] [SPEAKER_00]: To Eat Right For You And How To Go About Creating a Personal Nutrition Plan by

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Elly McGuinness of ellymeguinness.com. Do you want a personal nutrition plan?

[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_00]: Personal nutrition plans come in a variety of forms and one size does definitely not fit all.

[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Some foods and food combinations will make me feel great, but will make you feel low on energy

[00:01:09] [SPEAKER_00]: and vice versa. You need to acknowledge this and take action on it so that you are filling

[00:01:15] [SPEAKER_00]: your body with foods that you personally respond well to. Foods that aren't right for you

[00:01:20] [SPEAKER_00]: personally can hinder your weight loss effort, some among other things. Your body will be putting

[00:01:26] [SPEAKER_00]: out a negative response to these foods via symptoms such as pain and bloating after eating. This is

[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_00]: going to make secondary functions such as burning body fat more difficult. The best personal

[00:01:38] [SPEAKER_00]: nutrition plan is exactly that. Personal. It should be all about you. Start with a dietary recall.

[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_00]: It can be helpful to record in a food diary what you eat and how you feel directly after eating it

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER_00]: and throughout the day in general. Note down if you feel really full or bloated, what your energy

[00:01:59] [SPEAKER_00]: feels like, or if your stomach is sore. This can be a great first step towards creating a

[00:02:05] [SPEAKER_00]: personal nutrition plan because it helps you become aware of what foods your body responds well

[00:02:10] [SPEAKER_00]: to. What is your body telling you? Symptoms such as pain and bloating are signals to your body that

[00:02:17] [SPEAKER_00]: something wasn't quite right with that meal. Was there a type of food in the meal that your body

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_00]: personally didn't like? Maybe you have a sensitivity to mushrooms, for example, and when you eat

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_00]: them it causes your stomach to get sore and bloated. This means your digestive system works

[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_00]: harder to process the foods you're eating. Over time, as you begin to eat more intuitively,

[00:02:38] [SPEAKER_00]: you may find that a specific meal planner or diet planner isn't necessary.

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Discover Mindful Eating. Mindful eating requires you to slow down and really take note of what

[00:02:50] [SPEAKER_00]: you're putting in your mouth. Have you ever sat in front of the TV with a meal and then

[00:02:55] [SPEAKER_00]: suddenly realized you had finished but wondered where it all went? This is basically the opposite

[00:03:01] [SPEAKER_00]: of mindful eating. You were on autopilot and the food went in without you really even

[00:03:06] [SPEAKER_00]: tasting it. It's really easy to overeat with this method. A mindful eating workbook will help you slow

[00:03:13] [SPEAKER_00]: down and eat an appropriate portion of food. By taking note of all the senses, you will learn

[00:03:19] [SPEAKER_00]: to enjoy and appreciate your food more as well. Your digestive system will also thank you for it.

[00:03:26] [SPEAKER_00]: What food combinations are right for your personal nutrition plan?

[00:03:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Maybe you've eaten a combination of foods that don't quite work for your body.

[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_00]: You need a good mix of the macronutrients, protein, carbohydrates and fat. But that mix

[00:03:41] [SPEAKER_00]: is slightly different for everyone. Do you feel good after eating a meal that's relatively high in

[00:03:46] [SPEAKER_00]: fat? What about one that's high in carbohydrate? Protein. What ratios are optimal for you?

[00:03:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Everyone is different when it comes to personal nutrition requirements.

[00:03:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Your optimal nutrition ratios probably aren't the same ones that are right for me. So,

[00:04:03] [SPEAKER_00]: start listening to your body and putting together the right foods and amounts of each

[00:04:07] [SPEAKER_00]: so that it benefits your own unique self. Perhaps it's tricky for you to figure out which foods

[00:04:13] [SPEAKER_00]: are right for your personal nutrition plan. Writing down your responses to food should help you

[00:04:19] [SPEAKER_00]: identify what foods are causing problems for you. From there, consider taking a break from

[00:04:24] [SPEAKER_00]: these foods for a few weeks and see how differently you feel. Try food substitutions or consider

[00:04:31] [SPEAKER_00]: some food sensitivity testing. This shouldn't be about deprivation, but instead about substituting

[00:04:36] [SPEAKER_00]: for something else that will provide you with similar nutrition. For example, if you think dairy

[00:04:42] [SPEAKER_00]: might be causing you problems, try swapping to dairy-free alternatives such as almond milk,

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_00]: coconut milk and nut-based cheeses. You could also consider getting some food sensitivity

[00:04:52] [SPEAKER_00]: testing done, which will provide you with a detailed analysis of the foods that are causing

[00:04:57] [SPEAKER_00]: you problems. There are answers to ongoing pain and discomfort from eating food,

[00:05:02] [SPEAKER_00]: and this type of testing could really help you gain some clarity. Remember also that getting your

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00]: diet right for you will help you progress closer towards your weight loss goals.

[00:05:12] [SPEAKER_00]: It's food sensitivity testing the same as food allergy testing. Food sensitivity testing

[00:05:19] [SPEAKER_00]: checks for food intolerances, which are not the same as food allergies. Both can produce

[00:05:25] [SPEAKER_00]: unfavorable symptoms related to foods that don't agree with you, but food allergies are usually more

[00:05:31] [SPEAKER_00]: severe. Food allergies are linked to the immune system, whereas food intolerances are not. Your body

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_00]: would fight a food allergy in a similar way to how it fights a virus. It's important to get

[00:05:43] [SPEAKER_00]: tested if you suspect you may have a food allergy. Use a holistic coach or registered

[00:05:48] [SPEAKER_00]: dietitian to help you with your own personal nutrition plan. Registered dietitians can offer

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_00]: you meal plans and recipes that help you with specific goals. Maybe you want to lose weight

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_00]: or have someone prescribe a very specific eating plan that takes your food preferences into account.

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_00]: In this case, talk with a dietitian. Use an online holistic health coach to help you

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_00]: change your food habits. Otherwise, you could work with a health and fitness coach like me.

[00:06:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Holistic health coaches like me can help you analyze your own dietary recall

[00:06:21] [SPEAKER_00]: and then put action steps in place. First, we'll make sure you're covering the basics.

[00:06:27] [SPEAKER_00]: This includes eating nourishing whole foods and including all the macronutrients,

[00:06:32] [SPEAKER_00]: protein, carbs, and fats. I'll ensure any action steps fit within your lifestyle and goals.

[00:06:43] [SPEAKER_00]: You just listened to the post titled Why It's Important to Eat Right for You and

[00:06:48] [SPEAKER_00]: How to Go About Creating a Personal Nutrition Plan by Ellie McGuinness of ellymaguinness.com

[00:06:53] [SPEAKER_00]: and I'll be right back with my commentary. Dr. Neal here for my commentary.

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Did you notice today's author, Ellie had a common theme throughout the article?

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Ellie stressed the importance of keeping a journal. For example, if we find that lately

[00:07:08] [SPEAKER_00]: we've been experiencing more bloating and cramping or haven't been sleeping as well

[00:07:13] [SPEAKER_00]: or have been feeling more stressed, keep a journal. Write down what you ate,

[00:07:18] [SPEAKER_00]: how much you ate, when, how you felt before and after, how you slept that night, and so on.

[00:07:27] [SPEAKER_00]: The more detailed the better. Do this for most days throughout the week for at least two weeks.

[00:07:33] [SPEAKER_00]: But if you can keep this journal going for longer, that just means you have more information

[00:07:37] [SPEAKER_00]: about yourself and your patterns, which is even better. Then after at least two weeks,

[00:07:43] [SPEAKER_00]: review the journal. Did you notice any patterns? Did you experience bloating and cramping after

[00:07:49] [SPEAKER_00]: eating certain foods? Do you find your most stressed on Mondays? Is that why you didn't

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_00]: sleep well on Sunday night? And if you do find that you need to discuss your symptoms with a

[00:08:00] [SPEAKER_00]: healthcare provider, the added advantage of keeping a journal is that you can share it with them,

[00:08:05] [SPEAKER_00]: which may help them uncover any underlying conditions.

[00:08:09] [SPEAKER_00]: All right, that'll do it for the Tuesday episode. I hope you have a great rest of your day, and

[00:08:14] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll see you back here tomorrow as usual and where your optimal life awaits.