Celebrating A New Year of Holistic Health: Nutritional Health

Although nutritional health is closely linked to physical health, it is rather deserving of its own pillar. This is particularly true because our nutritional needs vary based on our age, gender, body chemistry, and how active we are.

Read about last week's holistic blog on managing your physical health.

Proper nutrition is considered one of the foundations for achieving wellness and health. Here’s all you need to know about nutritional health in holistic terms, and how you can prioritize it this year.

What is Nutritional Health?

When it comes to nutritional health, we often only think about what we eat. However, nutritional health is about the foods we select, how we prepare our foods, and our eating and drinking habits. The nutritional health pillar goes hand in hand with the physical health pillar but can impact other pillars as well, and any improvements made will likely impact the others positively as well.

Good nutritional health ensures that we get the proper amount of vitamins and minerals daily, foods for muscle growth and recovery, and the largest benefit, energy! It’s important to know that everyone’s nutritional journey won’t look the same, and they don’t need to eat the same foods to be well.

Healthy Habits to Impact Nutritional Health, Holistically

Eat More Whole Foods

If you want to eat better, try reaching for foods that are in their natural state rather than processed foods. Some examples include replacing refined grains with their whole counterparts will allow more fiber into your diet. More fiber helps maintain better digestive health and can help you feel fuller for longer. Adding more fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs to your meals can also help improve your diet.

Avoid Trends

Every week, it seems as though there’s a new superfood being touted for its benefits, or a new fad diet being advertised. Although trying out the latest trends may be tempting, try staying the course and consuming what makes your body feel good. Remember, nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all task.

Supplement Your Meals

It may feel daunting trying to ensure you’re getting all your vitamins and minerals in your diet each day. Adding a nutritional supplement or vitamin to your day can help you fill in the gaps of nutrients you may not be getting through your diet alone. Try adding a powdered supplement that can easily be added to your morning smoothie (or other prepared foods) to promote better skin health, reduce feelings of stress, increase energy, and support immunity.

Meal Plan

One easy way to ensure you are getting the proper fuel you need to get through the day is to meal plan. Spending a few minutes at the beginning (or end) of your week planning out your meals, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. From there, you can create your grocery list. Having a plan means you’re more likely to follow through with the menu you’ve created. Make sure to account for busy mornings and nights, and be realistic!

What are your favorite ways to take care of your nutritional health? Let us know in the comments!

And stay tuned to next week’s holistic health pillar, emotional health!