If eating well has kept you from being healthy, now is the time to understand that there is a simple practice that will transform your life, your habits and your health. Everything from weight loss to fixing complex medical conditions can be achieved with nutritional and lifestyle solutions; this is the new paradigm for true health care. The first step towards restoring and maintaining optimal health and longevity is in knowing how food influences your biochemistry and ultimately your genes.

The diet and food industry has assaulted consumers with processed, nutrient-depleted foods, some of which are designed as "health" food! A wholesome, organic, minimally processed diet - without added sugars, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners - full of colorful plant-foods, healthy fats, and quality protein, is the first step in the process of change.

Your body requires over 40 nutrients daily to keep you functioning properly. A deficit of one nutrient over time can lead to subclinical nutritional deficiencies that can manifest as fatigue, depression, anxiety, poor sleep and a host of other indefinable health problems. Long-term nutritional deficiencies, which can lead to even greater health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers, are examples of degenerative diseases that thrive on deficient food, lack of exercise and stress.

Food sensitivities, headaches, fibromyalgia, hormone imbalances, digestive disorders such as IBS, insulin resistance, autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, skin conditions and many other health disorders are part of a biochemical matrix indicating imbalance. Functional nutrition is part of a functional medicine model that is guided by the principles of:

• Biochemical individuality
• Client-focused care
• A balance of forces both internal and external
• Optimal functioning of all organ systems in the human body

Functional nutrition examines the core imbalances that define a disease or condition and helps to determine the underlying metabolic imbalances that interfere with optimal functioning of the human body. Food is one of the tools by which you can achieve balance in your body. I have worked with hundreds of individuals at Canyon Ranch and in my practice, and have seen unprecedented transformations towards optimal health. I have heard many say they would never go back to eating the way they did before. 

Wholesome food is one resource that can change the microbial balance in the gut; can help detoxify foreign substances such as pesticides from our food and chemicals from our water and medication; can increase cellular functioning for healthier mitochondria (organelles that make energy from food); and just simply make us feel good. By taking Vitamin D3 supplements (a vitamin that is difficult to get from food) you could reduce your risk for cancer and diabetes, and reduce, if not eliminate, musculoskeletal pain and headaches. Incorporating fatty fish into your diet and supplementing with fish oil (without mercury and other unsavory contaminants) by capsule or teaspoon can help reduce inflammation and bad LDL cholesterol. Folic acid from dark greens, asparagus and a good multivitamin facilitates DNA repair. Magnesium, the powerhouse mineral, supports over 300 chemical reactions in the body. Without it, you may be constipated, increase your risk for heart disease and not be able to manufacture energy efficiently.

Learning simple cooking tools can help you to create tasteful, healthy meals. Recipes, shopping tips, and dining out techniques are the first steps to changing your eating habits.