But yes, there are many foods that boost vitality, while others put it on hold. And if we put nutri-vitality on the menu, what would that mean?
First, what is vitality nutrition?
This is what naturopaths and healthy nutrition experts are calling for: a way of eating that allows the body not just to function but to live in full health, in full possession of its potential and, above all, to express it.
This involves what we put on our plate but also everything that exists upstream and downstream (no pun intended!). It is about choosing our foods carefully (healthy, unprocessed, seasonal, local, organic if possible), paying attention to all the actors involved in their production. Finally, consuming them with this awareness of the food, the ingredient, the dish made (artisanally) and the human value that constitutes them.
Because eating mindfully does not simply mean taking the time to chew in a calm environment. That's it, but not only that. Eating vitality means offering your body the right foods, the most balancing possible ( the acid-base balance respected) but also offering them to a body that we care for, that we honor, and to a mind, a spirit that we care for just as much. It is to be consistent with this principle that naturopathy is based on these 3 pillars: diet,physical exercise , taming emotions. Some add sleep . Around these pillars, many principles and golden rules are grafted. Here is the list, not exhaustive, of the key words of healthy nutrition
The keys to a diet full of vitality
Pleasure
This is the first key . It is impossible to eat well and take full advantage of the nutrients on your plate if pleasure is not there... Take the test! Eat your meal in a zen, joyful atmosphere, in pleasant company or alone but in a fulfilling climate, and you will eat less quickly, you will digest better. If we observed digestion under MRI, we would see that all the digestive organs have a more fluid and better quality metabolism in a fulfilling atmosphere, which would not be the case under stress. And beyond the company, for pleasure to reign, put creativity, color and diversification on your plate. And of course, even the prettiest plate would end up boring you if you ate the same one for every meal. Vary from one day to the next, follow the season and your desires, alternate cooking methods, you will thus have every chance of preparing balanced meals, without deficiencies.
Nature
You know it now, the hunt for all processed foods is open! The more your plate is made of processed foods, the more it is denatured and ends up being stuffed with empty calories. Ultra refined, foods are nothing more than a pale copy of themselves, stripped of all their virtues. Be vigilant and avoid ultra-modified foods whether in "concentrated" version (bad tomato sauces or bad chicken broths) or "expanded" (potatoes and chips).
Vegetal
Fruits and vegetables above all because they are rich in essential vitamins and trace elements. Preferably choose organic. Fruits and vegetables should make up the bulk of your diet, supplemented with cereals and legumes. Animal proteins are not essential, but they are welcome if they are part of your dietary pleasure. But it is the fibers, vitamins, and minerals that provide the most vitality and tone. They alone boost the immune system and pamper the microbiota , especially when consumed fermented because they provide a significant amount of probiotics, which guarantee the good health of the intestinal flora.
Acid-base
Nature abhors a vacuum, they say? Yes, but above all, it has a passion for homeostasis. In other words, it is always looking for balance. And to do this, our body is constantly trying to rebalance the pH of the liquid in which organs and tissues bathe. If you eat too much acid (red meat, fried foods, sweets, alcohol, etc.), the body will try to compensate with alkalizing nutrients. If it does not find them on the plate, then it will help itself to where reserves exist: bones, teeth, hair, etc. It is up to you to offer it what it craves through an alkalizing diet (in particular with fruits and vegetables, whatever they may be, white meat and fish rather than red meat and offal). An acid imbalance leads to an inflammatory terrain that disrupts the metabolism (enzymes, hormones, all the substances secreted by the body are unbalanced). Keep in mind that to promote balance, a plate should consist of a little less than 50% protein, a large third of vitamins, minerals, a quarter of lipid fibers (especially omega 3), carbohydrates (fructose rather than glucose), all lightly salted, well peppered (the piperine in pepper being a super antioxidant and super anti-inflammatory).
Cooking
120 degrees is the maximum temperature to cook food and allow it to retain all its nutrients, particularly vitamins and minerals. Beyond that, vitamins are destroyed. The longer the cooking, in water and in the open air, the greater the loss. Prefer steam cooking in a basket which is shorter and prevents the dissolution of minerals in the water.
Raw or cooked?
Take advantage of the summer and the holidays to buy your fruits and vegetables at the market, day by day to vary the pleasures, multiply the colors according to your desires of the moment and the weather. The hotter it is, the more you will need (and therefore want!) melon, watermelon, cucumber fruits and vegetables rich in water. Alternate raw and cooked foods so as not to tire your digestive system with everything raw, especially if you fall for meat carpaccios and tartares. Raw meat and fish keep their vitamins and nutrients intact, especially certain enzymes. Another advantage is that they require a longer chewing time which is beneficial for digestion. But eat them two to three times a week maximum. For fruits and vegetables, the same goes for the benefits, so don't hesitate to include them in all your menus provided you buy them of good quality and short circuit ( local and organic ), keep them cool and above all eat them quickly (within the week following their purchase). Enjoy them at the beginning of the meal and not at the end, for better assimilation. At the end of the "food bolus", they ferment and slow down digestion. At the beginning of the meal, raw vegetables stimulate digestive functions.
Lightness
No need to eat a lot to eat healthily! Remember that famous saying that encourages you to leave the table still a little hungry... In our time, it is common to have lost the feeling of hunger as much as that of satiety. We eat according to a social rhythm during office hours, during family gatherings and the collective setting is part of the pleasure of eating. But be careful not to forget to listen to your feelings! If the group at the restaurant plans to eat starter, main course, dessert, aperitif, wine... Take the time to feel what is good for you rather than following the group for fear of being out of step, disconnected. Does everyone have meat? Discern what your stomach is saying and carefully monitor what you feel by reading the menu. If you hesitate, your body will know how to send you the right signals...
Fast
From time to time and intermittently. To be programmed over one to two weeks by concentrating your meals on three times: lunch around noon, snack around 3 p.m., dinner around 8 p.m. and then nothing until lunch the next day. A break of around 16 hours allows the digestive system to be revitalized and to revitalize the entire metabolism.
Intuition
If we say "intuitive eating", does that ring a bell? Two American nutrition professionals, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch, have made anti-diet their credo. Conversely, they advocate honoring your feeling of hunger , no longer putting foods in the "good" or "bad" category, and encourage you to pacify your relationship with food, whatever it may be, in order to create or recreate a fair and balanced relationship with food and to intuitively move little by little towards vitality nutrition. QED (see the site intuitiveeating.org).
Belly
Listen to it! Not just at the restaurant when choosing! But simply according to what gives you vitality or what triggers a slump. Without being allergic, certain foods slow down your digestion, literally knock you out after the meal. Note them down to gradually exclude them or reduce your consumption. Be careful with your meal times. Here too, your stomach will have its say! So, in the evening, avoid fat, sugar, too much protein and go to bed more than an hour after the end of your meal. If you go to bed on a full stomach, digestion has not even started with a feeling of heaviness, sleep is difficult and ultimately, the assimilation of nutrients is less good. To make the most of a healthy diet, also think about taking a nap after meals. On the other hand, if you have noticed that famous slump in the early afternoon? It is digestion, which is costly in energy, which sends you the signal that it would be very useful for you to switch to sleep mode… even for a micro-nap.
Superfoods
Incorporate them into your daily routine by always having some in your cupboards or in your refrigerator! They are so rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, trace elements that they have many virtues and participate in the prevention of many diseases "of the century" (obesity, cardiovascular disease, autoimmune diseases, etc.). Don't forget goji berries, blackcurrant, kale, pomegranate, blueberry, spirulina, klamath, chlorella, turmeric, ginseng, royal jelly (except in the case of cancer being treated, cancer cells are boosted by royal jelly!), sprouted seeds, soy (except in the case of hormone-dependent cancer).
The enemies of vitality
Chips and soda
Or more precisely junk food, empty calories, in short these foods that are certainly a pleasure for some, regressive (and still a pleasure) for others, do not bring anything interesting to the body. Whether it is chips full of bad fats, industrial pizzas, fizzy drinks, fruit juices that are falsely healthy and frankly full of sugar , it is with both feet on the brake that we suggest you stop...
Snacking
If splitting your meals by starting with a good salty and protein breakfast is essential (the body does not need added sugars in the morning, it provides enough to allow the metabolism to switch from sleep mode to wake mode), we then move on to a balanced lunch (animal or vegetable protein, vegetables, legumes), a snack (where this time the sweet can find its place), and a light dinner, made mainly of vegetables, cereals and legumes. On the other hand, snacking is not synonymous with split meals, do not confuse… Snacking is a disaster because it transforms humans, omnivores or vegetarians, into ruminants! Then leaving little respite for their digestive system. Tell yourself that for the digestive system, even a small snack is worth a real meal and restarts digestion for a cycle of about two hours…
Light
And no, it's not better than all-fat, all-sugar (all-empty)! Light foods are real imposters that trick the brain, induce enzymatic chain reactions and trigger imbalances. Obviously, they break the momentum of vitality... beware of aspartame, better known in the form of "sweeteners". The brain thinks that we are sending sugar to the body, the latter receives the message to react to the rise in (false) blood sugar and triggers the secretion of insulin (the real one!) to assimilate the sugar (which is not present since it is a decoy). As for light products, they are often enriched with water and are content to lighten the wallet without any other additional virtues.
Alcohol
If alcohol has this festive image, it is a destroyer of vitality. Needless to say, alcohol consumption presents many health risks... contrary to what has been said, moderate consumption, the "French paradox", is not beneficial. Official recommendations: no more than 10 glasses per week, no more than 2 glasses per day . Because even in "reasonable" quantities, alcohol increases the risk of cancers (liver, colon, esophagus, stomach, mouth, throat), cardiovascular and psychological diseases. Indeed, alcohol causes cognitive disorders such as memory impairment, especially if the diet is unbalanced.
Cold cuts
It's simple, a good artisanal, regional, local charcuterie from time to time is an intense pleasure linked to the terroir where it comes from. But eating low-end, industrial charcuterie, overloaded with salt, antibiotics transforms this authentic discovery into poisoning in small doses. As for the health benefit, how to say...
Eggs yes… and no!
Eggs are often vilified, considered as a crime-inducing agent if you live with high cholesterol. This is not the case! Eggs are an excellent source of protein, which can be consumed daily or almost daily (up to six eggs per week). Avoid at all costs low-end eggs, from battery-raised hens, prefer organic ones and as for the hens, make sure they were raised outdoors.
Stress
And yes, we had to end with him. This number one enemy of any health initiative! Nutrition or not, the stress that goes with restless sleep does not allow the body to fully benefit from the good nutrients of a vitality plate. So, zen and enjoy your meal!
Thanks to Lisa Salis , Marielle Alix , Céline Vaquer , Cindy Montier , for their wise advice.
