by Jorge Bustamante

Today, more and more people understand that disease can be prevented and cured naturally. For many years we have adopted a “quick fix” option, spending billions on over-the-counter medicines, suppressing and treating only symptoms but not the root cause!

Many of us are realising that there are natural alternatives to prevent illness rather than simply treat it; but, are we now overspending on nutritional supplements and other “natural” remedies, looking for a “natural quick fix” answer?

We must not forget that Mother Nature has given us the most wonderful gifts: natural foods, packed of nutrients, designed to nourish our bodies, to make them work at their optimum level!

Natural, whole and organic food and its nutritional elements can be used as medicine. Discover the healing secrets of “food”, take responsibility of your own health, and become healthy!

Naturopathic Nutritionists follow this principle. They treat their patients as a whole (body, mind and soul), looking for deficiencies that may be causing illness, which are specific to each individual, making sure you take a balanced combination of nutrients, tailored specifically to your individual needs, to make you healthy.

The importance of wholefoods

All wholefoods are a mixture of vital nutrients and other chemicals, so while a food may be rich in a particular nutrient it may also contain other valuable nutrients and health-giving factors.

Some foods that contain a high range of important nutrients are often called “superfoods” e.g wheatgrass, sprouts, spirulina, and more.

Finding foods that taste good and do you good are part of the fun of eating well, whether you live alone, or as part of a family.

A healthy diet

Proper nutrition can determine how we look, feel, work, whether we will be nervous, tired, pessimistic, joyful, comfortable, happily active, whether we will age prematurely or enjoy our lives to the full. In other words, Nutrition can determine our quality of life.

Try these steps to improve the nutritional content of your food:

Eat organic food whenever possible. It may be more expensive, but you can be sure that the food you are eating has not been processed and has been grown without the use of pesticides, hormones, fertilisers, and other chemicals.

• Include superfoods in your diet.
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• Eat the skin of vegetables
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• Don’t cut, wash, or soak fruit and vegetables until you are ready to eat them.
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• Eat whole grains.
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• Drink fresh fruit/vegetable juice.
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• Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Eat raw whenever possible. If cooking, use as little water as possible.
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• If you boil fruit or vegetables, use the water remaining in your sauces, soups, etc.