Functional nutrition is all about considering the wellness of the whole body. But you can’t accomplish that if you keep making functional nutrition mistakes. People make more nutrition mistakes than they realize.
This can prevent them from being as healthy as they could be. But what are these mistakes, and how can you avoid them? Keep reading and learn more about how functional nutrition works below.
Not Eating from Different Food Groups
Functional nutrition aims to treat a person’s symptoms by figuring out the role that the whole body plays. Suppose you’ve been feeling under the weather for a few days. A functional nutrition specialist will figure out what is causing those symptoms.
The specialist can then recommend a specific diet that can minimize those symptoms or make them disappear. Starting a diet is a great way to jumpstart your body and give it all the nutrition it needs. But many people start diets incorrectly.
They may follow the latest diet fads instead of what is right for them. Some people might try eliminating all dairy products, carbs, or sugars from their diet. But cutting out all of a particular food group is often not a good idea. This is because the body requires a well-rounded diet to stay healthy.
Depriving your body of important nutrients is not what you need to stay healthy.
Suppose you try to follow the keto diet and cut out all carbs from your diet.
The Details
The keto diet might help you lose weight, but it will not be suitable for your overall health, especially in the long term. This is because carbs are the body’s primary source of energy. You might feel fatigued and unwell after following this diet for some time.
This is also true for cutting out all sugar or all salt. Your body also needs these substances to survive and thrive. Without them, you may do more harm than good to your body.
You may feel slower and more fatigued, and you may feel weaker too. It is best to follow the diet that your functional nutrition specialist recommends. Most specialists will suggest that you follow a well-rounded diet of fresh food.
Avoiding junk food is a big factor. Many people eat more junk food than they realize. This can lead to all sorts of problems.
Prioritizing a diet of whole foods will be much more beneficial for your health.
Not Eating Enough Antioxidant-Rich Food
You might be wondering why junk food is so bad for your health. Junk food options are not sources of protein. They instead consist of empty calories.
You may eat them because you are hungry, but you will still be hungry after eating them. This is because they mainly consist of salt and sugar rather than real nutrition.
They are also filled with harmful chemicals that can pollute your body. This is in contrast to healthy whole foods, which are full of antioxidants. Antioxidants are important for neutralizing free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable atoms that form in the body as a result of stress and other factors. Junk food may contribute to the number of free radicals in the body. This is because the harmful chemicals in junk food can damage the body on a cellular level.
Free radicals have been linked to accelerated aging, the development of cancer, and inflammation. Antioxidants are the opposite. They soothe inflammation and reduce stress.
They do this by limiting the number of free radicals in the damage. They also reduce the damage that free radicals do.
What You Need to Know
Antioxidants are found in a variety of fresh foods.
Vegetables and fruits are some of the most antioxidant-rich foods you can find. Other healthy foods include fish, beans, avocados, and more. Prioritizing these foods over junk food will change your body’s health.
You may find that you don’t feel as sluggish and heavy once you start eating healthier. You may also find that you don’t feel as bloated or fatigued. This is because antioxidant-rich foods are great for your digestive system and the rest of your body.
You may digest food more efficiently and without as many problems when changing your diet.
Not Heeding the Advice of Your Specialist
Functional nutrition specialists work hard to give you the best nutritional recommendations. Functional nutrition bloodwork is often necessary, as it shows what kind of vitamins and minerals you will benefit most from.
Your specialist can analyze your bloodwork results and see what foods will best optimize your health. But you won’t get very far if you don’t listen to your specialist. Some people go through the trouble of going to a nutritional specialist and still choose not to change their eating habits.
This will not allow you to gain the benefits of functional nutrition. It is best to grasp what your specialist says so you can benefit from their advice. Suppose your specialist says that you should eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
Then you go home and eat a bag of potato chips. This is not going to help your health. Taking the advice of your specialist seriously will create a noticeable change in your health.
But what if you don’t like the food that the specialist recommended? You can always find ways to incorporate healthy food into your diet. Try making a smoothie or baking something with healthy ingredients.
You can do this slowly or make a significant change at once. There are few rules to following a healthy diet as long as you choose the right foods. Antioxidant-rich foods should revamp your body’s health in no time.
The Most Common Functional Nutrition Mistakes
Many people make functional nutrition mistakes without realizing it. The best way to avoid these mistakes is to listen to your functional nutrition specialist. The specialist can tell you what kind of nutrition you need based on your bloodwork.
Following this recommended diet will help you give your body all the vitamins and minerals it needs. To learn more, check out the functional nutrition services we have.
