Achieve better health this year simply through the foods you eat. Whether it’s through nutritional therapy, which partners the science of nutrition with naturopathic principles, or through nutritional advice, getting a real education and solutions to health and weight issues through real food is a New Year’s Resolution that can change life as we know it forever — as individuals, as a community, and as a world.

Nutritional therapy partners the science of nutrition with naturopathic principles. Enacting the two help to address the myriad of health problems that plague modern society. Many health problems are a direct result of, or exacerbated by, poor nutrition which can be reversed once understood by meeting our bio-individual nutritional needs.

We seek out nutritional advice when we accept that a healthy diet and mindful nutrition can change our lives and our community for the better. Look for advice that includes an action plan, meal and recipe suggestions, recommended cookbooks, advice on local shopping, relevant information sheets and lifestyle guidance.

Weight management advice and planning is the healthier New Year resolution as opposed to a need for extreme weight loss. Weight management advice helps us take the practical steps to improve our general health while losing any unhealthy weight. Instead of following a calorie restricted, low carbohydrate or low fat diet, focus on making positive changes to your current diet by including more healthy foods.

We can look for workshops, consultants, classes or online advice on nutrition and healthy eating as it directly relates to: balancing your blood sugar, weight loss, dealing with stress, balancing hormones, boosting your immune system, mindfulness, healthy lunches on the go, how to eat more vegetables, shopping for health, understanding your food labels, how to cook, shop, and eat gluten and sugar free.

A good read for an excellent understanding of how important it is to eat correctly is The China Study by T. Colin Campbell. Campbell has made a career of challenging the conventional wisdom around nutrition and the main point of his book is that many nutritional studies attempt to pin down the effects of a single nutrient in isolation from all other aspects of diet and lifestyle, a “gold standard” he says for clinical trials in the pharmaceutical world, as one example. He calls this “scientific reductionism.”   Western diets are extremely high in fat, sugar, salt, and animal protein compared to the rest of the world.

The China Study itself is described by one reviewer as a “massive series of snapshots of the relationship between diet and disease in over 100 villages all over China.” The rates of disease differ greatly from region to region as western diets creep in at different rates in these regions taking Easterners away from a mostly plant based and whole foods diet to those more processed and higher in animal proteins.  The books summary suggests a daily dietary regime that is not vegan, not vegetarian, but steeped mostly in plant-based food consumption.

A worthy read, a worthy resolution to eat well for optimal health this, and every coming year.

Happy New Year everyone!