Food & Nutrition

Tips for a Healthy Weight and Better Eating

It’s time to restore your relationship with food, and understand how it’s more than “fuel” for your body. Nutrition nourishes your unique, complex body system. By learning how to source your food properly, and how to become mindful about your eating habits, you’ll overcome dysfunctional eating and promote lifelong health.

How you eat is a habit in itself. Through our resources, you can learn to become more aware of your food and nutrition habits and start to change them so you can still enjoy the pleasure of preparing, eating and relaxing with food while achieving optimal health.

Why are food & nutrition important?

Good nutrition helps create the energy balance you need to optimize your body composition. Because your body and energy are influenced by your hormones and stress, you need to make food choices that support normal hormonal function.

When it comes to healthy, organic, or ethically-sourced foods and menus, society and corporate business models have built a food system that can be:

expensive
overwhelming
inaccessible
hard to understand on the label
touted as “one-size-fits-all”

There is no single food or nutrition plan that will be a ‘cure-all’ for your unique body system. That’s why we’re here to help with resources.

How can I improve my diet?

Care about your food and what you are eating.
Commit to food quality and becoming aware of the sources of your food.
Pay attention to texture, taste, and take your time eating so you feel full.
Eat foods that nourish all of your body systems and reduce nutritional deficiencies.
Consume foods that catalyze physical activity.
Become a proactive steward of the environment by consuming mindfully.

It all goes back to mindset and willpower: the desire to change and the act of committing change so you become healthier, inside and out. You will then beautifully reflect the old adage, “You are what you eat.”

Common Questions About Food & Nutrition

I’m too busy to think about food all the time! What should I do?

Myth: You should obsess about your food.

Truth: Obsession can have a negative connotation. All aspects of your health, including nutrition, should give back to your life, not take away from it. Obsessing constantly over calories, foods and ingredients can cause more stress, which inhibits health no matter how healthy your food choices!

Will a diet help me lose weight?

Myth: A diet or restricting food intake is the only way to achieve a “healthy” life.

Truth: Food is meant to be enjoyed. It’s more than fuel: it’s a nourishing act that allows you to relax, be present in your body, and can be an act of community with friends and family. Cutting out certain foods may not be the only way to achieve optimal health for your body.

A common misconception is that one diet will work for everyone who displays one specific symptom. For example, if you’re gluten-intolerant, you may feel encouraged to follow a strict gluten-free diet that will make you feel better. But underneath the surface, there are other unique health issues at work: because your body composition is not the same as another person’s with gluten intolerance, you may require different amounts of food, or a specific approach to gluten-free lifestyle to support a specific hormonal function.

Just because you noticed you gain weight when you eat carbohydrates does not mean a Paleo diet will be the one-stop solution to maintain a healthy weight. We’ll talk about more health and nutrition aspects in our Resources.

I’m eating less calories...so why am I not losing weight?

You’ve followed the old adage, “Less Calories In, More Calories Out = Weight Loss,” but you’re still not seeing results. Or perhaps you went on a specific diet that touted success stories of people losing five, ten, twenty pounds in a short amount of time, but you plateaued and stopped losing weight.

What is going on?

There are a couple of factors at work:

Your body is trying to regulate itself by slowing down the metabolism so it’s not burning away its precious energy. Your body can detect when energy levels are low!
Your prolonged calorie restriction is triggering a starvation response that leads to a slower metabolism.

There are solutions, but they require one-to-one consultation for your particular health and nutrition needs. You may find it advantageous to try an intermittent fasting program or ketogenic diet rather than a one-size-fits-all diet program.

Build a healthy relationship with food using these resources…

woman with hat holding two fresh tomatoes

Choose Better Health, Starting Today!

Dr. Gus Vickery, founder of an award-winning medical practice and innovative corporate health program, lays out a comprehensive roadmap for addressing the roots of many of our painful chronic conditions.

From nutrition and physical activity to lesser-known but powerfully effective techniques for managing stress, sleeping well, and cultivating a sense of purpose, Authentic Health will show you how to claim
the good health that’s within you.

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The information included in this website is for educational purposes only. If is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. You should always consult your health care provider to determine the appropriateness of the information for your own situation. If you have any questions about your medical condition or treatment plan, you should consult with your personal health care provider. Reading, listening, downloading, or watching the information on this website does not create a physician-patient relationship.