What does healthy mean to you?

For me, healthy means feeling happy, fit, strong and confident. It means feeling love and gratitude for my family, friends and YOU, having energy to keep up with my day, feeling positive and ready to take on anything that comes my way, and feeling good about who is staring back at me in the mirror each day.

Eating a balanced diet that fuels my body with nutrition I need is a huge player of what keeps me healthy. So, healthy nutrition is one of the core principles that I teach my clients.

Nutrition, defined, is the process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth. Essentially, eating foods that keep us healthy and help us grow.

If food is for our nutrition, then what kind of effect does it have on our bodies when we eat highly processed, high calorie, and sugar-filled foods? Well, I can tell you that the lack of nutrients from a poor diet negatively affects both our physical and mental health.

Research shows that sweetened and processed foods can cause increased anxiety and depression, as well as issues with your memory and focus. Additionally, the overconsumption of sugar not only greatly contributes to the increasing obesity in the U.S., but it also negatively impacts your skin, hair and nails. Basically this sugar stuff is no bueno!

We are mainly focused on eating healthy to improve the function of important organs like our heart, brain, liver, etc. But what about our largest organ — our skin?!

I once read that the best defense against aging skin is your fork, and I couldn’t agree more.

As we attempt to slow down the aging process and protect our skin’s health, sunscreen and wrinkle creams are definitely a good start (I’m totally a fan!). However, our skin’s secret to looking good and reacting positively to stress, damage, and the environment actually begins with our lifestyle and what goes in our mouth.

According to Dr. Nicholas Perricone, a dermatologist and nutritionist, “Simple carbohydrates, like refined sugar, white bread and soda, cause your insulin levels to spike, which leads to a burst of inflammation throughout the body. Inflammation produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, resulting in sagging skin and wrinkles.” YIKES!

Food is the foundation and fuel that our bodies use to grow, develop, and repair. With Halloween behind us, try replacing those simple carbs and refined sugars with a beauty food fix instead to be glowing from the inside out for the upcoming holiday season.

Beauty Food Fix #1: Fight The Greys

Try Mushrooms, Chicken, Lentils, Chickpeas

Beauty Food Fix #2: Increase Moisture in Skin & Scalp

Try Wild Salmon, Nuts, Avocado, Olive Oil

Beauty Food Fix #3: Fight Skin-Aging Free Radicals & Reduce Sunburn

Try Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Pumpkin, Cantaloupe

Beauty Food Fix #4: Reduce Wrinkles

Try Tomatoes, Berries, Peppers, Green Leafy Veggies, Green Tea

Your biggest cheerleader,

Nat

P.S. My passion is to help you thrive and live vibrantly, and it IS possible. I’m not going to beat around the bush – it takes effort and a little patience. But, the rewards are great!

If you haven’t signed up yet, please join me for the Sugar Shake Off FREE 5-Day Challenge, taking place November 7-11. I want to help you kick that sugar habit, so sign up now! www.fireduppfitness.com/sugarshakeoff

#nutrients #nutrition