How to eat yourself healthy
Well, take note, here it is: “You can reclaim your health with the food choices you make.”
It’s as simple — and as complicated — as that. By choosing the right foods, we can nurture, nourish and ultimately heal the body, says Shaw.
If she has a philosophy, it is informed by the words of Hippocrates — “Let food be thy medicine” — and she has seen the truth of that in her years as a chef, cookery teacher at Ballymaloe and now nutritionist.
While she is a great believer in conventional medicine, she says the time has come for people to take control of their own health by making good food choices.
But that doesn’t mean going on a diet; it means the opposite, in fact.
She says diets are unsustainable and often push people to unhealthy extremes. She is particularly critical of diets that eliminate entire food groups as they deprive the body of essential nutrients and vitamins.
“Healthy eating is not about sacrifice, deprivation or bland flavours. Food should be immensely enjoyable. It is a source of life and it gives you the energy to live,” she says.
Debbie Shaw qualified as naturopathic nutritionist in 2010, a discipline that works holistically with people to help them eliminate excess, restore balance and replace deficiency. Sometimes all that is required is a little shift to restore health, she says.
“Whole, natural foods have the power to heal and bring vitality, wellbeing and, above all, sheer pleasure into our lives.”
Nutritional therapy can help to improve your health and to keep you trim, Debbie Shaw explains how:
I would point the person in the direction of blood-sugar balancing. They should also look at their carbohydrate intake and switch from white denatured grains to slow-release grains such as quinoa, oats and wholegrain rice and pasta. The secret is to eat little and often, releasing a constant trickle of glucose to elevate energy, regulate mood and nourish the brain.
When dealing with arthritis, you are trying to keep inflammation at bay so a diet rich in anti-oxidants and packed with lots of fruit and vegetables will help. However, the solanaceae or nightshade family of vegetables (tomatoes, aubergine, white potatoes and sweet peppers) should be avoided as they can aggravate symptoms. Increase your intake of alkaline vegetables and drink lots of gree smoothies.
Stress is a huge factor in Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Stress reduces the production of hydrochloric acid which helps break down food in the digestive system. It’s important to look at a person’s environment and also the number of stimulants (coffee, tea, sugar) they consume daily. It can be staggering and those foods will keep you in a flight or fight state, which means your digestive system will shut down. If people travel a lot, I recommend they stock up on good snacks, such as fruit, seeds and nuts and good-quality snack bars.
This is a really big issue as women are now having children later and they can put themselves under huge stress when trying to get pregnant. The first step is to find out what is going on medically and then to get on the best food plan possible. I’m not saying diet will get you pregnant but eating well is vital. A diet that balances blood sugars, is rich in zinc, anti-oxidants and omega-3 fats is a great starting point.
Making even small changes to your diet can help skin problems. First of all, you need to look at hormonal factors and find out if you have a food intolerance (rather than an allergy). It’s also important to look at environmental factors to see if the detergents, deodorants, perfumes, etc you’re using are causing irritation. In terms of diet, omega 3 (found in oily fish) and zinc (found in pumpkin seeds) are very good for the skin. Eat lots of fresh fruit and veg and eat organically if you have the budget for it.
* Debbie Shaw will be giving a 1.5-day course called Feel Good Food: Let’s Cook at Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork on Monday August 10. See www.ballymaloecookeryschool.com
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