Functional Nutrition: Make Peace with Food & Reclaim Your Body

Functional nutrition has been a huge part of focus for Certified Holistic Health Counselor, Alexandra Jamieson, over the last many years. 

Jamieson believes that what you eat, what you do, how you act, and how you think can heal you. 

Part of this is being aware of your cravings, including nutritional cravings, emotional cravings, and physical cravings. 

Your body doesn't always get the nutrients it needs, because supermarket shelves are inundated with highly processed. 

As a health counselor, one of Jamieson's tactics is to take people off the "toxic six" and give your body a break while introducing whole, fresh, seasonal foods. These six nutritional elements include gluten, corn, soy, sugar, dairy, caffeine. Sugar also includes alcohol and artificial sweeteners. What is the typical result? Headaches go away, depression lifts, bloating disappears, pain is eased and brain fog clears.

Another approach that Jamieson uses is to look at the three "F" factors: facts, fear and force.

Facts: A lot of people think that if they just "know the facts," they can change the way they eat, live, work, etc. While it makes sense, it doesn't typically work. What does work is having a community (coach, guide) to inspire you to keep making healthy changes every day.

Fear: Our society is big on scaring people to make a change. This is simply not healthy. While motivational at first, it doesn't keep you motivated. Focus on what you actually want, why you want it, and how can you incorporate changes into your life... what Jamieson calls a "heart habit."

Force: "I just need to have more willpower." Not true. You need to learn to think differently. You have a finite amount of willpower each day; once it's tapped out, it's done.

Finally, Jamieson incorporates positive psychology into everything she does in her own life, as well as in the lives of people she helps. Focus on your strengths and what's right with you, rather than the old paradigm of what you need to fix. 

Listen in as Jamieson shares more about functional nutrition and positive psychology, as well as specific examples that have worked for her.