What is Wellness to you?
The concept of wellness, a sense of purpose, and a life that allows you to thrive is different for every individual. Obtaining clear insight into your purpose in life, that feeling of being truly in your element, forms a huge part of obtaining true wellness.
Wellness and our health – we are all individuals!
We may all share the same basic biology, but it’s important to recognise the importance of “bio-individuality”. This is the concept that we are all unique in our genetics, metabolism and ancestry, therefore the foods that make one of us thrive, may make another unwell. For example, some individuals thrive on a more raw-food based diet, while others feel light-headed, dizzy and unable to concentrate. These people may find that warming, cooked foods work best for their body type. (note from the editor: this concept has been known for almost thousands of years in the Ayurvedic science with the dosha-types Vata, Pitta, and Kapha).
Some people need high-quality dairy products in their diet to sustain them because perhaps their heritage is Scandinavian, and their ability to break down milk sugar and absorb milk protein has been finely tuned over generations. Others struggle with breaking down lactose and find dairy products cause excess mucus and bloating.
That is why no one diet is perfect for everyone. Certain foods that allow your best friend or partner to thrive may be your body’s greatest enemy.
Wellness and our body
No diet book can tell you what to eat. Only by re-connecting with your intuition will you understand what foods work for you. Listen to your body and what it tells you after you eat certain foods.
- Do you experience bloating, wind, or heartburn?
- How is your skin – is it clear, well hydrated and glowing?
- Look at your nails – do they split or flake regularly?
- Is your weight easily managed?
- How do your hormones function – do you feel balanced each month? What are your cravings telling you?
The body knows what to eat. It’s the brain that makes mistakes.
When you truly nourish your body with lots of plant food (fruit and vegetables), some good quality protein, whole grains and good oils (avocado, olive oil, fish oils), you will be obtaining all the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants you need to allow your body to balance itself.
Wellness and Movement
While you may gain strength, poise and inner peace from your daily yoga routine, another person may gain those same effects from swimming laps every day, partaking in an aerobics class, or perhaps hiking in the mountains.
When you’re eating the right foods for your body, combined with an exercise routine that makes you feel alive and full of energy, and your purpose in life is clear, you will thrive. Sometimes that involves making necessary changes, or being willing to grow in certain areas of your life, before this is felt on a deeper level.
Trust your Intuition
We all know intuitively what foods provide us with energy, clarity of thought, an ideal body weight, clear skin, and a balanced mood. If you’re reading this article I believe you truly know what foods deeply nourish your body. You don’t need the latest diet book; you don’t need to doubt yourself. You just need to clarify your thoughts on the choices you make on a daily basis.
By Mandy Coddington, Nutritionist, 2014
