Nutrition, Diet and Health Tips

Food was a gift from God to nourish our systems and keep us going. He gave Adam & Eve access to all types of plants & animals and advised them to eat when hungry and drink water when thirsty.

1. The number one reason we need to eat, is for us to survive. If you don’t eat, you’ll starve yourself to death and we have already had enough of the Shakahola stories.

2. Food is also used as medicine to treat and prevent diseases – both communicable & Non-communicable diseases. Food constitutes of nutrients such as protein, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, fibre and more that when properly combined and in good portions, support your Metabolic functions including your Immune system and this helps your body fight opportunistic conditions.

In the recent past, when you mentioned opportunistic infections/ diseases, someone would straight away think about HIV/AIDs. But in the current world with chronic exposures to environmental pollutants, toxins from unsafe foods, our Immune system is in a constant battle fighting inflammation and such. It’s a good time to take advantage of the healing power of foods to help & support our bodies in order for them to protect us.

3. We also eat food for the mental and emotional appeal that food has. Personally, good food gives me joy and that is the main reason I enjoy cooking. Food has been shown to be therapeutic and most people use it to try and escape realities and sometimes we go overboard and this alters the good relationship that we are supposed to have with food.

In a stressful situation, the body’s needs of glucose and energy are increased by release of Cortisol & insulin. It’s therefore not an uncommon thing for you to be soo hungry or desire to eat when stressed because the body is trying to cope. Your big concern should be the types of foods that you are indulging.

Remember that our bodies digest & metabolise organic foods better so even if you have temporary periods of Over- Consumption, your body can safely self- regulate to stop unnecessary Metabolic disruptions. So if you’re experiencing some stressful situations or you are anticipating it, it would be advisable to stock up healthy foods like fruits (Apples, oranges, mangoes,) vegetables and nuts to snack on when the hunger cues set in.

Another thing you can do is also batch prepare your meals so that at all times you have access to healthy food as you deal with the stressful situation. And remember that, you should not allow chronic stress or painful situations to build a home in your soul. Look for avenues to deal with them.

Something like sharing, documenting/ journaling, taking walks, self recording and other good habits are definitely encouraged. Remember it’s easy to get to addiction levels when you’re using something to deal with stress so try as much as you can to minimise on bad habits like drinking, smoking, gambling or even junk. It’s better to be a gym addict than an alcohol addict.

I hope this article was helpful. It it was please give it a like and watch this video on YouTube https://youtu.be/-382_eef4HA about realistic, safe and healthy way to start the ‘ good’ eating habits.

Love always ❤️

Lilian Mumina
Registered Dietitian
Mumina Wellness Solutions
https://youtu.be/KupxshfBEHk
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