Articles - Gut Level Nutrition

Gut Level Nutrition is dedicated to providing common sense, cutting edge nutritional education that will leave you feeling empowered instead of confused. Please enjoy visiting the many pages on our site, and if you have specific nutrition questions related to your own unique health situation, please feel free to call Sharon for a complimentary Initial Consultation at 303-656-9321.

The Foundation of true health is a nutrient-dense, properly-prepared whole-foods diet. But what does that really mean?

Nutrient Density is a way of measuring how many actual “nutrients” are in our food. Studies have shown that organically grown produce has more nutritional content than non-organically grown food. According to Naturopathic Doctor News and Reviews (1) on average organically grown foods have 25% higher nutrient content than conventionally grown harvests, based upon measurements of antioxidant levels, vitamin-C, beta carotene and vitamin-A, protein and nitrates.

Properly Prepared foods are those that have been harvesting, cleaned, chopped, prepared, cooked and stored in such a way as to not only preserve the nutrients in the foods, but actually enhance them. For example, when nuts and seeds are soaked and dehydrated their minerals become more bioavailable because of the removal of phytic acid. Phytic acid is naturally occurring anti-nutrient in all nuts, seeds, grains and legumes which is bound to the minerals in these foods, thus rendering the minerals unavailable for optimal absorption by the human body. This is why our ancestors always soaked their grains before consuming.

Whole Foods Diets are those that include and are made directly from foods in their natural state of completeness. For example, an apple picked off a tree and eaten fresh is considered to be more of a “whole food” than the dehydrated pieces of chopped up apple that are contained within many breakfast cereals. Another example would be a whole egg vs an “egg white” product from the grocery store. Eggs are considered to be one of the most perfect complete foods available, so long as we eat both the yolk and whites, because the nutrient composition is most complete with both parts included. If only the whites are eaten, then the nutritional value is both incomplete and unbalanced.

The bottom line is that our current grab-n-go way of eating is at the root of our national collective ill health, and may well be at the root of your personal health challenges too...including weight loss, diet planning, and struggles with making the best health, wellness and lifestyle choices. The way back to robust natural health always begins by returning to a nutrient-dense, properly-prepared whole-foods diet. To learn more about your unique nutritional needs please call Sharon at 303-656-9321 to schedule a complimentary Initial Consultation.

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