Nutrition
and diet
“Let food be your medicine.”
Hippocrates of Kos
The super market of food
Food in industrialised countries is a consumer good like any other: it’s subject to the law of supply and demand and to marketing techniques. As is the case for any product like cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and household goods.
Indeed, just look at the variety and quantity of goods and advertisements in the papers and on radio and television.
We should be aware that food has become a commodity whose consumption varies according to wants and desires and that these are subject to the temptations induced by the constant over-solicitation of our senses and our minds through various media.
Food heals or poisons
Food for Hippocrates was the first remedy. For Dr Jean Seignalet it is the third medicine, which is the title of his book on modern pathologies of toxins and of elimination … He mainly deals with degenerative diseases such as autoimmune disorders or cancer.
Indeed, we all need to feed ourselves to live and not the other way around. Without neglecting the pleasures of the palate of course. Luckily, the direct link between food, digestion, nutrition and health is abundantly documented. But it is also, unfortunately, exploited to the extreme in commercials (dairy products, omega 3, cholesterol, bifidus etc.)
So how does one navigate this without spending lots of time going through the very dense literature on this topic? In daily life, applying certain precepts seems simply impossible. What’s more, the causal link between healthy eating and the state of the digestive system often seem incomprehensible. Despite the best will and strongest discipline, the results do not always meet the promises or expectations. This makes it hard to live this out in daily life in so many ways.
Better understanding nutrition-health
Nutrition is an essential pillar of my vital health programme. I spend a lot of time listening to, understanding and answering your specific questions. In addition, I will also draw your attention to the fact that it is essential to understand the direct link between digestion, assimilation, eliminations and nutrition. Nutrition is the final product of digestion.
That’s why, as an Ayurvedic naturopath, I always suggest how to refine your feelings associated with diet, by laying down physiological foundations. This makes it possible to adapt my nutritional advice to the physiological realities of your digestive capacity. It is essential to restore the overall balance of our digestive systems in order to regain our health and vitality.
Individualised approach in Ayurvedic holistic naturopathy
Both in terms of nutrition (the end product of diet and digestion) and dietetics (special cures and temporary adjustments), it is not possible to generalise.
Indeed, each individual has a given constitution, everyone has their particular temperament and everyone is in their own state of health and vitality. Thus we all have a specific digestive capacity resulting from our history and our lifestyle today. All this must be taken into account.
No-one can claim that this or that “slimming diet”, “detox” or “health kick” will work for everyone at every time. Although they are not necessarily good or bad in themselves, they can, however, be inappropriate or even totally harmful for certain individuals in their present reality.
Individualised advice, based on listening to people’s feelings, is a fundamental element of the path of Ayurvedic naturopathy.