Making Nutritional Modifications
How Do I Start Making Nutritional Modifications?
Functional medicine is about getting to the root of the problem – the causes, not the symptom.
For that reason, we often take a close look at our patients’ diet and nutritional habits. Many
people that visit Denver’s Omnia Health are asked to make some lifestyle modifications that
involve nutrition.
For some people, this feels like we are asking you to stop eating your favorite foods. I know it is
hard, not fair and no fun but trust me, we really see results, and more importantly, so will you!
Plus, you came to Omnia to feel better, right?
The question is then begged… “Where do I start?” I always start each patient by asking what a
typical day of eating looks like. While I know all days vary, people tend to eat pretty similarly on
most days. Once we get a big picture of what you are eating on a daily/weekly basis we are able
to see where the changes might start.
Let’s start with your favorite meal of the day
So let’s say you love breakfast, it is your favorite meal of the day but you tend to eat a lot of
cereal, bread, and pastries at breakfast. Starting your day off with lots of carbohydrates and
sugar is like a jolt to your system and lasts for a short period of time and then most people end
up craving more sugar and then fueling their bodies with sugar rather than whole foods. So as
your health coach, I might ask you what else you like at breakfast, I may offer up some ideas of
different breakfast options.
Once you settle on something that fits into the nutritional modifications we talk about you can
incorporate this change into your daily routine.
It is important to note that we don’t always start with breakfast, we might also start with lunch or
dinner or even snacks. The beauty of health coaching is that we start where you think you can
be the most successful. You are in the driver’s seat and I am coaching you along. Making
lifestyle changes can feel overwhelming at first but just like anything else once you practice you
just keep getting better.
Science tells us WHY
The next question that a lot of patients ask is why? They come to see me and tell me the
practitioners told them no gluten, dairy or sugar but they don’t know why. The very simple
reason is that science tells us that these are the big three inflammation drivers in our bodies.
The world tells us these are also the yummiest foods out there! Trust me, I can teach you and
help you find lots of yummy gluten, dairy and sugar-free foods, you just have to be willing to
make changes in your lifestyle.
Functional medicine provides answers
Now you might be asking me or yourself why does it matter if I eat foods that cause
inflammation. That answer is a little bit more complicated, however again science tells us that
your risk of heart disease, irritable bowel syndrome, auto-immune disease, diabetes, cancer,
and many other chronic issues increase.
In the functional medicine world, we strongly believe food is medicine so when we ask you to
make changes to your diet we are doing it because there is a science to prove that it actually
works and clears up symptoms without prescription medication.
And to make sure we’re looking at the right information to design your plan, we always test, we
never guess! Lab tests are critical to making decisions based on fact.
Let’s work together
Now we are back to the beginning. How do we make these modifications and how can we help
support you as you embark on your new eating habits? This is where Omnia Health comes in.
We will work together to set goals around food, we will work within your boundaries to find
solutions specific to you. I will walk with you through the process of change into transformation
and ultimately you will be optimizing your health and wellness.