Keep your 2019 goals on track with Functional Medicine
As we ring in the New Year, many of us decide to make health changes related to our diets and weight loss.
While our intentions towards better health may be sincere, research has shown that most diets lack scientific foundations and end up failing. In fact, they often result in the opposite of our goals as hunger increases and metabolism slows down. Which is why the average yo-yo dieter ends up gaining 11 pounds for every diet they go on.
We believe in the power of commitment, but simply put: will power alone doesn’t cut it. And unfortunately, improper dieting can do serious damage to your metabolism.
In order to be successful with your healthy resolutions, working with a Functional Medicine expert can help you make long lasting lifestyle changes in how you approach what foods work best for your body. Instead of selecting a diet based on what the current trend is, Functional Medicine takes an individualized and scientific approach to your body’s unique health needs.
Here are the top 4 reasons Functional Medicine can be the key to your success in unlocking a diet strategy that sticks:
- Healthy fat helps. Many people still have a fear that all fats are bad – this isn’t true. Believe it or not, carbs and fats are actually responsibility for most weight gain. Eating good fats at every meal will actually make you feel full speed up your metabolism. Try vegetable fats such as avocado, nuts, seeds, and coconut oil.
- Don’t calorie crunch. Research has shown that counting calories is far from perfect science. First, the calories your body actually absorbs is dependent on a variety of factors. Calories are not created equal: ten calories of ice cream is going to impact your body differently than ten calories of salmon. Solely focusing on numbers while you may cause you to miss important hunger cues and also creates a misconception that optimal health is created when you are able to “work off” the food you eat. Working with a Functional Medicine practitioner can help you discover what foods you can eat, rather than focusing on not eating. Instead of counting calories, opt for low glycemic foods such as nuts, seeds, chicken, fish, and grass-fed meats. Also, use grains and beans sparingly in your diet and limit your sugar intake.
- Listen to your body to control appetite. With most fad diets, there is a ton of restriction involved – mainly just eating less in general. Eating foods (low in fat, high in carbs, and full of sugar) will ultimately increase hunger. Working with a Functional Medicine provider or Nutritionist can help you learn how to compose all of your meals to balance your blood sugar and safely satiate your appetite by combining protein, fat, and non-starchy carbs.
- Get to the root cause. There are many factors that affect your metabolism beside your diet and exercise. Weight is actually a complex result of hormonal pathways and systems that impact your metabolism. Often weight issues are symptoms of underlying disfunction or imbalance in the body. Working with a Functional Medicine doctor can help you identify underlying deficiencies and understand what foods work best for your body. Instead of weight loss being the sole focus, it becomes a natural result after foundational, optimal health is restored to your body. Along the journey, it’s important to remember that losing doesn’t necessarily equate good health.
Functional Medicine can help you seek out underlying causes, identify food sensitivities, reduce inflammation , and restore gut health – which can help you maintain your health goals for years to come!
Rather than go it alone on another fad diet, our team of Functional Medicine and Nutrition experts can help get you on the right path when it comes to meeting your goals. Functional Medicine is an approach to healthcare that seeks to identify and address the root cause of health concerns, illness and disease. Practitioners of functional medicine conduct thorough health histories and utilize specialized tests in order to understand the unique interactions between a patient’s genetics, environment, and lifestyle factors that influence health. Treatment is individualized and cooperative and is designed to not just relieve symptoms, but promote and optimize wellness. The goal of Functional Medicine is to assess the root cause of your problems, and then to help affect a sustainable lifestyle change so you can lead a happier healthier life. To learn more or to book an appointment, click here.