Wholefood nutrients: More bang for your buck

My name is Kristan Kershaw, and I'm the Director of Supporting Balance. We teach people how minerals work in the body, and how to balance those minerals for optimal health. In this article, we're talking about wholefood nutrients, and I'm excited to dive into this topic. 

What is a wholefood nutrient?

A wholefood nutrient is a source of the vitamin and mineral building blocks that support your body to function optimally, in a food form, direct from mother nature. When we say wholefoods, we're talking about foods and supplements that do not contain fillers and synthetics. 

To help with this, we'd like to introduce the principle of good - better - best. We're not aiming for perfect, 100% of the time, right off the bat. 

Good - knowing your body needs vitamin C 

Better - exploring supplements for vitamin C 

Best - getting your vitamin C from wholefood sources

You could take a vitamin C supplement, but you're better off eating a piece of fruit or vegetable that contains naturally occurring vitamin C. Think citrus, strawberries, broccoli, cauliflower and even brussels sprouts!

Mother nature packages multiple phytochemicals into one, and it's never an accident. She knows what she's doing, and these nutrients work together. The problem is that we, as humans, tend to isolate one specific vitamin, and in our pursuit to get more of that vitamin into our bodies; we cut corners. We end up with supplements from the chemist or supermarket, that don't mimic mother nature. Supplements can be okay, but far too often they're doing more harm than good. When we isolate one nutrient (e.g. iron, B vitamins) into a pill instead of eating it in its natural form, we lose access to the other nutrients that mother nature has strategically combined. 

The moral of the story is to avoid synthetics. Natural, nutrient-dense and minimally processed is best. Our bodies can utilise nutrients in food a heck of a lot easier than when it's in isolated forms, i.e. synthetics.

Cheap isn't often the best for your health 

A little bottle of synthetic supplements from the supermarket might seem more cost-effective, but how well does it actually support your body to be healthy and strong? The more whole foods our household consumes, the healthier we are. Our family's asthma is gone, eczema is a thing of the past for my kids, and my migraines and chronic pain are non-existent. We feed our bodies well, so we don't need doctors for our general health (broken bones are absolutely an exception!).

The money we save on medical bills, prescriptions, and time off work/school means we can continue to feed ourselves good quality food. That's why we not only stock Chief products but also enjoy them at home as well.

Regenerative farming and agriculture 

Most of us know about mainstream farming practices. To keep up with the demands of the big-name supermarkets, these farmers are constantly turning over their crops with little capacity to tend to the bigger nutrient profile and balance of the soil. Synthetics like glyphosate (roundup) impact the microbes of the soil, blocking access to the minerals in the soil into the plant. The fruit and veg from these mainstream farming methods are then not as nutrient-dense as we thought. Ever bought some produce from the supermarket only to have it spoil within days? 

Regenerative farming is a practice whereby farmers focus on the ecosystem of the whole farm. These farmers have realised that mainstream farming practices are not optimal and they are often interested in quality over quantity. Instead of pesticides, the farmer will consider how to attract natural predators (e.g. birds or other insects) to take care of the pests. 

The end result is high-quality produce, which is so much better for our bodies (and often tastes better too).

Beef and soil 

Let's talk about poop!

Regenerative farmers will cycle paddocks, which is essentially swapping out the use of a paddock between animal grazing, growing crops and rest. When animals graze, they're also fertilising the earth naturally. When the farmers then plant crops in that paddock, they don't require synthetic fertilisers, and the microbes are happy. Happy microbes equals food with a nutrient-rich profile. Better for the earth, better for us!

When the cows are put into a paddock full of plants that have been grown with these principles, there are more nutrients for them to absorb. Just like with fruit and veg, when we consume beef that has been regeneratively farmed, we're eating nutrient-rich meat. It's hard to put a dollar value on the benefit of incorporating this kind of food in your diet regularly, but it's certainly worth it. 

Less is not more when it comes to nourishing your body. Whilst a wholefood option may not be the cheapest option on the market, it makes up for it in the nutrient profile. A cheap snack might fill you up, but does it offer you long-term health benefits? Unlikely. So... which is cheaper? Better health is a product of what you consume, and you only have one body, so why not feed it with the good stuff?! 

This is why we love Chief products. They understand the health benefits of quality food and support principles that take care of the earth. They buy from farmers who are focused on minimising the impact of their efforts and maximising the nutrients available in the foods we eat. 

What we eat directly impacts the balance of minerals in our bodies. Mineral imbalances are behind most of the health challenges we face these days. So if you want to understand your own mineral profile, where you may be out of balance, and what you can do to optimise your health, please book a time to chat with either myself or a member of my team of consultants; we'd love to help. 

Thanks for reading!

   Kristan Kershaw
   Director | Supporting Balance
   www.supportingbalance.com.au