Functional Nutrition Practitioners assess Lifestyle skills along with a whole foods approach for health and wellness.

Sleep

We need sleep: seven hours a night, to be exact. Did you know that just two nights of poor sleep can reduce beneficial bacteria in the gut by almost 50%? Getting enough deep rem sleep is one of the best things you can do to ensure your gut microbes are thriving. Sleep is our reset on many physiologic levels. If we are deprived of it, we don’t have optimal detoxification and our hormone health to neurotransmitters will suffer.

Exercise

Research shows that active people tend to have healthier and more diverse microbiomes than sedentary people. Daily movement is vital to help our intestinal tract move its waste along. If you are constipated, movement might be what you need more of.

Hydration

Water is one of the biggest health needs that is underestimated by many. Hydration and the body are intimately connected, and that's because we are made up of mostly water, 60 per cent to be exact. Our cells will only do a good job flushing the system out if the pipes are hydrated. We also want to avoid sugary drinks that rob us of hydration and raise our glycemic load. Pure water is where it's at.

Nutrition - Choose Plant-based foods for Foundational Gut Health

In evidence-based research, a 90 per cent plant-based diet is recommended for longevity. Adding a diversity of plants to our diet has been shown to create more beneficial bacteria strains in our gut. In addition, seek out colours of the rainbow in the foods you buy on your list each week. These colours contain phytochemicals that have impressive healing capabilities in our bodies.

Fibre

This section deserves to have its own heading in the framework of our health and could be one of the most important additions to our diet that many are deficient in. F indeed stands for the Fibre, and your colon loves it. Now sesame street should have taught this, and we would all be model Fibre citizens, and Oscar's moods might have changed. Think plant when it comes to Fibre, not Grandma's orange Metamucil. Fruit and vegetables, grains and legumes are all plant Fibre.

Bowel movements, aka Poop 101

We need to have regular bowel movements. If we aren't pooping, we aren't digesting properly, and it’s a sign of a colon full of bad or dysbiotic bacteria. My clients know that poop is one of my favourite health subjects because it can affect our mood if we have not done the deed twice or thrice a day. If we aren't pooping, we will feel poopy.

Stress and the worry frame

Stress sucks. We all have it, but what's key is how to manage it. Did you know stress can wipe out the healthy microbes in our gut flora? Not getting enough sleep, exercise, or healthy food can lead to it too. Using techniques to manage stress is key. Throughout life, if we become more aware of the tools that work for us, we can often manage stress better, and our guts will be less reactive.

Relationships: Self, Outside, Social (S.O.S)

Self

Life gets busy, but we must make time for ourselves: our exercise, our walks in nature, our food, our intimacy, our sleep, our quest to learn new things, and our playtime. Boundaries are important to set so we have time to do the things we love for us.

Outside in Nature

Society has become more insular. We spend more time indoors with electronics than outside in nature, grounding on what is intrinsic to our cells. We are part of nature. Did you know that research says that even gardening outdoors or going for a walk or run enhances the health of our gut microbes?

Social

Social connectivity is crucial to health. Laughing and engaging in that daily thing we call life with friends helps to nourish our gut microbes. Like whole-based plant foods, it's essential to have diverse friendships full of optimistic people. Good energy helps to nourish our souls.