Diving into the World of Nutrition with Dr. Uche Odiatu
“Every time you eat and drink, you are either feeding disease or fighting it” - Heather Morgan
When it comes to nutrition, most of us already know what to do. We were privileged to have another interesting discussion with Dr. Uche Odiatu on our Forever Young Podcast last week! We discussed the topic of nutrition and learned more about microbiome health, the distinction between good and bad calories, and more tips on how to be a healthier being. We also dived into many reasons as to why so many are unaware of how to live a healthy lifestyle, and how we can educate ourselves and also motivate one another to live a healthier lifestyle. So tighten your seat belts, for an awesome ride through the world of nutrition!
Dr. Odiatu says 95% of people do not eat the recommended number of vegetables every day. A study conducted by the British Medical Journal in 2013, says that people that consume higher amounts of phytonutrients from greens have lower incidences of depression. Depression is one of the biggest reasons for long-term disability. The minute you give your body good food, the body thanks you. Therefore, the easiest way to lose weight or improve overall health is to start eating healthier.
When you start eating healthy, you create a habit as your body gets used to good food. But what does it mean to start eating healthy? How do we know which food options are healthy or unhealthy for us?
Good fat does not actually make you fat. Instead of counting calories, Dr. Odiatu suggests good health depends on the food you're eating, the quality of the food, and how it is processed. Lazy processed food is not just about carbohydrates, it's actually about the quality of carbohydrates that you eat. The more natural foods you consume, the easier it is to be healthy such as food like avocado, broccoli, asparagus, mushroom, beet, and peppers which do not have any side effects to it. The more food you eat without an ingredients list, the healthier you'll be, the easier it is to regulate and tap into the inherent wisdom of the body. Check out this healthy, yummy Cucumber Tomato Salad recipe which has a great source of healthy fats.
The rise of processed and chemical-infused fruits and vegetables is also a problem in the world of nutrition. Some fear that even though they consume the necessary protein and vegetables for the day, they still may not be consuming enough. Dr. Odiatu suggests looking for organic food options, but this is not always a feasible option because it can be costly, and the average Canadian person may not be able to afford such a lifestyle. Therefore, he also suggests growing your own fruits and vegetables which can reduce the risk of pesticides in food. A lot of people are misinformed on products at grocery stores that are marketed as healthy, but they are actually not. Therefore it is important to read labels and educate yourself in order to make healthier food choices.
“The more food you eat without an ingredients list, the healthier you’ll be, the easier it is to regulate and tap into the inherent wisdom of the body.”
The average person may not be aware of the microbiome, but if you start eating for microbiome health, healthy eating becomes very easy. We have one hundred trillion single-celled organisms in our body called the microbiome, and they influence your metabolism and your immune system. It is important to feed yourself good food so that your body gains more beneficial bacteria. The more junk food one consumes can lead to the development of pathogenic bacteria. Pathogenic bacteria absorb more calories in your food than beneficial bacteria, which is the science of the microbiome.
Dr. Emeran Mayer is a gastroenterologist based in California, who wrote a book called The Mind-Gut Connection, said that the average person in North America, eats approximately their body weight in food additives every year, such as soybean oil, citric acid, emulsifiers stabilizers. He said food additives, preservatives and emulsifiers disrupt your gut flora and they contribute to low-grade chronic inflammation in the GI tract. When you have chronic inflammation of the GI tract, you don't absorb calories - so it brings stress to the body. It slows down digestion, which means you absorb more calories in the food and also you create more inflammation elsewhere.
So how do you start making healthy choices when you've not already attained that level of healthy eating? When you have a purpose for living, you take care of your body. It is important to find your reason for being, to motivate you towards a healthier lifestyle. Think of the people in your life who need you around. Think of the reason why you get up every morning. Those people need you to be healthy and to play your A-game. Think about the people that depend on you, now and even twenty years from now. Find your motivation and reason for being in order to motivate yourself towards a healthier lifestyle. Regardless of where you are at in life, your journey of living a healthy lifestyle can start today because you are never too old to become younger!
Find Dr. Odiatu on Instagram and Twitter to learn more about living a healthy lifestyle, nutrition, fitness, and his career in dentistry! You can also listen to the full podcast episode with our guest, Dr. Odiatu here:
The Forever Young podcast is created and produced by Christiana and Cherrie Marie Chiu and is produced and engineered by Alice Hill. The podcast represents our opinions and those of our guests. The content should not be taken as medical advice. It is for informational purposes only. Please consult your health care professional for any medical questions. If you like our show, please tell your friends and leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts. New episodes are available every other Wednesday. Have questions? Email us at ourforeveryoungpodcast@gmail.com.
