Functional and Ancestral Nutrition: The Key to Better Health

With so many diet tips out there, finding a way to eat that truly helps your health can be hard. At Lifestyle Evolution, we believe getting back to basics is best. Let's look at functional ancestral nutrition and why this works so well for our bodies.

What Is Functional Nutrition?

Functional nutrition looks at your whole body, not just single health problems. It's about finding what's really causing health issues, not just fixing symptoms.

This approach focuses on:

• You are unique: Your body needs different nutrients than someone else's
• Everything connects: Your body works as one system, not separate parts
• Food talks to your body: What you eat sends messages to your cells
• Finding root causes: Solving the real problem, not just covering it up

Instead of asking, "What pill fixes this symptom?", functional nutrition asks, "Why is this happening, and how can we help your body heal itself?"

What Is Ancestral Nutrition?

Ancestral nutrition means eating like our ancestors did for thousands of years before processed food existed. Our bodies work best when we eat foods they were designed for.

Key ideas include:

• Whole foods: Eating foods that come straight from nature
• Nutrient-rich foods: Choosing foods packed with vitamins and minerals
• Seasonal eating: Enjoying foods when they naturally grow
• Old-school cooking: Using methods like fermenting that make food easier to digest

Why These Ways of Eating Matter Now

In a world full of fast food and packaged meals, eating the functional and ancestral way is more important than ever:

• Over half the food most Americans eat is ultra-processed
• 6 out of 10 adults have chronic health problems, often linked to poor diet
• Today's fruits and vegetables have fewer nutrients than in the past
• Our gut bacteria (which keep us healthy) are less diverse than they used to be

Five Basic Rules for Better Health

When we combine functional and ancestral nutrition, we get these important guidelines:

1. Eat Nutrient-Dense Foods

Focus on foods that give you the most nutrition per bite. These include eggs from free-range chickens, wild-caught fish, fresh local vegetables, berries, nuts, and seeds. These foods give your body what it needs to repair cells, make hormones, and keep your immune system strong.

2. Avoid Foods That Cause Inflammation

Many health problems come from eating foods that make our bodies react poorly. Common troublemakers include vegetable oils, white sugar, processed flours, and for some people, gluten and dairy. A functional approach helps you find which foods might be causing your problems.

3. Take Care of Your Gut

Your gut affects everything from how you absorb nutrients to how you feel mentally. Eating fermented foods, fiber-rich vegetables, and bone broth helps keep your digestive system healthy.

4. Keep Blood Sugar Steady

When blood sugar goes up and down too much, it causes inflammation and energy crashes. Eating protein, healthy fats, and vegetables/fruits at each meal, while cutting back on refined carbs, helps keep your blood sugar stable.

5. Follow Natural Rhythms

Our bodies evolved with certain patterns—like day and night cycles and seasons. Practices like eating within a certain time window each day and eating foods when they're in season can help your body work better.

Easy Steps to Get Started

Ready to try functional and ancestral nutrition? Start with these simple steps:

1. Clean out your kitchen: Slowly replace processed foods with whole foods
2. Try new foods: Add one new nutrient-rich food to your meals each week
3. Find better food sources: Visit farmers' markets or join a local food co-op
4. Learn simple cooking: Master basic ways to make healthy meals at home
5. Listen to your body: Notice how different foods affect how you feel

Remember: Food Is Just One Part

While this blog talks mostly about food, remember that health comes from more than just what you eat. Sleep, stress management, movement, friends and family, and time outside all work together with good food to help you feel your best.

Your Personal Health Journey

At Lifestyle Evolution, we know that everyone is different. What works for one person might not work for another. That's why we combine these nutrition basics with personal health coaching to help you find what works best for you.

Whether you're dealing with a health problem, wanting to lose weight in a healthy way, or just trying to feel better overall, functional ancestral nutrition can help you get back to your body's natural wisdom.

Ready to change how you eat and improve your health? Contact us today to begin your journey to feeling better!