6 Foundations Of Functional Nutrition
How do each of the 6 foundations support proper function and overall health in the body?
In our modern healthcare system when it comes to dysfunction or disease in the body, most general practitioners address it by simply band-aiding symptoms which are presenting, without ever really asking the deeper question of why these symptoms are occurring to begin with. Whether it be hormonal imbalances, auto-immune conditions, cardiovascular health or metabolic disorders, most often they are treated using some sort of drugs or medical intervention. Unfortunately this approach completely bypasses many of the fundamental aspects which are necessary for the healthy function of the many systems which work synergistically within the body. When we begin to ask why these symptoms are occurring, and which system they are correlating to, there are 6 key foundations which most will lead back to. They are the adequate intake of a properly prepared nutrient dense diet, digestion, blood sugar regulation, fatty acids, mineral balance, and adequate hydration. These 6 foundations serve as the fundamental basis to proper function throughout the body.
Working from north to south digestion is first and foremost the most crucial aspect of a healthy functioning human. Even with the most nutrient dense, fresh and organic diet unfortunately without sufficient digestive function it will all be in vain. Digestion is essential for absorption and assimilation of all the nutrients needed, including all vitamins, minerals, proteins, sugars, fats, and water which enter the body. Then utilised by all other organ systems for structure and function, growth, energy and repair.
Although adequate intake of these nutrients is important, it proves useless without proper digestive function to absorb them. Digestion is a critical aspect to wellbeing which has diminished greatly in modern times.
Two prominent conditions which can afflict optimal digestion include poor or inadequate stomach acid production, and dysbiosis within the gut microbiome, both which have been heavily burdened by modern diets and lifestyle habits. Including the over consumption of highly refined processed foods, widespread chemical use, drugs (both prescription and recreational), alcohol, antibiotics, reduced consumption of traditional foods, and a general lack in variety of foods eaten. In conjunction with a plague of environmental chemicals and pollutants.
When we look at digestion alone it’s easy to see why many people are not only sick but also struggle to heal and resolve their health conditions. Even for those who are eating healthfully and taking their supplements it can be an uphill battle without proper functioning digestion to assimilate the nutrients necessary.
Secondly we look at blood sugar dysregulation. Blood sugar regulation is a function used in the body to regulate the balance of sugar in the blood which is then used for energy for every action which occurs in the body.
Pre historically this function was used to help our body store this energy when we came across an abundance of food. With high sugar foods signalling the brain, then signalling to the pancreas to release insulin, a hormone allowing these sugars to be absorbed into the cells, with any excess, beyond the capacity of liver and skeletal muscle stores, being stored as adipose tissue (fat). However pre historically this seldom actually occurred and most often blood sugar levels were low, allowing for humans to utilise their fat reserves as their primary fuel.
Fast forward to the industrial age and the mass production of sugar ladened processed food, combined with high stress lifestyles, and for the first time in human history our body’s are inundated with the daily task of needing to consistently lower blood sugar levels. When blood sugar levels are chronically elevated this can lead to a “decrease in blood vessel elasticity causing them to narrow, and impeding blood flow. Then further leading to a reduced supply of blood and oxygen, and an increase in the risk of high blood pressure”1, causing sometimes irreversible damage to the heart, brain and legs. All symptoms of now epidemic levels of the disease known as diabetes.
Further, elevated blood sugars decrease our body’s ability to utilise our most efficient energy source, fat, like our ancestors did.
This segways to the third foundation for optimal function within the body, fatty acids.
Given a bad wrap during the advent of diet culture in the 80s fats were demonised as a culprit for their apparent role in heart disease, and believed attribution to body fat.
A completely misguided concept founded on dodgy science, negating the essential roles which it plays in various bodily functions. Namely, providing a source of energy, acting as building blocks for cell membranes and hormone synthesis, aiding in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins A,D,E, and K, allowing for the proper use of proteins, serving as a protecting lining for organs, and increasing satiety (fullness)2 In addition to playing a primary role in healing through regulating the body's inflammatory response.
To add further insult to the fear ladened fat phobic advice of many medical professionals, these healthy fat rich foods were then substituted by adding sugar! A choice which has now contributed to the many metabolic disorders and diseases outlined previously.
Not only are we now eating more sugar in place of fat, but also the fat that we are often eating are the ones which are ironically driving inflammation through the roof. These include hydrogenated vegetable and seed oils, which are favourites for cafes and restaurants, and now saturate our supermarket shelves. These nasty oils are often chemically processed, bleached and rancid, causing a host of health concerns, while starving our body of nutrients, and unfavourably tipping the balance of omega fatty acids.
Next is quite possibly one of the most overlooked of the foundations. Mineral balance.
Composing around 4% of the body, minerals are an essential factor for numerous functions throughout the body. These include but are not limited to; acting as cofactors for a multitude of enzyme reactions, helping to facilitate the transfer of nutrients across cell membranes, maintaining proper nerves conduction, the contraction and relaxation of muscles, regulating tissue growth, while providing structural and functional support. (NTA, Mineral Balance Introduction, Pg 5, 2019)
Structurally minerals make up the most basic component of the human body, the skeleton and teeth. Primarily made up of the five most abundant minerals in the body which are calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and sodium, of which calcium is the most concentrated, making up to 2% of total body weight. Although 99% of this calcium is stored in bones and teeth it also has many other functions within the body, most notably used in muscular contraction.
However as noted earlier if proper digestive function is not occurring many people inadequately absorb these critical elements. With many requiring additional cofactors such as sufficient acidity in the stomach, other minerals and vitamins, such as vitamin D, which is synthesised by satisfactory sun exposure.
These minerals were once abundantly found in the food and water we consumed, passed on by crops grown in mineral rich soils, animals that ate them, and water which ran through them.
This now lack of minerals may further contribute to the high statistics of dehydration which prevails.
Water is the most essential nutrient, making up to 55-60% of total body mass, with a primary role of transporting all other nutrients throughout the body. Proper hydration is crucial for maintaining the electrical properties and communication of cells, improving oxygenation levels, enabling the body’s healing and digestive processes, while removing waste and toxins from the body. Although the body can withstand small decreases in water it only takes as little as 2% for dehydration to occur whereby disruptions to mood, cognitive functioning and energy production occur. And losses greater than 10% potentially being fatal.
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An added affliction of our modern lifestyles is often that our busy-ness can deter proper thirst signalling. This mixed with highly refined diets, mineral imbalances, and less optimal water sources play a big contribution to the often overlooked subtle signs of dehydration.
And last but not least, the education and implementation of a properly prepared nutrient dense diet is key to supplying the above mentioned fatty acids, minerals, vitamins, water and countless other compounds which support function and vitality to the mind, body and spirit.
Although this may look different for everyone depending on background, culture, life stage and goals, we can glean much simple wisdom from the ways of our ancestors who ate wholefoods, cooked with healthy minimally processed oils. They ate a wide variety of different foods,and seasonally, as nature intended. Meals were often shared together, with minimal distractions, bringing greater satisfaction and enjoyment. Although unknown at the time these ancestral habits, lost not that long ago, allowed for a more optimal state of “rest and digest” within the nervous system. Powering our most foundational aspect of wellbeing-digestion.
As you can see these 6 foundations work synergistically to maintain cellular function, therefore that of the organs, their systems, and the organism. Providing the fuel and energy for functional well being of the human body.
1. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317483#cardiovascular-system
2. NTA, Fatty Acids introduction, Pg 6
3. NTA, Hydration Dysfunction, Pg 4