It's National Nutrition Month! (GIVEAWAY- One day left!)
Here are 5 simple ways you can improve your nutrition, and a crazy nourishing giveaway!
This post is sponsored by Trace Minerals Research, my all-time favorite source for mineral supplements. Their products have been so impactful for my health over the last 10 years, and I am proud to partner with them to bring you the following five ways you can improve your nutrition in honor of National Nutrition Month. We’re also partnered with several other incredible brands on what has to be the most nutritious giveaway ever done; see below for more information! For a discount on your first order, use my affiliate code “HOLISTICHOMEMAKING15.” On top of you getting a discount when you use my code and affiliate links, I make a small commission. Thank you for your support!
Despite having access to a supposed abundance of food, many Americans suffer from conditions that could be managed or even prevented entirely with good nutrition— like obesity and diabetes. If we want good health to become the baseline of our culture instead of chronic illness (wow, seeing that typed out is somber, isn’t it?), we need to spread awareness of how to eat to properly nourish our bodies. By prioritizing your own health and wellness, you do more than just make yourself feel better; you set a powerful example for everyone around you, and fuel change in our culture.
In honor of this being National Nutrition Month, here are 5 simple ways you can improve your nutrition!
1. Eat whole, unprocessed foods, and aim to source the best quality you can.
When you eat whole and unprocessed foods, you are simultaneously decreasing your exposure to ingredients that can damage your health and increasing your nutrient intake. As you improve the quality of that food, by sourcing from farms with well-cared-for soil and animals raised outdoors on pasture, you are increasing your nutrient intake even further (because the plants and animals you’re eating are better nourished themselves!). Buying from local farmers who are transparent about their practices is ideal. You can also look for certain phrases on labels, like “pasture raised,” “grass fed,” “biodynamic,” and “organic.”
2. Eat nose to tail animal foods, including unusual cuts, bones, and organs.
Every part of the animal has a different nutritional profile; all of them richly supply essential nutrients including vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fats in various amounts.
Meats cooked on the bone, tougher cuts cooked low and slow, and bone broth are uniquely rich in glutathione, collagen, and gelatin.
Bone marrow generously supplies fat soluble vitamins, minerals, and fat.
Liver is the most nutrient dense food on the planet, abundantly supplying nourishing fats, protein, B vitamins, fat soluble vitamins, and minerals like copper and iron.
Fats from pasture raised animals, like lard and tallow, can be rendered and used as a cooking fat that brings a dense supply of fat soluble vitamins.
By learning to prepare and eat every part of an animal, you are both optimizing your nutrition and honoring the animal’s life by making sure no part is wasted. Similarly, aim to frequently feature other whole animal products like eggs and whole dairy.
3. Eat a colorful variety of seasonal produce.
When you eat a wider variety of fruits and vegetables, you’re exposing yourself to a wider range of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Some examples:
Dark leafy greens are especially rich in B vitamins and minerals.
Tomatoes (especially when cooked, as in the form of tomato paste) richly supply the antioxidant lycopene, which supports and protects your skin during the sunny season (which is when tomatoes are in season— nature truly is wise!).
Fruit and fresh peppers are a great source of vitamin C.
Potatoes, squash, and bananas are great sources of potassium and easily utilized energy.
Aim to eat some seasonal fruit and a few different seasonal vegetables daily so that you can reap a wide range of nutritional benefits while you enjoy the visual and gastric appeal that colorful variety brings.
4. Remineralize your water.
When we have abundant and balanced trace minerals, all other nutrients are absorbed better by our bodies. Natural water sources like springs and wells have naturally occurring trace minerals because they come up directly from the earth. However, most of us are drinking treated tap water, which is largely devoid of minerals, and many of us filter it again before drinking it to remove the chemicals it is treated with (myself included). By adding a good source of trace minerals to your drinking water and your cooking, you can consistently replenish the trace minerals that your body is constantly using for countless functions. I recommend using a mineral rich natural salt as well as Trace Minerals Research Concentrace trace mineral drops.
5. Consider supplementing magnesium.
Do you have stress in your life? Well, depleted magnesium levels in your body cause you to feel stressed… and stress causes an accelerated depletion of magnesium. It’s quite the vicious cycle. Our culture has manifested stress as a central feature of our lives, on top of setting itself up for failure already by consuming foods that are processed and nutritionally devoid, and/or grown in soil that has been depleted of nutrients. Magnesium is vital to a wide range of functions in our bodies, including nerve and brain function, muscle relaxation, heart function, bone health, relaxation, blood pressure regulation, blood sugar regulation, and more. Making sure we are getting plenty of it is vital to our health! I take supplemental magnesium every evening before bed. Mega Mag from Trace Minerals Research has been my go-to for over a year now, and I love it!
Conclusion (and giveaway details!)
While many nutrition gurus and resources might make it feel overwhelming and complicated, improving your nutrition really can be simple. By eating whole and natural foods of the best quality you can access, aiming for variety in both your animal and your plant foods, and adding some mineral drops to your beverages, you can improve your nutrition and enhance your quality of life drastically.
I’ve partnered with five incredible brands on the ultimate giveaway in nourishing and regenerative foods over on Instagram! The brands and products are curated specifically to help you improve your nutrition and feel better. Click here to view the post and enter the giveaway. We’re giving away…
Concentrace trace mineral drops, Mega Mag magnesium drops, and Stress-X magnesium powder from Trace Minerals Research
A regenerative bison meat assortment from Force of Nature Meats that includes an organ meat Ancestral Blend
An assortment of sprouted and organic oats and delicious tea infused granolas from One Degree Organics
Four 12 oz bags of whole bean Purity Coffee, plus four 5 ct packs of single serve coffee sachets including FLOW, EASE, CALM, & PROTECT
Two bags of Pluck organ meat based seasoning
Assorted regeneratively grown and naturally fermented olives and peppers from Big Picture Foods
I hope you found these tips helpful, and wish you the best of luck with the giveaway! Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below, and don’t forget to share this post to spread awareness and create a well nourished culture.