Feel better, live better: The role of food in your health and vitality
Modern medicine has given us many blessings. In the first half of the 20th century, insulin was discovered. It soon became available as a drug, and subsequently type 1 diabetes was no longer a deadly disease. In the 1940s, antibiotics became available and have since saved millions of lives. It seems hard to believe now that before then, an injury as slight as the scratch of a rose’s thorn could kill you. Surgeons save lives every day, removing inflamed appendices, stitching up injured tissues, screwing bones back together, replacing joints and even organs.
Yet, the one thing modern medicine still cannot cure is chronic diseases. Contrary to the impression conveyed to us, it is not even particularly good at managing them. For chronic diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, arthritis, dementia, depression and more, the treatment of choice is drugs. However, all drugs come with unintended side effects. What’s more, according to Danish physician and researcher Peter Gøtzsche, prescription drugs are the third leading cause of death in Europe and the US.
Very little attention is given to prevention, despite ample evidence that diet and lifestyle choices play a significant role in the development of chronic illness. A real food diet, movement, sleep, sunshine and natural light, relaxation techniques and stress management go a long way to prevent us from falling ill in the first place, but even late in the day – when a chronic disease has already struck – diet and lifestyle changes are still able to slow or even halt the progression of the disease or even reverse it altogether. For example, we now know that type 2 diabetes, which used to be considered progressive and incurable, can be reversed, either through gastric bypass surgery or a change of diet. No drug can achieve that! But if there’s a choice between changing the diet or have gastric bypass surgery, I know which one I would try first.
Even if there is a genetic predisposition to a specific disease that runs in your family – say cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, depression or cancer – diet and lifestyle choices still matter. Genes can be switched on or off. Genes load the gun, but poor diet and lifestyle choices pull the trigger.
Can food really be that powerful?
In short: Yes. Many people think of nutrition and the value of food only in terms of calories: “You need X amount of calories to sustain life, X amount to be healthy. ” And also, “If you want to lose weight, you need to expend more calories than you consume. ” Yet, food is so much more than calories.
(Real) food contains a plethora of nutrients your body needs. Many of those, you only need in trace amounts, but you do need them. The human body consists of and evolved to require protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and lots of other nutrients from food. You did not evolve to require medication, and you do not get sick as a result of medication deficiency!
Nutritional deficiencies cause or contribute to many illnesses. In cases where malnutrition or malabsorption are not the underlying cause of disease, food can still a) reduce the damage and b) help the body heal itself.
I’m not saying there is no need for medication – far from it – but you may need less or none if you give the body what it needs for repair and maintenance.
On the flip side, of course, the modern diet contains a lot of so-called ‘food’ that you do not need at all. Not only that, but the evidence that modern ultra-processed food causes harm is also mounting.
Research links such foods (think convenience food, novelty foods, junk foods etc.) to many health problems. People who eat more of them are more likely to be obese and have diabetes and cardiovascular disease. One study found an association with cancer.
So far, this research is based on observational studies, which can only confirm that two things occur together but not that one is causing the other. Experts do not yet know whether it is what’s in ultra-processed foods that causes harm or what they are lacking. Most likely, it is a bit of both.
So, if you want to get (or stay) healthy, you need to think about what you eat as well as what you don’t eat.
1. Eat real food
That means meat, fish, seafood, eggs, dairy, nuts, seeds, pulses, vegetable, fruit, herbs, spices, whole grains and natural fats. It also means that you need to get cooking. If you prepare your own meals and snacks, you’ll know exactly what’s in it. Yes, it is still possible to create unhealthy food if you prepare your own, but you’d be hard-pressed to add ingredients that are as harmful as those the food industry puts in our food – with the possible exception of sugar.
2. Avoid sugar and refined carbohydrates Sugar has no nutritional value. It is not among the things you need to eat.
You need protein, fat and carbohydrates but that does not mean that you need to eat starchy, carbohydrate-rich food – at least not in the quantities that most people do today. There are essential amino acids (the building blocks of protein) and essential fatty acids (the building blocks of fat) but there are no essential carbohydrates. The body can create those from protein and fat, but you will still get enough if you eat plenty of non-starchy vegetables.
3. Eat natural fats
The body uses saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. All natural foods that contain fat consist of a combination of all of these. Every cell wall is built from those fatty acids.
The human brain is 60% fat, and fat is the basis for many hormones and neurotransmitters. Fat as such is not the enemy, but what you don’t need are man-made oils that are chemically extracted, clarified and deodorised, then filled into transparent plastic bottles and stored under the bright light of supermarkets. Polyunsaturated fats, although ‘essential’ are highly sensitive to heat and light. The treatment they receive causes them to oxidise, which makes them so harmful.
You also do not need artificially hardened (‘partially hydrogenated vegetable oils’) as they contain trans fats, a harmful form of fat also used in many ultra-processed foods. Unfortunately, these unhealthy fats that are still frequently advertised as ‘heart-healthy’ and ‘good for you’ are now known to be highly inflammatory.
Healthy fats are butter and ghee, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil and cold-pressed sunflower, flaxseed, walnut and pumpkin seed oils. The latter should be stored in opaque glass bottles and away from light, some even in the fridge.
4. Eat a wide variety of real foods
Consuming as many different foods as possible has lots of advantages. The obvious one is that your diet won’t be boring. The more different foods you eat, the more likely you will get all the nutrients you need.
Plant foods of different colours contain different kinds of phytonutrients – plant nutrients that have beneficial properties. So, make sure to include all the colours of the rainbow in your diet.
Your gut, too, will thank you for a wide variety of foods. There is a lot still to discover about the microbiota, the community of microbes living in our digestive tract. The one thing we already know is that the more varied the microbiota, the healthier the human. Different microbes like different foods. The more varied your diet, the more different microbes you are nurturing.
The Transformative Power Health Coaching
Almost every client who seeks support is looking for help with one or two specific concerns. However, as we work together, many clients notice improvements in other areas they hadn’t even considered, such as better sleep, reduced joint discomfort, improved energy levels, and clearer skin.
For example, one client initially sought support for weight loss but experienced dramatic improvements in sleep quality within just a few weeks—something they had struggled with for over a decade. This is the power of healthy eating and holistic lifestyle support; when the body receives the right nutrients, it works toward balance and overall well-being.
Unlike medications that target individual symptoms, whole foods nourish the body on multiple levels. Nutrients get to work wherever they are needed, leading to positive ripple effects across many aspects of health.
Take the Next Step
If you’re ready to experience the benefits of health and wellness coaching, I invite you to book a complimentary call, healthforlifr@juliacullinan.com
Let’s discuss your goals and explore how personalised support can help you achieve lasting well-being.
Disclaimer: This information is designed to support individuals in making informed nutrition and lifestyle choices. Health coaches provide guidance in optimising well-being through food and lifestyle changes. However, individuals with medical conditions should consult their healthcare provider before making significant changes.