How often have you heard someone proclaim they’re on a diet, eating really healthy and working out 7 times per week… only to see that routine quickly be abandoned after about a fortnight?
Going to extreme measures like these usually results in short-term health gains only. Strict programs and radical lifestyle changes are very difficult to sustain, and that’s why they very rarely work.
As functional medicine practitioners, we like to use a far more effective, manageable and sustainable route to staying healthy in the long-term.
Here, Luke Clarke outlines how functional medicine practices can be applied to achieve long-term health.
Eating nutritious and delicious foods
Going on a ‘diet’ doesn’t have to mean drinking nothing but kale smoothies. Sure, kale smoothies are super healthy, but they may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Instead, functional medicine promotes a well-balanced diet of foods that are not only nutritious, but tasty too.
Think baked salmon with lemon and pepper, with a side of broccoli coated with olive oil and chili flakes. Or a bowl of warm cinnamon oats topped with mixed berries. Foods like these satisfy your cravings and contribute to long term health – because you can actually stick to eating them for weeks at a time.
Serving your gut health
Long-term health is so much more than just calorie counting or being able to run a marathon. Gut health is one of the most important aspects of long-term health, ensuring that your gut is able to fight inflammation and maintain a healthy microbiome balance.
Functional medicine looks at gut health and improving your microbiome. We do this by promoting a healthy balance of probiotics (found in fermented foods like sauerkraut and kefir) and prebiotics (found in garlic, onions and bananas).
Individualised health
What may be healthy for one person may not be healthy for you. Most of us have varying degrees of intolerances towards certain foods which cause inflammation. Functional medicine encourages tailored diets which help with testing and identifying for problematic foods so they can be avoided.
Stress management
It’s not just about what you eat or how often you exercise; mental health is just as important as physical health when it comes to long-term results. Stress management is a large focus of functional medicine. We incorporate stress management techniques such as breathing exercises, meditation, yoga, sauna therapy and spending time in nature as a way to fight the mental ‘inflammation’ as well as the physical.
If you’re interested in feeling better for the long-term, make an appointment with Luke Clarke today. Luke Clarke is a practitioner of functional medicine and naturopath in Melbourne who has treated many patients looking for long-term health advice. Combining science and naturopathic philosophies, Luke Clarke cares about your health and works alongside you to improve it. Contact Luke Clarke for a 10-minute free consultation today.