At BHI Rejuve, we believe that optimal nutrition should form the foundation of your well-being and performance. Nutrition plays a vital role in overall health and in protecting and supporting our bodies. The main function of nutrition is to provide our bodies with energy, but it also contributes to other important processes in the body. Our nutritional intake supports our cells to grow and repair, while also facilitating stronger immune systems and increasing longevity 1. Optimizing nutrition is always the first step in the BHI Rejuve health program, so lets take a closer look at some of the most important aspects of a good diet.
The Key Components
There are typically seven elements that are considered to make up a balanced diet; Carbohydrates, Protein, Fats, Vitamins, Minerals, Fibre and Water. Although each component is vitally important, they should not be consumed in equal quantities as we need different amounts of each nutrient. Imbalances of each component can have a hugely negative effect on your performance and general wellbeing.
Carbohydrates are the main energy source for our bodies and our cells. However, carbohydrates are readily converted and stored as fat if consumed in excess 2. The optimal amount of carbohydrates to consume will vary from person to person depending on factors like activity levels, age and size. Therefore, it is important to conduct proper calculations to identify the most suitable amount for you.
Protein is arguably the most popular macronutrient in the health and fitness industry. Protein is used for building and maintaining cells in the body, including muscle cells. Deficiency or lack of protein is known to cause negative effects like stunted growth and reduced immunity 3,4. An animal study even showed how protein deficiency causes brittle bones 5. However, too much protein can also have negative effects on our body like disrupting our gut 6 and damaging the kidneys 7.
Vitamins and minerals also play a huge part in our nutrition, and many must be consumed in the diet as they cannot be produced in the body. They are key in supporting our immune system and helping us fight off infection 8–11. They also contribute to our brain health which enhances our cognitive abilities and reduces fatigue 12,13. Deficiencies in minerals and vitamins can wreak havoc on our bodies and cause severe symptoms. Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause nerve problems, memory loss and even psychiatric disorders. Similarly, a lack of iron can cause weakness, fatigue, difficulty in concentrating and poor work productivity 14,15.
Common Diets
Most common diets involve some kind of restriction. Although traditional diets like Keto, Vegan and Low Fodmap can help us lose weight, in the long-term they can harm our health. Let’s consider the Keto diet which involves eating minimal carbohydrates and high amounts of fats. Although lots of people lose weight quickly, the long-term effects can include kidney stones, fatty liver disease and vitamin deficiencies. Even in the short term, people experience headaches, fatigue, nausea, and insomnia associated with the process of undergoing ketosis 16.
Nowadays, lots of people are turning to a vegan diet for environmental reasons, as well as wanting to lose weight and be healthier. But unless this diet is planned out carefully, people can become deficient in Vitamin B12 and D, Calcium and Omega 3 17–19. As well as this, studies have shown that vegans have higher bone fracture numbers than people who eat animal products 20. Therefore, we must be very cautious of these restrictive diets and make sure our bodies are getting all the nutrients they need.
BHI Rejuve realizes that there truly isn’t a single perfect diet, or is there a “one size fits all” approach to nutrition. Instead, we conduct the most comprehensive biomarker and clinical laboratory blood testing available to provide a complete snapshot of your metabolic health and allowing for identification of macro- or micronutrient deficiencies. Following this, we provide a comprehensive, patient-specific nutrition and supplement plan that will restore your health to where it should be and allow you to perform to the highest capacity in all aspects of life. This plan is regularly reviewed to suit each client’s specific requirements as they change over time. Nutrition and supplementation must be specific to the metabolic needs of the patient, and we pride ourselves in delivering personalized and highly tailored plans for all our clients. Typically, our clients notice dramatic improvements in energy, sleep quality, immunity, sex drive, digestive symptoms, and cognitive function. Once nutrition is optimized for our clients, BHI Rejuve can then consider implementing further steps of our health optimization program. This includes bio-identical hormone replacement therapy to restore declining hormone levels with age, and stem cell therapy to regenerate injuries where needed. Feeling like your health and energy levels could be improved? Get in touch today!
Reference List:
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2. Horecker BL, Mehler AH. Carbohydrate Metabolism. Annu Rev Biochem. 1955;24(1):207-274. doi:10.1146/annurev.bi.24.070155.001231
3. Crews EL, Fuge K, Oscai L, Holloszy J, Shank R. Weight, food intake, and body composition: effects of exercise and of protein deficiency. Am J Physiol-Leg Content. 1969;216(2):359-363. doi:10.1152/ajplegacy.1969.216.2.359
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14. Pasricha SR, Tye-Din J, Muckenthaler MU, Swinkels DW. Iron deficiency. The Lancet. 2021;397(10270):233-248. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32594-0
15. Soppi ET. Iron deficiency without anemia – a clinical challenge. Clin Case Rep. 2018;6(6):1082-1086. doi:10.1002/ccr3.1529
16. Masood W, Annamaraju P, Uppaluri KR. Ketogenic Diet. In: StatPearls. StatPearls Publishing; 2022. Accessed March 28, 2022. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499830/
17. Craig WJ. Health effects of vegan diets. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89(5):1627S-1633S. doi:10.3945/ajcn.2009.26736N
18. Lemale J, Mas E, Jung C, Bellaiche M, Tounian P. Vegan diet in children and adolescents. Recommendations from the French-speaking Pediatric Hepatology, Gastroenterology and Nutrition Group (GFHGNP). Arch Pédiatrie. 2019;26(7):442-450. doi:10.1016/j.arcped.2019.09.001
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