The Importance of Nutrition

In the western world, 80 percent of all diseases stem from poor nutrition. These so-called civilization diseases include, for example, fat metabolism disorders, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, circulatory disorders, stroke, gout and joint diseases or allergies. The main cause of all these diseases is the wrong diet.

The good news is that we can positively influence these processes by changing our diet. Therefore the future belongs to conscious eating!

General Rules

As individual as people are, so are their needs regarding food. Not all foods suit all people. While we can follow general rules -- such as eating three meals a day, chewing well, eating slowly and eating earlier in the evening -- we must also take into account the need for a balanced relationship among protein building blocks, carbohydrates and fat, and to avoid processed foods, convenience foods and fast foods in favor of fresh, natural foods from organic sources.

Individual Dietary Recommendations

A diet should be adapted to an individual's personal situation and metabolic type. Allergy sufferers, for example, would do well to avoid their allergens and to eat critical foods only twice a week to develop tolerance to these foods. Patients with joint pain or gout are advised to consume limited animal proteins and to switch instead to vegetable proteins in order to avoid worsening their symptoms. People with digestive problems find it difficult to digest raw foods and whole grains; to this group it makes little sense to recommend these otherwise very healthy and natural foods, and in this case, fruit and vegetables should only be eaten cooked and whole grains only finely ground.

Overweight people also need a diet plan tailored to their needs and metabolism in order to lose weight healthfully and to maintain weight loss.

Listening to the Body's Signals

Individually appropriate nutrition is crucial to health and well-being. Learn to understand your body: It tells you exactly what it does and does not need.  But you should never lose sight of one thing: Eating is the act of indulging, enjoying and satisfying an elementary need. Eating should be fun and part of an important cultural and social experience. Therefore, avoid sticking too much to rules. An eating mistake can easily be rectified the next day. A frustrating evening spent only watching others enjoy their meals will take away the most important thing from you: The joy of life!