“Nutrition and our lifestyle are the medicine of the future: health is served on a four-legged table.” This is what the integrative nutritionist believes Elisa Blazquez, who just published his book Take charge of your health, published by Espasa. A guide in which the author aims to help you better understand your microbiota, your digestion, to improve your energy level and, therefore, your quality of life. And did you know that there are foods that weaken your intestine and promote the dreaded chronic inflammation? The time has come to take control of our health and above all we have had the opportunity to speak with the expert.
The title of the book already encourages us to a purpose that is quite a declaration of intentions: to take control of our health, don’t you think?
That’s right, the objective of this book is none other than to help and facilitate the path to health and well-being. Taking charge of our health is much simpler than we think and there are many tools to take care of ourselves that can be realistic for everyone. The most important thing is to understand the change and start little by little. Each step will add and improve your quality of life.
At what point do you think we have been able to let go of those reins, that we have not given our digestive health the importance it deserves?
I think it has a lot to do with the current pace of life we have, we do not value or dedicate enough time to health prevention. We have normalized being bloated, constipated or having reflux and we solve it quickly with some pill, when we want to realize that we have lost the reins, it is usually too late. It is something that unfortunately we see even in the little ones, that is why I intend to generate a new awareness with this book, and that each one, with their circumstances and that of their family, reacts now.
© Adobe StockRead also: 8 factors that you have to take into account to improve your digestion
Do you think we have finally given the importance it has to combating the dreaded inflammation?
We’re on the road, now It seems that the words “inflammation” or “SIBO” are in fashion. But it is important that we learn to differentiate between each thing and that we understand well what happens in our body when the immune system is put on alert. It is something that I explain very well in my book, I consider that understanding our body is the first step to be able to act.
Our lifestyle and the diet we lead can slowly inflame us and a lot of digestive and extra-digestive symptoms arise. You don’t have to normalize being tiredswollen or with constant pain, that is why it is very interesting to start connecting symptoms, understand and Realize where the root of our problem is.
The same thing happens with our microbiota, which was largely unknown a few years ago, but which has been gaining prominence. What are the keys to keeping it in balance?
Our microbiota is a large ecosystem of microorganisms that live with us and adapt to the life we give them. Depending on food, rest, exercise or even stress, our “bugs” will be stronger or weaker. In the book there is an extensive chapter on the keys to taking care of them, They need an anti-inflammatory diet loaded with prebiotics, antioxidants, nutrients… but they also need rest, organized schedules, physical exercise. However, I do not like to overwhelm with everything that is good to be healthy, sometimes we feel that we will not be able to change everything at once and that is normal, I prefer that everyone find the small changes that are accessible to improve in your life and your context and all this will add up.
You don’t have to normalize being tired, swollen or in constant pain.
Is it easy to opt for an anti-inflammatory diet in our daily lives, sometimes marked by rush?
It is, it is a matter of having alternatives. It seems that we will have to follow a complex diet with a lot of ingredients that we don’t even know about and that is not the case. Really anti-inflammatory eating is as simple as eating real food, return to more traditional foods, remove the fear of nutrients such as fat and listen to our body. It is not difficult when you apply it because you can find the food in the same supermarket as always, you can prepare very simple dishes and you will eat foods that will satisfy you more and make you feel better. It’s not about prohibiting anything either.but to understand what foods to eat in daily life because they add up and nourish.
It is clear that every change costs at first because you have to get used to the new alternative, but it is a matter of noticing the benefits and you always want to continue like this.
Read also: The compelling reason that will convince you to follow a diet that avoids inflammation
One way to convince ourselves why it is important to opt for this type of diet is by knowing the benefits it has for our health, don’t you think?
Totally agree, understand and experience them. Patients come to the consultation without knowing very well what will happen to their body when they begin to change some habits and they are impressed when they see how small everyday ailments begin to improvethat’s when they don’t need anyone to convince them, they want to continue like this because they feel better.
© Adobe StockYou talk about realistic changes in our diet. Is it perhaps the most important condition that they must meet, being realistic, to be able to carry them out successfully?
One of the things I say in my book is that every path is taken in a specific context and yours is your home, your family, your work, your schedules, etc. In that context we must assess the realistic changes you can make. If they tell you that every morning it is good to go outdoors to breathe fresh air and expose yourself to the sun, but you live in the city, you can’t do anything. With this book I want everyone to understand their context and know that each small realistic change will add up a lot.
We are designed for health and well-being, our body responds to any improvement, there is no need to scare us or demotivate us with unattainable goals.
The main enemies of our sports health are stress and diets rich in ultra-processed foods.
The habits acquired since childhood mark us, also in relation to our diet. But it is never too late to turn the tables and incorporate those healthy habits, don’t you think?
It’s never too late and It is a mistake to think that we cannot change that imprint of childhood.. In the book I talk about how our brain is capable of modulating the response it has to a food and we can shape our tastes and preferences in an extraordinary way.
Every day I see people who turn the tables and feel very proud and empowered. The other day a person told me that he could come to the consultation if he did not eat any vegetables or if he was a hopeless case, I told him that the fact that he wants to come to the consultation is already a big step and that there are many other aspects that can add, it’s all a matter of starting. We cannot imagine how far we will be able to go.
Read also: Why you need the advice of a nutritionist (not only if you want to lose weight)
Help us dispel one of the main myths about a healthy diet: to be healthy, it has to be boring and unappetizing.
Not at all, think about the richest and tastiest dishes that your grandmother carefully made for you and they are probably healthy. What is not healthy is the ready-to-eat meal that you buy in the supermarket and has many additives. But everything you prepare with quality ingredients can be healthy. A Madrid stew, a potato omelette, a ceviche, some stewed lentils, and many others, can be healthy and exquisite dishes.
© Getty ImagesWhy are we often tempted to eat options that are not always as healthy as they should be?
It often happens with the sweetsare foods that they act directly on our brain reward centersthey make us feel good and relax us. When you offer something delicious to someone, your intention is to make them feel good, but we can also achieve this with good quality food.
Another key is to know our body, know what it needs, what works well for it. Why is it sometimes an impossible mission for us?
Because they have not explained it to us well, it seems that the knowledge of our body only belongs to doctors and that is not the case. It is one of the purposes of my book, that you understand your body better and learn to listen to it actively. There are several super simple and accessible chapters for everyone where I talk about how to connect with our body through understanding of the reactions that occur as we eat and live.
What do you think are the main enemies of our digestive health?
Without a doubt, stress and diets rich in ultra-processed foods. Living in a constant state of alert reduces the activity of the digestive system and we begin to digest poorly. The lack of quality food for the microbiota also weakens it.
We live in a society that could have everything to live well and yet, as he explains, there are many paradoxes. Should the goal be to live more, yes, but above all, live better?
We have much more information to be able to take better care of ourselves and better, but, unfortunately, very unfavorable environments for health. It is curious, but the technological world that makes our lives so much easier in many aspects, clashes with our most ancestral needs. To live better we have to reconcile ourselves with free time without screens, go to the market for fresh producego for a walk in the countryside, spend quality time with our loved ones. It may seem obvious, but we have moved away from it and they are the keys to give more quality of life to our years.
When you offer something delicious to someone, your intention is to make them feel good, but we can also achieve this with good quality food.
Nowadays what has been called Integrative Nutrition is gaining ground, what are its keys?
It is a nutrition that addresses individual needs in a comprehensive way, taking into account body and mind, and how we respond to the environment in which we live. Integrative nutrition takes into account the body as a whole taking into account aspects such as digestive, hormonal, immune, neuronal, biochemical health, etc. In addition to actively working on awareness and emotions around nutrition.
Read also: This is how anxiety and stress act on your digestive system
© Inés GarpWhat led you to write this book, who did you think of when you faced the first blank page?
My goal from the beginning has been accompany my patientslet it be a reading that helps them understand change and be motivated by it. I am convinced that there is a roadmap for change and I wanted to explore it in these pages.
As I was writing, I have also thought a lot about my children and being able to leave my grain of sand so that new generations have it much easier with readings like this one.
What will the reader find who enters the pages of your book?
A path to your own well-being with some stops that I consider essential. You will find clear information about the world around you, you will understand in a very illuminating way how your body works and how it responds to the life you give it, there are some systems that “run the show” inside us and it is great to understand the connections. And you will have clear and realistic information to start taking care of yourself with simple alternatives and guidelines. That is the path I propose to take control of our health.
