INTUITIVE LIVING by Ayako Miki

A strong and healthy body can handle more than an unhealthy and weak body. So it´s important to adapt everything in life to the individual. - A matter of relativity. When it comes to diet, it´s also a matter of how we prepare/treat our food. Super healthy food can become very toxic if you process or refine it without respect of its nature! I place great emphasis on removing highly inflammatory foods and eating a lot of anti-inflammatory foods, including spices such as cinnamon and turmeric. (Highly inflammatory food is also often addictive ...) Once we have removed very inflammatory foods, such as refined sugar, refined fats and grain products, gluten and industrial milk (raw milk and full-fat, fermented dairy that aren´t homogenized are better choices), we are able to develop a way of eating/a diet that suits our individual needs in the best way. Other important factors are; probiotics and enzyme rich food (e.g. fermented foods and foods supporting our gut flora and enhance digestion), superfood (foods rich in antioxidants and nutrients) that protect our body from free radicals and toxins, and boost our immune system, nutrient-dense foods with low glycemic index that are easy to digest, balances our blood sugar and thereby also our hormones (e.g. meat, fish, eggs, and healthy fat both from the animal kingdom and plant kingdom). When we balance our blood sugar and hormones we also prevent illness and disease such as diabetes and cancer. It´s a matter of eating intuitively with respect of our present mental and physical health as well as cycles, rather than having a fixed diet. The purpose is not to limit, but rather about choosing consciously! And rather than eating in the same way always, varation and diversity are important keys regarding both what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat! - A matter of listening to our bodies.

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Unfortunately, I see many people who claim to be anti-inflammatory diet experts spreading recipes that undoubtedly will cause inflammation not only because of the choice of ingredients but also the way they´re prepared. What we´re talking about here is grains - including gluten free grains such as oats.

It´s also important to be aware of the fact that biodiversity is essential not only in nature, but also in your body's nature. To maintain the very best harmony in your body thereby means to include both animal source foods and plant-based foods. In nature, plants and animals live in an inseparable symbiosis, and this symbiosis should be reflected in the microbiome as well, as the biodiversity is a vital key to good health. An example of this is the fact that the bacteria Akkermansia only is found in a rich microbiome with great diversity - a sign of a truly healthy gut flora.

However, I would like to point out that good health is a process that looks differently for everyone. And it´s important to be aware of the fact that your body reacts not only physically when you change your diet, but also often emotionally. So it´s important to have patience and take one step at the time, in order to create a natural process that our awareness is capable of following. In other words; We must go through the process that leads to better health as change isn´t instant.