Nutrition: A Pillar of Lifestyle Medicine

By Yesenia Julieth MC.

I'm talking to you. Yes to you.

Because when we talk about food, we don't talk only about those beautiful, smooth flavours that our taste buds pick up and send to our brain, the ones that make you think, " This is delicious"

We talk about your life, your emotions, your energy, your balance, your health, and the habits that shape your future. Food is not just pleasure. It is information. It speaks to our body, our mind, and our well-being, and when we learn to listen carefully, everything can change.

But Why Nutrition matters?

Nutrition is one of the pillars of lifestyle medicine because what we eat builds our body, our mind, and our future. It provides:

• Physical Health, Did you know that Proper nutrition helps your body perform at its best and maintain a healthy weight, rather than relying on extreme diets?

• Longevity: Eating well is linked to living longer and breaking cycles of poor health.

• Mental Wellbeing: Nutrition influences energy, mood, clarity, and emotional balance.

• Foundation for Other Pillars: Good nutrition supports exercise, sleep, and stress management, creating balance in every part of your life.

Your body listens.

Every bite you take tells it: "I care about you, I choose balance, I choose awareness."

The Foundations of a Balanced Plate

Let me give you a general guide. I need to pause here.

these percentages are only a guide. Every person must be evaluated individually, depending on age, sex, lifestyle, medical conditions, medications, and family history.

Your body is unique. Your plan must reflect that.

1. Carbohydrates: 45 - 65% of daily calories

Prefer whole grains, legumes, fruits, vegetables. These give steady energy without sudden spikes in blood sugar.

2. Protein: 10 - 35% of daily calories

Lean meats, fish, eggs, dairy, beans, pulses, nuts, seeds. Protein builds, repairs, and strengthens.

3. Fats: 20 - 35% of daily calories

Focus on unsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts, seeds, oily fish, cheese or Avocado). They support your brain, hormones, and cells.

4. Water

Hydration is essential. Aim for regular intake throughout the day.

The important thing is to avoid excesses. Manage your extremes, they can drain you, or they can lift you. Variety and professional guidance are key. Your plan must reflect your unique needs.

Let's not forget the Hand Portion Method.
Did you know your own hand can guide you to balanced, healthy portions?
It’s a simple, flexible and body-friendly way to eat well without strict rules.

• Protein: your palm

• Carbs: one cupped hand

• Fats: your thumb

• Veggies: two open hands

This method helps you tune into your body, nourish yourself properly, and avoid extreme diets, all while making mealtimes easier.

A case from my experience in healthcare comes to mind, I once met a patient in his 40s who lived very actively, he exercised regularly and had excellent lifestyle habits.

However, he still faced certain challenges with his cholesterol balance due to a family history of cardiovascular risk, his lipid panel still revealed significant risk factors, with persistently elevated LDL, high VLDL, and very low HDL levels .

When we talked more deeply about his routine, we discovered he was overusing certain foods and supplements that are usually seen as "healthy fats." Even good fats can become too much when we exceed what the body needs.

Once he adjusted his portions and received guidance from a nutritionist and specialists as part of a dynamic team, his numbers began to improve. This experience reminded me that balance is everything. Even the healthiest habits need attention, awareness and moderation.

Awareness: Your First Step

Before you change habits, you need awareness. Ask yourself:

What do I feel before I eat?

What does my body actually need?

How do these foods make me feel after eating them?

Your body listens. Your brain listens. Your habits are messages, both good and bad, that can be rewritten.

Our Brain and Our Food Habits

What the Science says

I want to take a moment to make something clear here, because this matters. Most people think food choices are about willpower. But the truth is much more compassionate.

Our brain’s main job is to protect us: to avoid danger, reduce pain, seek safety, and repeat anything that once made you feel good.

Let me explain neuroplasticity briefly and in simple words: our brain is always learning

Let's put it into a simple metaphor: every time we eat something comforting or pleasurable, our brain creates a small pathway.
If we repeat the behaviour often enough, that pathway becomes stronger, first a small path, then a road, then almost a highway.
The brain learns, "This makes me feel safe. Do it again"

It doesn’t judge calories or long-term effects. It only remembers emotional relief.

Dopamine and the Brain's Reward System

Every sweet, snack, or comforting dish triggers dopamine, the brain’s “reward” chemical. Dopamine sends signals like:

"this feels good" "Do it again. "This helps me cope."

Our brain stores these experiences as emotional survival tools, not "bad habits." That’s why comfort foods can feel almost impossible to resist, they’re helping your brain feel safe. Understanding this helps us approach our cravings with awareness and self compassion, rather than guilt.

Emotional Learning and Food

So, our brain does not separate emotional pain from physical danger. Difficult days, stress, or loneliness, our brain experiences them as a threat. It looks for what has comforted us in the past.

If food once gave relief, it becomes a conditioned emotional response. Over time, it stops checking whether it harms your body, it only remembers how it makes you feel.

Health Implications?

This mechanism is especially relevant for conditions like diabetes, obesity, hypertension, emotional eating, and patterns like binge and restrict cycles (You know, sometimes when people eat a lot in one go, then try to eat very little afterward) . Our habits are wired in our brain, not just in our mouth.

The Good New is

Neuroplasticity works both ways. The same way you learned a habit, you can create new pathways. New foods, new routines, new associations, repeated gently, build new "highways" of healthy choice.

Change is possible with awareness, patience, and repetition. Not punishment. Not perfection. Just consistent steps. Outcome? Change. And by change, I mean replacing old habits with new ones that truly fit you.

Small Steps, Big Change

Here’s how we start:

• Slow down before we eat: Our brain needs a moment to notice what we are choosing.

• Name the emotion: pause and recognise what you are feeling.

• Choose consistency over perfection: small, repeated steps build habits.

• Gentle awareness: replace, don’t punish. Replace the old comfort with new healthy pathways.

Final Message, From Me to You

If you believe changing a habit is impossible, if you feel stuck or tired, I have good news for you:

"You can."

"Everything is possible."

And remember: what drains you are excesses. What lifts you is balance.

L’Occasion Health & Wellbeing is not only balanced plans. It is power, inspiration, clarity, motivation, and guidance.

It helps you improve mental health, support your body, and take the first step toward a better life.

Everything starts with one decision. Then you build a plan.

Step by step, your habits, your health, and your balance transform.

Book your plan at L’Occasion today,

Start making it happen.