An interview with expert nutritionist Mireia Cervera on how eating well can positively impact many areas of your life
Holistic nutrition, also called integrative nutrition, is concerned with not just losing weight, but achieving all-round health, both physically and emotionally, through food.
To understand the need for this new approach to nutrition, we must appreciate the context of today’s society and the way it operates. The pace of life is frenetic, technology bombards us constantly with information, there is more pollution, supermarkets offer a mind-boggling selection of food and we often want quick and easy solutions. It can be difficult to lead a balanced, intuitive and healing lifestyle if you do not take certain steps to counteract these pressures.
Integrative nutrition guides the person to maintain control over their diet in a world that makes it challenging. It is a way of nourishing yourself which not only takes into account the physical aspects, but also pursues wellbeing on a psychological and emotional level, improving your overall health.
In holistic nutrition, the psychological and emotional state of the person is very important. The way state of mind influences our eating has long been known. We’ve all experienced that feeling of a knot in your stomach when given bad news, or that feeling of hunger when facing a stressful situation.
Food gives us satisfaction, and it is usually eaten to compensate for unpleasant emotions, since it is a quick stimulus and easy to obtain. Sweetness is the flavour that best compensates for negativity, and it is no coincidence that foods rich in sugar and refined flours raise the levels of serotonin, the hormone of happiness.
Finding new sources of pleasure serves to balance the state of mind so that food is not the easiest way to obtain satisfaction
In order to control your emotional appetite, the first thing to do is seek other satisfactions. Tools such as meditation, yoga, sports, self-care or finding a new hobby are essential for changing your relationship with food.
This is what a nutrition retreat must take into account in order for it to work out. Camiral Wellness Centre supports this idea of healthy living helping your metabolism to work better, through a combination of movement and nutritional adjustments.
Nutrition health and wellbeing programs
Mireia Cervera, expert nutritionist and part of the Teresa Carles team, has developed specific nutritional programs for visitors and guests alongside Camiral’s chef David Vives. These programs may include private yoga or training sessions, high-tech treatments and more experiences in order to disconnect to the outside world and reconnect with yourself, guiding a physical and psychological change not only for a moment but in your lifestyle.
A holistic nutrition diet guides you in learning and self-knowledge, so that goals can not only be achieved but maintained. It calculates the ideal nutritional guideline for each individual, taking into account factors such as physical and emotional health, lifestyle and their environment.
It’s important that the person is clear that it is a process, and that they must commit to a certain path. Holistic nutrition proposes a natural, nutritious and regulatory diet which can help prevent and improve diseases.
Medical practice today is often based on treating disease, not preventing it. It’s also common to go on diets purely for aesthetic reasons without looking at the bigger picture of our health.
Holistic nutrition is about maintaining all-round health and eating in a way that helps to protect against future illness. Everything you do throughout each day either takes you away from or brings you closer to your health: diet, exercise, stress, contact with nature, time spent outdoors.
By taking control of those decisions and moving towards healthier choices, you will lead a happier, more fulfilled life.