Beyond the Standard American Diet (the SAD): A Functional Medicine Approach 

Beyond the Standard American Diet (the SAD): A Functional Medicine Approach 

The Standard American Diet (SAD) is characterized by a high intake of processed and refined foods, sugar, unhealthy fats, and low intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  Unfortunately, the SAD is associated with a range of health problems, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.  Functional medicine can help you move away from the SAD and start incorporating sustainable food changes to help improve your health and vitality.

Functional Medicine

Functional medicine is an approach to healthcare that focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of disease.  It takes into account the unique genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that contribute to a person’s health status.  By identifying and addressing the underlying causes of disease, functional medicine can help you achieve optimal health and prevent chronic medical conditions.

Functional Medicine Approach to the SAD

One of the primary ways that functional medicine can help with the SAD is by addressing nutrient deficiencies.  The SAD is often lacking in essential nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.  These nutrients are necessary for optimal health and well-being, and deficiencies can contribute to a range of health problems.  A functional medicine approach can help identify nutrient deficiencies and recommend dietary changes, nutraceuticals, or other interventions to address them.

Gut Health

Functional medicine can also help with the SAD by addressing gut health.  The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in overall health and function, and the SAD can disrupt the balance of bacteria in the gut.  This can contribute to a range of health problems, including digestive issues, autoimmune conditions, and mental health problems.  Functional medicine practitioners can help identify imbalances in the gut microbiome and recommend dietary changes, probiotics, or other interventions to improve gut health.  

Inflammation

Another way that functional medicine can help with the SAD is by addressing inflammation.  The SAD is high in inflammatory foods, including refined sugar, processed foods, and unhealthy fats.  Chronic inflammation is associated with a range of health problems, including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.  Working through a functional medicine model can help identify sources of inflammation in the current diet and help craft a personalized approach to dietary and lifestyle changes to reduce inflammation.   

Finally

The SAD is also often associated with a sedentary lifestyle, poor sleep habits, and high levels of stress.  Beyond changes in your diet, a functional medicine approach uses other lifestyle tools such as improving sleep, increasing physical activity, and modulating stress to synergize positive changes in diet.  

IMUA Orthopedics, Sport, Health and Functional Medicine

If you are struggling with the SAD and want to start learning how to use your diet as the powerful therapeutic tool that it can be, let us help you!  Food is one of the greatest vehicles to unleash your healing potential.  IMUA Orthopedics, Sport, Health and Functional Medicine is located in the Medical Arts Building –Kamalani Tower at 1010 South King Street, Suite 401, Honolulu, HI 96814

Functional Medicine

Functional medicine is a holistic medical approach focusing on addressing the underlying causes of complex, chronic disease and how a person’s genes, environment, and lifestyle interact to determine health or “dis-ease.” Functional medicine honors the uniqueness and individuality of each patient, focusing on the needs of the whole person for complete health.

Health and Nutritional Coaching

Health and nutritional coaches work one-on-one with patients to partner in setting and attaining realistic, incremental goals to help achieve changes in daily choices regarding food, movement, sleep, stress, and purpose to improve overall health.

“Health is a large word. It embraces not the body only, but the mind and spirit as well; and not today’s pain or pleasure alone, but the whole being.” James West

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