Wellbeing starts with good digestive health. It’s actually all about our gut – that’s the foundation of the natural health philosophy. Eating a Hopewood diet is the best way to improve your digestive system.
Hopewood recommends a diet rich in fresh fruit and vegetables with complex carbohydrates and some protein.
Hopewood’s vegetarian food plan is nutritious, cleansing and delicious…..
It is incredibly healthy for three main reasons:
- It’s low in fats and oils
- It’s low in animal protein, and
- It’s rich in health promoting/disease preventing micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, antioxidants & other phytonutrients).
We recommend that your diet consists of:
- 60%-70% fresh fruit and vegetables.
- 20-25% complex carbohydrates (depending on energy requirements regarding exercise).
- 10-15% concentrated protein.
Hopewood also recommends you generally avoid stimulants, fats and oils, refined and processed foods, dairy products in large amounts, salt and high salt foods, artificial colourings flavourings and preservatives.
Awareness is key!
It’s important to regularly ask yourself, “when I eat this food, how do I feel?” This is essential because it enables you to identify when something doesn’t work for your body. …. and every body is unique.
Easy tips to start your Hopewood diet:
- Increase fibre in the diet, especially leafy greens, whole grains and brown rice.
- Restrict dressings, especially fats and avocado, if body fat is a problem.
- Drink plenty of purified water, juices and herbal teas each day.
- Chew your food well, as this improves digestion and stimulates the bowel.
While we do suggest 60% of your diet should be eaten raw, not everyone can comfortably eat this volume of raw food at first, particularly if your digestive system is stressed and tired. Try starting with soups and steamed vegetable. Do this until the digestive system is working more optimally to digest a greater proportion of raw food.
