What A Functional Medicine Practitioner Eats In A Day

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At Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, we understand that many people assume functional medicine practitioners eat "perfectly" all the time. Through our comprehensive Ending Body Burnout Method, we've discovered that true health comes not from rigid food rules, but from developing a balanced, intuitive relationship with food that supports both physical wellbeing and mental freedom.

Understanding the Evolution of a Functional Medicine Practitioner's Food Journey

The path to becoming a functional medicine practitioner often involves personal healing experiences that shape our understanding of nutrition and wellness. At Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, Filipa's decade-long journey from sugar addiction to orthorexia, and finally to food freedom, illustrates the complex relationship many health practitioners have with food and the importance of finding balance in our approach to nutrition.

This evolution reflects a deeper understanding that emerges through both professional training and personal experience. Our work in holistic health and integrative medicine has taught us that sustainable nutrition approaches must address not only the physical aspects of food but also the psychological and emotional relationships we develop with eating patterns.

The journey from restrictive eating patterns to food freedom represents a crucial aspect of our natural healing philosophy. When health practitioners experience their own struggles with food relationships, it creates deeper empathy and understanding for clients who face similar challenges in their wellness journey.

The Philosophy Behind Functional Medicine Nutrition

Our approach to functional nutrition at Chris and Filly Functional Medicine is grounded in several key philosophies that guide daily food choices. Rather than following rigid meal plans or restrictive protocols, we emphasise developing an intuitive understanding of how different foods affect individual energy, mood, and digestive function.

The foundation of our nutritional philosophy centres on supporting the body's natural healing capacity through whole, nutrient-dense foods while maintaining flexibility and enjoyment in eating. This approach recognises that stress around food choices can be more harmful than occasionally eating foods that aren't considered "optimal" from a nutritional standpoint.

Our root cause medicine approach extends to nutrition by addressing not just what we eat, but why we make certain food choices and how our relationship with food affects overall health and wellbeing. This deeper understanding helps create sustainable eating patterns that support long-term health rather than short-term dietary perfection.

Morning Nutrition for Adrenal and Hormonal Support

The morning meal sets the foundation for stable energy and hormonal balance throughout the day. Our approach to preventative health emphasises the importance of starting each day with foods that support adrenal function and provide sustained energy without creating blood sugar spikes that can contribute to afternoon crashes.

At Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, we understand that morning nutrition plays a crucial role in supporting the body's natural cortisol rhythm and maintaining stable energy levels. This involves choosing foods that provide adequate protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates in combinations that support metabolic function.

The Ending Body Burnout Method includes specific guidance on morning nutrition because we've observed how breakfast choices significantly impact energy levels, mood stability, and cravings throughout the day. Supporting adrenal health through strategic morning nutrition represents a foundational element of our holistic wellness approach.

Strategic Snacking and Energy Management

Understanding how to use snacks strategically for energy management represents an important aspect of functional nutrition that goes beyond simply eating when hungry. Our approach to nutrition and wellness recognises that well-timed, nutrient-dense snacks can help maintain stable blood sugar levels and prevent the energy crashes that contribute to burnout patterns.

The key to effective snacking lies in choosing combinations of foods that provide sustained energy rather than quick fixes that lead to energy rollercoasters. This involves understanding how different macronutrients affect energy levels and choosing snacks that support rather than undermine overall health goals.

Our personalised medicine approach to snacking recognises that individual needs vary based on activity levels, stress patterns, and metabolic function. What works as an energising snack for one person may not be appropriate for another, highlighting the importance of developing individual awareness rather than following generic recommendations.

Lunch and Midday Nutrition Strategies

Midday nutrition plays a crucial role in maintaining energy levels and supporting afternoon productivity without creating the post-lunch energy crash that many people experience. Our approach to health optimisation includes specific strategies for lunch choices that support sustained energy and mental clarity throughout the afternoon.

The timing and composition of lunch can significantly impact how we feel for the remainder of the day. Our functional nutrition approach emphasises choosing lunch foods that provide adequate protein and healthy fats while avoiding combinations that create digestive stress or blood sugar instability.

Understanding how lunch choices affect afternoon energy levels represents an important aspect of our whole body health approach. When individuals learn to choose midday meals that support rather than drain their energy, they often experience significant improvements in afternoon productivity and overall wellbeing.

Family Dinner Dynamics and Healthy Eating

Creating healthy family meals while managing busy schedules represents one of the most common challenges faced by health-conscious parents. Our approach to healthy living includes practical strategies for preparing nutritious family dinners that satisfy both adult health goals and children's preferences.

At Chris and Filly Functional Medicine, we understand that family meal planning requires balancing nutritional goals with practical considerations like time constraints, budget limitations, and varying taste preferences. This involves developing efficient meal preparation strategies that support health without creating stress around food.

The challenge of encouraging children to eat healthy foods while maintaining family harmony around meals requires patience, creativity, and understanding of child development. Our approach emphasises modelling healthy eating behaviours while avoiding power struggles that can create negative associations with nutritious foods.

Dessert and Intuitive Eating Practices

The relationship with dessert and sweet foods often reveals deeper patterns around food restriction, emotional eating, and body trust. Our approach to alternative medicine includes understanding how to incorporate treats and desserts in ways that support rather than undermine overall health and wellbeing.

Learning to ask the body what it wants and needs represents a sophisticated skill that develops through practice and attention to internal cues. This involves distinguishing between emotional cravings and genuine physical needs while maintaining flexibility around food choices.

Our healing from within approach recognises that rigid restriction around desserts and treats often creates psychological stress that can be more harmful than the foods themselves. Developing a balanced relationship with all foods, including desserts, represents an important aspect of food freedom and overall wellness.

Digestive Support and Meal Timing

Supporting optimal digestion involves more than just choosing the right foods—it also includes understanding how meal timing, food combinations, and eating environments affect digestive function. Our approach to mind body medicine recognises the crucial connection between stress levels, eating patterns, and digestive health.

The Ending Body Burnout Method includes specific guidance on supporting digestive function because we've observed how digestive issues often contribute to energy problems, mood instability, and overall burnout patterns. Optimising digestion represents a foundational element of our comprehensive health approach.

Understanding how to support digestive function through strategic meal timing, appropriate food combinations, and stress management techniques can significantly improve overall health outcomes and energy levels throughout the day.

Breaking the Myth of Perfect Eating

One of the most important messages from our work at Chris and Filly Functional Medicine is that health practitioners don't eat "perfectly" all the time, nor should they. The myth of perfect eating can create unrealistic expectations and contribute to the development of orthorexic patterns that prioritise dietary rules over overall wellbeing.

True health comes from developing a flexible, sustainable relationship with food that supports both physical health and psychological freedom. This involves understanding that occasional deviations from optimal eating patterns are normal and don't undermine overall health when the foundation is solid.

Our naturopathic medicine approach emphasises the importance of progress over perfection when it comes to nutrition and lifestyle changes. This perspective helps individuals develop sustainable habits that support long-term health rather than creating stress around achieving dietary perfection.

Ready to discover how to develop a balanced, sustainable relationship with food that supports your health goals without creating stress or restriction? We invite you to explore how our comprehensive approach to nutrition and wellness could help you find food freedom while optimising your health. Book a Discovery Call with us to learn more about our unique methodology, or take the first step through our Connect the Dots consultation to begin understanding how your relationship with food might be affecting your overall wellbeing.

Remember, sustainable health comes from developing a balanced, intuitive relationship with food rather than following rigid rules or restrictions. When you're ready to explore this approach to nutrition and wellness, we're here to guide you on your journey to food freedom and vibrant health.

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Chris & Filipa Bellette are the Founders of multi award-winning health practice Chris & Filly Functional Medicine, which is best known for ending body burnout (for good!) in “busy” people with energy, mood and gut issues. They have worked with over 2,000+ burned-out clients in the past combined 25+ years, with their own passion for ending body burnout coming from their own personal experience of body, mind, family & business breakdown, after a prolonged period of physical and mental stress.

Filipa is an accredited Clinical Nutritionist, Functional Medicine Practitioner, Coach & Trauma Therapist. She is also a Ph.D. Scholar, author & regularly featured the media, such as Forbes, Body+Soul and The Daily Telegraph. Chris is a Burnout Recovery Coach & an accredited Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) Master Practitioner, with a Bachelor of Human Movement Science. He has existed in high-performance realms of the sporting (think national athlete) & business industries and knows what it takes to get out of hustle-and-grind culture to thriving. 

They were recently awarded as the Tasmanian State Winner & National Finalist for the Telstra Best of Business Awards 2022, and Winner of the Australian Women’s Small Business Champion Awards 2022.