At the end of September, I was privileged to attend an AFMCP conference. This stands for Applying Functional Medicine in Clinical Practice and was hosted by the Institute for Functional Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. I wanted to share some of the things I learned and realized during that week. Not all of the thoughts will be completely organized as I was taking notes while writing these notes for you. I hope you benefit from them.
PFC – MVP is a new way to look at our nutrition. Most of us learned nutrition in terms of first food groups, then dividing food in protein, carbs, and fats, and finally trying to get enough vitamins. Functional medicine goes further and deeper than this simplicity. It is not that this is wrong, just incomplete. PFC MVP completes the picture by including minerals and phyto-nutrients into the equation.
Minerals are likely something that most can accepts as a reasonable addition, but probably still don’t get the depth of our need for minerals or even all of what we need. Most people are cognizant of their salt intake. Iron is also commonly recognized as a necessary mineral. Maybe Calcium would be names in a random survey about nutrition. The list is much longer than this however. Our bodies utilize a diverse, yet delicately balanced array of minerals like copper, magnesium, zinc, manganese, and molybdenum in order to function well.
Phyto-nutrients may be a completely foreign concept to most readers. These are the antioxidants and co-factors of biochemical health that enter our bodies through fruits and vegetables. They assist in detoxification of both endogenous (produced by our own bodies) toxins and toxins from our environment. The various colors of veggies reflect the various phyto-nutrients we need for good health. Each color represent another chemical which lowers cancer risk, lowers inflammation, and slows aging.
Though we may keep a food diary and be able to say we balanced proteins, carbs, and fats, ignoring the minerals, vitamins, and phyto-nutrients will prevent the fullest expression of health. God has given us all we need to feed and nurture our health, but in the thrill of civilization and technology, we have forgotten the simplicity of a good diet. I don’t mean a diet in which we aim to lose weight, but a rhythm of daily eating which fuels our body for maximum enjoyment of life and maximum glorifying of God with our gifts and talents.
Sanctuary Functional Medicine, under the direction of Dr Eric Potter, IFMCP MD, provides functional medicine services to Nashville, Middle Tennessee and beyond. We frequently treat patients from Kentucky, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Ohio, Indiana, and more... offering the hope of healthier more abundant lives to those with chronic illness.
