The most important advice: listen to your body

From former model to nutrition consultant, Michelle den Hollander flew around the world from shoot to show, but also experienced the struggles of having the ‘right’ measurements. This brought her to where she is now, and on Amayzine she gives tips. This week about how to listen to your body.

Internet, I can't go a moment without it.
Google is my biggest friend (well, okay, maybe a shared first place with Ben & Jerry’s) and answers all my questions. But that's also the biggest problem: everything can be found online. And I don't get one answer, but multiple answers. So, which information should you believe?

This is especially true when it comes to health. Handy for an ailment, but it has risks, because before I know it, the most dreadful diseases pop up or I get the idea that I'm actually doing everything wrong. Google is like the road to Rome: there are many ways.

Therefore, my most important advice is: listen to your body.
It sounds very obvious, but apparently not obvious enough. We often find the opinion of others more important than our own feelings. But it is good to listen to what your body indicates. What is good for one person does not necessarily have to be good for another.

I personally get terrible stomach pains from eating quinoa and zucchini, what a joke.
Super healthy products that I would recommend to someone else because they really complement your diet, but after sitting with that bloated painful stomach multiple times, I skip them. I really don't need an allergy test for that.

I get more energy when I eat little to no gluten and my skin improves with a low dairy intake. I do need my carbohydrates, so I get those from foods like legumes, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and buckwheat crackers. In the evenings, I regularly eat vegetarian meals, but a vegetarian (let alone vegan) lifestyle doesn't suit me. On the go, I've learned that I feel better when I have a late breakfast and eat four times a day. This gives me more peace in my body and in my mind. Additionally, I exercise 2 to 3 times a week and take a nice walk on other days to get enough movement. But I'm no saint and can easily binge-watch Netflix with a tub of ice cream on my lap. Good for that happiness hormone.

‘If you do what you always did, you’ll get what you always got.’

Now it's your turn to discover what suits you. What gives you energy, how do you ensure enough mental peace, and what foods does your body respond best to? It can help to reduce or even avoid lactose and gluten. Not because you're allergic, but simply because your body might respond better to that. This is simply: try.
Small side note: don't try to do everything at once, because then you won't know what works and what doesn't.

Michelle den Hollander is a nutrition consultant and hormone expert. With Michelle's Good Food, she shows that a healthy lifestyle is not a punishment and can also be easy. This way, she helps you choose delicious and good food to feel better. Want to learn and read more? Visit her online.