Breaking the Diet Mold: Monique Jhingon's Book 'Unlock Your Health' Reveals the Truth

Monique Jhingon is a renowned Functional Nutrition & Lifestyle Consultant and Author. She is a prominent figure in the field of nutrition and sustainable living. With her expertise and passion, Monique advocates for the benefits of a whole-food, customised diet for optimal health and well-being. She is known for her holistic approach to nutrition and lifestyle, emphasizing the importance of sustainable choices for personal health and the health of the planet. Monique’s work has inspired countless individuals to adopt a a clean lifestyle and make positive changes in their lives. Her books and contributions to the field of functional nutrition have earned her recognition and respect from both the professional and general communities alike.

1. What is the main focus of your book “Unlock Your Health”?If you take a good look around you will see that many, if not most, people are struggling with their health. Whether it is diagnosed health conditions like type 2 diabetes, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disease, or nagging symptoms such as low energy, brain fog, allergies, anxiety, depression, pain- symptoms that interfere with the quality of life.Unlock Your Health addresses a few questions: firstly, why are we dealing with this health crisis and why is being healthy so hard these days? Secondly, what are the steps you can take to find and sustain optimal health in a truly personalized manner.
2. How do you think individual uniqueness plays a role in determining the right approach to health and wellness?From the day we are born we are exposed to factors that influence our mental, emotional, and physical health in unique ways. Our genetics, experiences, exposures, our environment, life’s circumstances, our diet, the thoughts we think all result in this unique package that is you today. A personalized health building strategy should take all these factors into consideration.This is one of the failures of conventional medicine. It focuses on the symptom or the diagnosis and not the person. It fails to recognize that everyone is unique and that everything in the body is connected.In a personalized and functional healthcare approach, we look at a person’s whole history, their antecedents, triggers, and mediators. We consider all symptoms within the different biological systems and identify the common underlying root cause imbalances. We approach health holistically, through diet and lifestyle interventions and the recognition that everything matters: how we eat, sleep, move, and think, our relationships, stress, connection to nature and community.
3. You have talked about many health issues that are not included in global health statistics because they are considered sub-clinical or not well-defined? What do you think could be the impact of these unaddressed health issues on individuals and societies as a whole?These nagging, chronic health issues can seriously interfere with our ability to be our best selves. And sadly, we have accepted many of them as “normal.” You can test this out for yourself: ask anyone you meet today how they are feeling, and they most likely tell you they are fine. But if you dig a bit deeper you will find that they may not be sleeping well, have a nagging pain somewhere, allergies, skin issues, are overweight and uncomfortable, they may experience bloating after eating food, or have regular energy dips during the day.None of these issues are normal. And they stop us from living our best lives. They stop us from feeling strong, energetic, positive, balanced, focused – all the things we need to achieve our dreams and contribute to a better society.
4. How important do you think it is to focus on the basic fundamentals of health and wellness before trying out new modalities or shortcuts?I love this question! We are all looking for a quick fix. It is human nature. But when it comes to our health and correcting imbalances at the root, we need to build a strong foundation first. You can’t supplement your way out of a bad diet. You can eat all the vegetables on the planet, but you will not feel your best if you are in a bad marriage, are sleeping 4 hours a night or you are not moving your body. There are some fundamental things that apply to everyone and that need to be put in place first.
5. How do you approach different dietary strategies that seem to contradict each other, such as vegan vs carnivorous diets? How do you make sense of the conflicting information?Firstly, it is important to recognize that there is no single one diet strategy that works for everyone. Even if a particular diet did wonders for your friend, or family member, that doesn’t mean it will work for you. You must set out to find your own unique approach and forget about popular diets. If you follow the 6-step approach that is outlined in the book, you will be able to identify what works best for you. Depending on the nature of the imbalances that you are dealing with, you may need to use a temporary therapeutic diet to help correct these imbalances. An experienced functional health practitioner can provide the support you need in this case.
6. There are endless permutations and combinations of diets and lifestyle approaches available on the internet. So, do you find it challenging in deciding what is credible and appropriate?It can be very challenging! When I was dealing with my own health issues more than 15 years ago, I was very confused and overwhelmed with this information overload and the myriad of options that are out there. Proponents of all these different diet strategies can be very convincing and make you think you have found a magic bullet.I have since obtained a Master’s degree in Personalized Nutrition and I know how to evaluate different approaches from an evidence-based perspective. For someone who does not have this background it can be easy to fall into a trap.

   As I say in the book: approach everything with curiosity and openness but stay committed to finding your unique and personalized approach to eating and living: the “diet” and lifestyle that is appropriate for you according to your past and current health status, your genetic code, your life history, your environment, and your goals.

   This is why it is extremely important to take steps to restore, protect and nurture our gut microbiome as best we can. As part of this process, it can be helpful and interesting to do a gut microbiome test to assess how your gut microbiome compares to a healthy population of people and learn how you can address imbalances.

   What makes “Unlock Your Health” a must-read for those who are looking to improve their health and wellbeing?At the foundation of all that you want to achieve in this lifetime is the ability to feel energetic, focused, balanced, and strong. If you are struggling with health issues that are holding you back from living your best life, you must read Unlock your Health. It will show you a tried and tested step-by-step approach to resolving chronic health issues and becoming your healthiest self in a way that honors your uniqueness.

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