I want to improve my diet. This is my Health Priority!

To improve your diet, the Pharmacie Principale suggests the following approach:

1. I want to understand before I act
2. I want to know my health status
3. I want to set a goal
4. I want to create a personalised approach
5. I want to be walked through every step
6. I just want to buy a product
7. I want to track and manage my health progress

1. I want to understand before I act

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ― Hippocrates 400 BC. Today, more and more experts confirm that nutrition accounts for 80% of our health.

How does it work?

As soon as we eat a meal, a long process begins to ‘dismantle’ what we have eaten into continuously smaller pieces. At a certain size, these pieces will be able to cross the intestinal barrier into our bloodstream, and feed our cells.

This transformation of the food we eat into nutrients used by our cells is primarily the work of the bacteria that inhabit our intestines. In other words, after our food is chewed by our teeth and pre-digested by our stomach, it arrives at our intestines. There, the bacteria help themselves first, and leave us with the remainder to ensure our survival.

What then passes from our intestines into our blood stream, nourishing our cells, is what our gut bacteria have not used for their own needs! It is therefore understandably important to have ‘good’ bacteria in our intestinal tract. That is to say, bacteria that not only dismantle food well, but also leave us with enough quality leftovers so that we can have all the elements necessary for our metabolism in our bloodstream.

Once in our bloodstream, these nutrients are distributed to all the cells in our bodies to be used for our needs. They generate millions of chemical reactions per second. Therefore, it is important to have a varied diet that provides our bodies with the nutrients they need.

This confirms that we are what we eat and drink. If we eat poor quality products, our personal architecture will also be of poor quality—opening the door to disease. That is why, before allowing something into one’s body, it is good to know the origin and quality of it, to look at one's plate and ask oneself a simple question: ‘Is this good for me?’

What should one eat?

In the West, the main types of healthy diets are the following:

• Mediterranean
• Paleo
• Low sugar (carbohydrates)
• Low fat
• Vegetarian
• Vegan

These different dietary approaches have 6 common points that experts agree are essential for health:

1. Removing liquid sugars (soda, commercial fruit juice, agave juice)
2. Substituting commercial vegetable oils (sunflower, rapeseed, palm, peanut) with olive oil
3. Substituting (prepared) junk food, which contains many toxic trans fatty acids, with organic fresh produce
4. Decreasing refined grains and flours (white bread, pasta, white rice)
5. Increasing fruit, vegetables, legumes and fibre
6. Gradually replacing animal protein with plant protein

How does one improve one’s diet?

The easiest way is to do it in 3 steps:

1. Ensuring that each meal contains foods that make one full and provide good nutrients—including fresh produce, fruits, vegetables, oilseeds (almonds, walnuts) and fibre
2. Gradually substituting high-calorie and low-nutrient foods (liquid sugars, refined flours, bad oils) by highly nutritious and low-calorie foods (more fruits, vegetables, legumes, fibre, healthy oils)
3. Gradually replacing some animal protein with plant protein

For more information: visit the info-santé section of our website: www.pharmacie-principale.ch

Additional tests to understand and measure your progress:

• The food pyramid illustrates the concept of a balanced diet. If you do not know where to start to improve your diet, draw your own food pyramid based on your meals for the week, and compare it with the reference pyramid of the Swiss Society for Nutrition.
• Body fat measurements allow you to monitor your level of body fat, lean tissue (bone and muscle) and body water. If you want to change your eating habits and your goal is weight loss, body fat monitoring is a good way to track your progress.

If you are looking for advice, you can go to any of our 8 pharmacies in Geneva and Chavannes.

2. I want to know my health status

One can only improve that which can be measured.
What are the steps that will allow me to know my status, and whether or not my lifestyle contributes positively to my heath?

3. I want to set a goal

• Losing weight permanently
• Regulating my bowel (preventing constipation)
• Preventing disease
• Improving my Health Score

4. I want to create a personalised approach

To improve your diet, the Pharmacie Principale has 12 suggestions. We recommend that you choose the 3 that you find relevant and easy to implement, and start them today. The following suggestions are for your information. They are not intended to replace a consultation with your doctor.

1. I will drink at least four glasses of water daily: upon waking and 10 minutes before each meal
2. I will drink green, white, black or Pu Erh tea and coffee, and will reduce my alcohol consumption
3. I will eat one piece of fruit with every meal and 2 servings of vegetables at lunch and dinner, with the aim of reaching (and exceeding) the 5 servings of fruits and vegetables recommended by the WHO
4. I will consume seeds and spices (flax, turmeric, ginger)
5. I will eat legumes (lentils, dried beans and peas)
6. I will begin my meal with protein and finish it with fruit
7. I will avoid liquid sugars (soda, juice, agave juice)
8. I will reduce trans fats in my diet (margarine, fast food, chips, sausages, pastries, fatty cheeses)
9. I will replace animal protein with plant protein as much as possible
10. Instead of snacking on biscuits and sweets, I will eat smart snacks that have no impact on blood sugar  
11. I will eat more slowly, from a smaller plate, and will brush my teeth after every meal
12. Three times per week, I will exercise in a way that I enjoy and that makes me feel good

5. I want to be walked through every step

How can we help you improve your health?

Based on your Health Audit results, we recommend:

• Express advice offered in one of our 8 pharmacies in Geneva and Chavannes (walk-in service)
• A 30-minute interview (costing CHF 30.-, with the first 10 minutes free) in the pharmacies of the Pharmacie Principale at 7, rue de Coutance to analyse your PP Health Audit results and help you develop a real health strategy

So that we can respond to your support request in a personalised manner, please click the following link: I want assistance, and complete our contact form.

6. I just want to buy a product that will be good for me

Changing one's eating habits takes time. In the meantime, you can partially offset some losses by consuming targeted, quality food supplements.

Below are some products that are known dietary supplements:

• Spices, plants and plant extracts
• Vitamins, trace minerals, antioxidants
• Mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids
• Amino acids, vegetable protein
• Dietary fibre
• Probiotics
• Smart snacks

The body's perception and reaction to an inadequate diet are different for each individual. Therefore, a dietary programme must be custom-designed with quality products from a known source. To guarantee the outcome, the advice must be customised.

In each of our 8 pharmacies in Geneva and Chavannes, you will find nutrition and micronutrient specialists able to help you to make the right choices.

If you have completed the PP Health Audit, bring your results with you so we can make our advice even more relevant.

7. I want to track and manage my health progress

For several years, Pharmacie Principale has developed an approach to manage and improve health capital called the PP Health Audit. This approach was originally developed primarily for our pharmacists. We have now made it available to our customers who want to optimise the management of their health online.

In 10 minutes, using your answers to the questionnaire, the PP Health Audit gives you a PP Health Score. Your score consists of 10 key health indicators that you can control and improve, either on your own, or with the assistance of a professional.

Among the key indicators, there are 7 test results that you probably have in your medical records. If you do not have them, you can have the tests done for only CHF 30.- at our partner lab, Dianalabs (no appointment is necessary).

The goal is to gradually bring your Health Score up to 100%, because this means that you are doing everything in your power to be and remain healthy.

We recommend performing the PP Health Audit at least once a year.

To take or retake the PP Health Audit click on the following link: http://www.auditsante.ch/

Many professionals focus on disease. Since 1912, the Pharmacie Principale has been focusing on your health.
Thank you for your trust. – JPh Toledo