A balanced diet will increase nutritional health, boost our physical health, and therefore bring all the 5 pillars of health and wellbeing up too. (Example; someone who is happy with the state of their body will find more joy in their life, feel more connected and comfortable with their friends, more in tune with their purpose, more focused, and better at regulating their emotions wisely.)

That being said, we need to balance our intact of different types of food, because overconsumption and underconsumption of the wrong things can severely impact the following things:

• Our physical health : it can affect our weight, tooth hygiene, our energy levels, our focus levels, our muscle growth, our bone strength, our risk of diabetes, our risk of heart and organ failure, our feces, and our sleep.

• Our social health : the aforementioned can impact our security, anxiety, confidence and belonging.

• Our emotional health : This can lead to different levels of happiness, very simply. Depression is a serious effect of bad emotional health.

• Our spiritual health : This can affect the way we perceive the world around you and your place in it in a very serious way.

• Our mental health : finally, the mind can degrade, altering concentration, decision making, creativity, school challenges, and so forth.

The five food groups are:

• Vegetables & legumes (ex: Broccoli, French beans, lettuce)

• Fruit (ex: fresh oranges, pomegranate, peach)

• Grains (ex: Wholegrain/rye/sourdough foods -- white and ground grains are much less beneficial. This includes bread, pasta, rice, etc.)

• Protein foods (ex: eggs, black beans, ground beef)

• Dairy (ex: Milk, cheddar cheese, yogurt)

Carbohydrates : these will help doing circus as they are our primary source of energy ! (They play a small part in digestive health, too) However, we need to be careful that we are ingesting the right type of energy -- some food is longer or shorter term than others. Good ideas of things to eat are :

• Oats. Incredibly high in carbs without sacrificing healthiness.

• Starchy fruit and vegetables like sweet potatoes, corn, and bananas

• Brown rice

• Legumes like beans and lentils especially

Protein serves two principal purposes : Firstly, as the building blocks of the body, protein will be what is to be used to build muscle on the areas exercised at circus after the exercise. Protein also releases hormones that help with exercising, such as testosterone, adrenaline, and endorphine (and dopamine, of course 😊).

Healthy, unprocessed foods with high levels of protein include:

• Eggs

• Nuts

• Lean meats

• Fish

• Dairy

• Certain grains (such as oats, quinoa, and spelt flour)

Fats ! When the carbs have been digested and turned into energy, the body turns to fats to keep it going. Similarly to protein, fat plays a hand in hormone production. In addition to this, fats (especially omega-3s) support nerve transmission and brain function, helping with coordination, reaction time, and focus in circus.

Foods with (healthy) fats are:

• Avocados

• Fatty fish

• Nuts and seeds

• Olive oil

In the muesli, there is oats, quinoa, walnuts, almonds, as well as milk (source of protein and fat), honey (for tastiness 😊 - also a good alternative to granulated sugar) and fresh fruit for a source of fibre.

It's not balanced or very large, but it's healthy and contains the macronutrients.

Iron is an important mineral that helps with oxygen transport, energy production, cellular function, immune support, and maintaining structural health. It is essential for overall health and wellbeing in the following ways, and in their repercussions (mental, spiritual, social, emotional and more obviously, physical): fatigue, weakness, pale skin, trouble concentrating, brittle nails, hair loss, tongue inflammation, and unusual cravings (all come from a iron deficiency). On the other hand, too much iron can cause poisoning and lead to serious problems such as heart failure, diabetes, arthritis, and liver cancer. Healthy sources of iron include nuts, seeds, meats, lentils, and spinach.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A plays a key role in maintaining good vision, supporting the immune system, promoting healthy skin, aiding cell growth, and contributing to reproductive health. Like iron, more than physical health is affected by over and under consumption. A deficiency in vitamin A can cause difficulty seeing in low light, dry eyes, corneal damage, poor skin health, and a higher risk of infections. However, consuming too much vitamin A can lead to problems like severe headaches, blurred vision, dizziness, nausea, dry or itchy skin, and hair loss. Good sources of vitamin A include liver, eggs, milk, sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach, and mangoes.

Vitamin B-9 Folate

Folate is essential for repairing and creating DNA, supporting cell division, producing red blood cells, and helping with nervous system development. A folate deficiency can lead to cognitive problems such as weakness, confusion, irritability, memory loss, and even depression, which in themselves can lead to bad health and wellbeing all around the spectrum. On the other hand, too much folate can cause stomach upset, nausea, irritability, and confusion. Healthy sources of folate include dark green vegetables like spinach and broccoli, legumes such as beans and peas, and citrus fruits like mandarins and lemons.

Now, saturated fats are found in so many foods across the market because of the way it makes us keep wanting to eat more of it. But it needs to be had in moderation, as it can severely affect aforementioned pillars. Let me describe a fictional case study.

The overconsumption of saturated fats can lead to things like the risk of stroke and heart failure. But it can also make the body store fats within the body's tissue, causing overweight.

This seems insignificant enough, but someone who is overweight could start to feel weaker and weaker after sports, and decide to stop playing. This makes them less likely to heal quickly after injuries, affecting their physical health. Then, maybe, they feel ashamed and self conscious of themselves and frequent social activities less and less, affecting their social health. This isolation begins to make them begin to have insecurities, and their spiritual health is affected. They feel distracted because of this, and get worse grades at school, and can handle their emotions less, damaging their mental and emotional health.

I admit that example was a bit dramatic, but this is how risk nutrients can pose a threat to our overall health and wellbeing.