Natural nutrition means different things to different people, but most herbalists and nutritionists generally agree that it refers to the ingestion of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients from all-natural sources rather than those that include synthetic substances. Those all-natural sources can be organically grown heirloom foods such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Nutrients also can be obtained by consuming organically grown herbs of all types, including culinary ones, by consuming medicinal plants and by drinking infusions and decoctions made from herbs and medicinal plants. Some people also consider holistic nutrition a form of natural nutrition.
There are several things that a person can do to promote and encourage good physical health through natural nutrition, such as becoming educated on how to read nutrition labels on foods sold in stores. This knowledge usually will allow one to know the amounts of specific vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, salts and sugars contained in the food. Whole foods such as raw fruits and vegetables that are not sold with a nutrition label have information available on various websites dedicated to healthy eating and natural nutrition.
People to whom health and nutrition are very important tend to include medicinal plants in their diet, not because of a need to treat a medical problem, but because almost all medicinal plants are very rich in nutrients. Including them in dishes such as salads and health drinks or drinking a tea or decoction prepared with some part of the plant is known as herbal nutrition. For example, dandelion root is very high in organic iron, an important mineral in nutrition. Some people make a decoction from the dried or fresh roots, and others make dandelion soup or include the flowers in fresh green salads to boost their nutritional intake.
Foods such as raw honey, bee pollen, tofu and other soy products, miso soup and even yogurt frequently are consumed by people who practice natural nutrition. Raw honey from bees who have not fed on flowers sprayed with pesticides or herbicides contains significant amounts of vitamins, especially the B vitamins, minerals and even trace minerals. It also contains enzymes that aid digestion. Bee pollen also offers vitamins and minerals in their natural form and in proportions that can be found only in nature. Fermented soy products such as miso and tofu offer clean, high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals if they have not been genetically modified, causing them to be listed among the foods used in natural nutrition.
Vitamins, minerals, trace minerals, enzymes, proteins and other nutrients that are taken in pill form and that were manufactured in a laboratory are not considered true natural nutrition. This is the general belief whether the vitamin and mineral supplements are sold over the counter or prescribed by a doctor. Natural nutrition also might refer to the avoidance of substances that harm it in any way or that have been known to deplete the body of the vitamins and minerals that it needs. These substances include white sugar, genetically modified foods and inorganically grown foods.