Your Body’s Building Blocks: A Simple Functional Medicine Guide
Discover how your body’s chemical, cellular, and tissue levels work in functional medicine. Simple guide for better health at Out of the Woods Nutrition.
Hey there, wellness warriors! I’m [Your Name], a functional medicine nutritionist at Out of the Woods Nutrition, and I’m here to make science fun and easy! Your body is like an amazing Lego castle, built from tiny pieces that work together to keep you healthy. Today, we’re exploring three levels of your body’s structure—chemical, cellular, and tissue—and how they help you feel your best with functional medicine nutrition. Let’s dive in!
What Are Your Body’s Building Blocks?
Your body is made of tiny pieces that fit together like a puzzle. These pieces start with chemicals (like oxygen and water), form cells (the tiny workers), and then group into tissues (like your skin or muscles). In functional medicine, we use food and nutrition to keep these pieces strong, so you can feel awesome every day.
1. Chemical Level: The Tiny Ingredients
Everything in your body starts with chemicals, like the ingredients in a recipe.
These are called elements, and the big four are:
Oxygen (65% of you!): Helps you breathe and powers cells.
Carbon and Hydrogen: Build important stuff like sugars and fats.
Nitrogen: Makes proteins for muscles and more.
Other elements, like calcium (for bones) and zinc (for healing), are super important too, even in tiny amounts. Your body can’t make these elements, so you get them from food—like veggies, nuts, and fruits.
These elements form molecules, like:
Carbohydrates (sugars): Give your cells energy, like fuel for a car.
Fats: Store energy and build cell walls.
Proteins: Build muscles, fight germs, and send messages in your body.
Water: Keeps everything moving and makes up 60-70% of you!
Your body works hard to keep these chemicals balanced. This balance, called homeostasis, is like keeping your room at the perfect temperature. For example, your blood needs to stay slightly alkaline (pH 7.35-7.45), and your body adjusts if it gets too acidic or basic.
2. Cellular Level: Your Body’s Tiny Workers
Chemicals build cells, the tiny workers that do all the jobs in your body.
You have trillions of cells, and each has special parts:
Plasma Membrane: Like a gatekeeper, it decides what goes in and out. It’s made of fats called phospholipids.
Cytoplasm: A jelly-like goo where cell work happens.
Nucleus: The boss, holding DNA (your body’s instruction manual).
Mitochondria: Power plants that make energy (ATP) to keep cells running.
Ribosomes: Tiny machines that build proteins.
Cells are different depending on their job. For example, muscle cells help you move, and nerve cells send messages. In functional medicine, we feed cells the right nutrients to keep them happy and healthy.
3. Tissue Level: Teams of Cells
Cells team up to form tissues, like groups of workers with the same job.
There are four main types:
Epithelial Tissue: Covers surfaces, like your skin or the inside of your stomach. It protects you and sometimes makes stuff like saliva.
Connective Tissue: Holds things together, like bones, blood, or fat. It’s like the glue of your body.
Muscle Tissue: Moves your body, like when you run or your heart beats.
Nervous Tissue: Sends signals, like telling your brain you’re hungry.
Healthy tissues depend on healthy cells, which need good food. That’s why eating veggies and drinking water is so important!
Why This Matters for Your Health
In functional medicine, we know that tired cells or weak tissues can make you feel sluggish or sick. By eating nutrient-rich foods, you give your body the chemicals it needs to build strong cells and tissues. For example:
Eat greens like spinach for magnesium to help cells work.
Drink water to keep cells hydrated.
Choose healthy fats like avocados to build strong cell walls.
Want to learn more?
FAQ: Your Questions Answered
What’s functional medicine nutrition?
I help you understand how to use food to help your body’s cells, tissues, and organs work their best.
How can I keep my cells healthy?
Eat colorful foods, drink water, and avoid junk food. Try my Gut-Healing Smoothie!
Start Feeling Your Best Today
Ready to give your body the nutrients it needs?
book a consultation or read more about functional medicine.
Let’s build a healthier you, one cell at a time!
Your Body’s Structure: A Functional Medicine Guide
Learn how your body’s structural organization impacts health with functional medicine. Explore anatomy, physiology, and nutrition at Out of the Woods Nutrition.
Hey there, wellness warriors! I’m [Your Name], a functional medicine nutritionist at Out of the Woods Nutrition, and I’m thrilled to guide you through the incredible blueprint of your body. Understanding your body’s structural organization through functional medicine is key to feeling your best, especially if you’re managing chronic health conditions. Let’s explore anatomy, physiology, and the six levels that make you, well, you!
What Are Anatomy and Physiology?
Anatomy is the study of your body’s structure—think organs, tissues, and even the tiny cells and molecules that form them. It’s like mapping out the parts of a beautifully complex machine, from the macroscopic (your heart) to the microscopic (its cells).
Physiology dives into what those parts do and how they do it. It’s the action behind the structure—how your heart pumps blood or your stomach digests food. In functional medicine, we use anatomy and physiology to understand how your body functions and how to support it with nutrition.
The Six Levels of Structural Organization
Your body is built through six interconnected levels, each relying on the one before. Let’s break them down.
1. Chemical Level: The Raw Materials
The chemical level is where it all begins, with atoms and molecules essential for life. Major elements like oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen form the bulk of your body. Lesser elements, like calcium (for bones) and magnesium (for enzymes), and trace elements, like zinc and iodine, are vital in small amounts.
Atoms combine to form molecules, like water or glucose, which are the building blocks for cells. In functional medicine, we emphasize nutrient-rich foods to provide these chemical elements for optimal health.
2. Cellular Level: Tiny but Mighty
Your body has trillions of cells, each shaped for its role. Red blood cells are flattened spheres for smooth blood flow, while neurons are long and branching for signal transmission. A cell’s structure supports its function, and healthy cells are the foundation of functional nutrition health.
3. Tissue Level: Cells Team Up
Cells group into tissues—layers of similar cells with a shared purpose. Tissues vary based on cell type and connections. For example, gut lining is one cell thick, while skin is multilayered for protection. DNA guides cells to form the right tissues, ensuring they perform their roles.
4. Organ Level: Structure Meets Function
Tissues combine to form organs, like your heart, lungs, or stomach. Each has a distinct shape and function—your heart pumps blood, your lungs breathe, your stomach digests. If an organ’s tissues are damaged, its function suffers, which is why we focus on cellular health in functional medicine.
5. Organ System Level: A Team Effort
Organs with related functions form organ systems. The digestive system, including the stomach, gallbladder, and intestines, breaks down food and absorbs nutrients. If one organ struggles, it impacts the system and beyond—like low oxygen from compromised lungs affecting all cells.
6. Organism Level: The Whole You
Finally, we reach the organism—you! All organ systems work together, communicating via the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. Your digestive system fuels every process with nutrients, highlighting the interconnectedness at the heart of functional medicine.
Why This Matters for Your Health
Understanding your body’s structural organization through functional medicine shows how everything is connected. Nutrient deficiencies can impair cells, which affects tissues, organs, and systems, leading to symptoms like fatigue or digestive issues. By nourishing your body with the right foods, we can rebuild health from the chemical level up.
How to Support Cellular Health with Nutrition
Here are practical tips to support your body’s structure and function:
Eat Nutrient-Dense Foods: Focus on colorful vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats to provide chemical building blocks.
Stay Hydrated: Water supports cellular function and tissue health.
Prioritize Minerals: Foods like leafy greens and nuts provide magnesium and zinc.
Reduce Toxins: Limit processed foods to protect cells and tissues.
FAQ: Your Questions Answered
How does functional medicine use anatomy?
We assess how structural issues, like damaged tissues, impact function and address root causes with nutrition.
Can nutrition improve organ health?
Yes! Nutrient-rich diets support cellular health, which strengthens tissues and organs.
Take the Next Step
Ready to support your body’s structural organization with functional medicine?
Join my newsletter for more tips. Let’s get you out of the woods and back to vibrant health!
With love and nourishment,
Stephanie
Out of the Woods Nutrition
Green Goddess Salad
In just a few simple steps, you can have a nutritious and photo worthy meal!
You have to try the Green Goddess Salad!
Ingredients:
💚 1/4 cup parsley, leaves, chopped
💚 1/4 cup basil, leaves, chopped
💚 1 scallion, chopped
💚 1 clove garlic, chopped
💚 1 lemon, juiced
💚 1/4 cup olive oil
💚 1/4 cup cashews, raw
💚 1/4 cup water
💚 salt, to taste
💚 pepper, to taste
📝 Directions:
✅ Roughly chop herbs, scallion, and garlic
✅ Juice lemon
✅ Add all ingredients to a blender and process until creamy adding more water as needed to thin to desired consistency.
✅ Season with salt and pepper to taste.
If you're looking for more recipes to change up your meals this summer, sign up for my meal plans under the get help tab.
Chickpea Peanut and Spinach Curry
We’ve reached Week 3 of our "Build and Bake Meals" series!
Today, we're spicing things up with a delicious baked curry. This dish is filling and packed with flavors that'll make your taste buds dance. 💃🏻
Today's Meal: Baked Chickpea, Peanut, and Spinach Curry
Enjoy the comforting blend of chickpeas and sweet potatoes in a creamy peanut butter and coconut milk sauce, all with a kick of curry spice. It’s a perfect meal for a chilly evening.
Check out this quick video that demonstrates how to prepare this recipe 👩🍳.
Serves: 4
🥣 Ingredients:
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ginger, minced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 cups spinach, chopped
1 cup coconut milk, canned
2 Tbs peanut butter, smooth
2 Tbs vegetable oil
2 Tbs curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
15 oz diced tomatoes
15 oz chickpeas, drained
1/4 cup water
👩🍳 Let's Cook:
Prepare: Preheat the oven to 375° F. Get your veggies ready and whisk the coconut milk with peanut butter.
Cook Veggies: Mix oil and curry powder in a roasting pan. Add onion, garlic, ginger, and sweet potatoes. Stir to coat and bake for about 15 minutes until the sweet potatoes soften.
Build: Take the pan out, add tomatoes, chickpeas, water, and the coconut milk mixture. Mix well and bake for another 15 minutes.
Finish Off: Remove from the oven, stir in the spinach, and let it sit until the spinach wilts.
Serve: Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy this hearty curry.
👍 Why This Meal Is Great:
High in Protein and Fiber: Chickpeas are a great source of protein and fiber, which are excellent for digestion and keeping you full longer.
Rich in Nutrients: Sweet potatoes are packed with vitamins A and C, which are great for your immune system.
Healthy Fats: Coconut milk and peanut butter add a creamy texture and provide healthy fats that are good for your heart.
Flavorful and Spicy: The mix of curry powder, ginger, and garlic gives this dish warmth and spice.
That wraps up our three week series of easy, baked dinners. We hope you’ve enjoyed these recipes and they’ve added some new favorites to your meal rotation!