img: Paresh Rana
You are what you eat. Even idiots know the idiom, but few fully grasp that the random garbage they’re consuming is gradually trashing their vessel. Western medicine-trained doctors are allegedly responsible for our health, yet they rarely receive any formal training in nutrition. It’s ludicrous. Nutrition classes should be fixtures in public schools, but the most many kids get is a quickie with the food pyramid. Whole Foods’ stock is thankfully rising, but America is still the fattest country in the world by far. Angela Csargo decided to do something about it.
Csargo started with the woman in the mirror, experimenting early on with vitamins, herbs, fasts and cleanses. Physicians couldn’t figure out how to treat the unusual allergies she had as a kid—so she took the initiative. Being forced by her father to polish off sour milk and moldy bread certainly wasn’t helping matters. Desire for higher education led her first to Crested Butte’s Mountain Heart School of Body Work and Transformational Therapy, then eventually to The Nutritional Therapy Institute here in Denver. Realizing that improving any individual’s condition required a proactive approach, Csargo christened her wellness services Healing Creation and put her magic fingers and grey matter to work.
When it comes to nutrition consultation, clients are first asked to complete a food journal. “It’s ideal if they can do a weeklong journal—three days minimum. Log how much water they’re drinking, what they’re eating, bowel movements, supplements and even mood. Mood is a big factor in the way we eat and what our cravings are.” Clients also share detailed health and family history prior to the initial sit-down. “The more information they give me, the better. You get what you give.” Following the face-to-face, she designs a nutritional package that is customized for the client’s profile and unique body type. “I also include educational information. They can call me anytime with questions, if they’re at the grocery store or wherever.” Csargo will even accompany clients on shopping trips and/or assist with kitchen clearing.
What did I personally walk away with? As much as I enjoy orange veggies like sweet potatoes and carrots, it would probably behoove me to eat more leafy greens such as spinach and kale. Spiking my yoga and exercise water with electrolytes isn’t a bad idea, due to my extremely high metabolism and slight risk of lightheadedness and even fainting. Shooting apple cider vinegar prior to consumption of beans helps boost enzyme activity in the stomach (cooking them with white wine vinegar reduces gas and aids digestion). Among other things. Some of this I already realized to a certain extent, and some of it was news. Either way, knowledge is power and nutrition is far too important to simply take for granted. From the front cover of my customized nutritional packet: “We make one million new cells an hour. The decision lies within you–choose health.”