How could something so basic be so complicated? Politics and Money.
We’ve been told to eat our veggies for as long as one can remember, but did anyone ever tell you why? The why’s behind what we do is largely a determining factor of whether we do them or not. If your caregivers told you that the Phytochemicals in your broccoli helped your cells stop cancer from replicating, would you have eaten more of it? If you were told that the magnesium in spinach and collard greens made calcium store in your bones and not in blood vessels and joints therefore lessening osteoporosis, heart disease and arthritis, would you have eaten more of them? What about being told that refined flour and sugar fatigue our glucose / insulin hormone systems leading to obesity, diabetes, heart disease and then neuronal damage, would you have lessened your intake?
Or, is more helpful to say…
… eating 100% whole grains will keep your energy levels high.
…avoiding artificial additives like food dyes, nitrates, other preservatives and hydrogenated oil will keep your metabolism running quickly, making weight maintenance easier and mental processing clearer.
…and that green vegetables keep our skin glowing and hair shining.
What about cholesterol, carbohydrates, fat and meat? Should we avoid them all? Should we stick to a 30/40/30 plan or a 10/80/10 plan of fat/carb/protein? Do we eat 4-6 times a day or try not to snack in between meals?
It’s time to get rid of the diet hype once and for all. Here’s all you need to know.
Did it come from nature or was this food made possible by a factory or laboratory?
My advice… Eat the food that came from nature.
Oh wait… then we have GMO’s… genetically modified organisms. So this food looks like nature made it, but a scientist in a laboratory altered the genes of this plant and then grew it. This is true especially of corn and soy.
We then have the issue of what our meat eats. Animal meat has a high concentration of very absorbable nutrients and even good fats, if these animals eat what nature intended them to eat… grass and other greens. Now our animals are fed corn and other grain, because it fattens them up. This also changes the composition of their fat and then our fat. Is it coincidence that when animals and humans are fed more grain and less greens they get fatter… no I think not.
So here is our current state of food.
Plants grow in soil that has been depleted of nutrients from commercial agriculture and then sprayed with chemicals. Grains are grown similarly and then processed, i.e. striped of the nutrients and fiber (germ & bran) into flour and other products. These other products then have fats, sugars, preservatives and colors added to them for shelf life, taste and presentation. Animals are raised in stalls fed GMO corn and grain and are given antibiotics and hormones.
We eat the processed grains with extra sugar that turns rapidly into glucose and stresses our insulin system and causes inflammation. We eat the hormoned meat that was fattened on corn leading to estrogen stimulation and more inflammation. Then we have a glass of milk where the fat content resembles the inflammatory corn oils and also contains the hormones and antibiotics. As a “vegetable” we probably have corn as a side dish, maybe a potato which stimulates insulin similar to the refined grain. On a good day we get green beans from a can that has been processed by high heat thus destroying most nutrients that may have been present.
In addition we eat too much, too fast and while distracted, thus stressing our digestive functions. Bloating, constipation, belching and excessive flatulence are normal but not healthy!
I could really go on and on… but I won’t today.
What we eat DRAMATICALLY affects every function in our body. Basic nutrition WILL keep us functioning OPTIMALLY if we supply ourselves with the proper food. Food that we were intended to eat is food that has been around for hundreds and hundreds of years. This food is animal protein that has eaten a natural diet of grass and greens, and plants that grow with the seasons. Yes we have access to many types of foods now, but go back to the very basics and start from there. Create a foundation of nutrition based on organic, local and natural, unpackaged and unprocessed foods. I guarantee with those changes alone there will be positive benefits in health and wellness.
Nutrition is also very successful therapeutically and should be the first step for treatment. One should always use the least invasive treatment possible and nutrition would be it. Only with a proper foundation will a body actually heal. Pharmaceuticals may cover a lot of symptoms, but nothing heals except the body itself and it will only do so when supplied with the proper raw materials… Nutrients.
This post was inspired by my client today (you know who you are!) that said I just realized that every one of my health issues are from my diet and lifestyle! Amen sister.
I am committed to help anyone who wants to take control of their health with lifestyle. If cost is an issue please contact me anyway and we will work it out.
Visit my website for more details on my services. www.bewellbalanced.org