“ Breakfast was good! When’s Lunch?” Muppets Christmas Carol
Good food is awesome! Eating well is the most important thing a person can do for their health. If someone wants to make health changes, dietary changes are a must. Understanding basic nutrition and what our body does with food is essential.
If you don’t know what it is, don’t eat it! Many products labeled as food are far from it. Many preservatives, food colorings, dyes and additives are potent neurotoxins. There are many food labels that contain ingredients that are understood by those who have a background in chemistry. Food should not be that complex. Good food is simple. Shop the outer isles of the grocery store. Eat food as close to nature as possible. Meat, Eggs, Nuts, Seeds, Fruit, Vegetables are easy to say and to understand; they provide the nutrients that your body needs.
Much of what people eat is not fit for human consumption. For example, the endless array nutrient void foods in the grocery store that are fortified in an attempt to redeem some nutritive value. Food colorings, Red 40 and yellow 5, are potent neurotoxins. Preservatives that most cannot pronounce and even fewer understand are imbedded in many grocery store items. Grains and produce have been genetically modified into something unnatural. Refined/ bleached sugar or high fructose corn syrup are found in most foods. There is an old saying that said, “ you are what you eat.” The liver, the kidneys, the lymphatic system, body FAT all help to contain and eliminate toxic waste and substances. However the body’s system can be over run and the body can become saturated with toxins.
Eating sugar and grains will make you fatter than eating fat! They are high calorie foods that are used extensively. These food increase inflammation. Inflammation leads to many health problems including weight gain. Sugars and grains are the source of many lifestyle illnesses such as diabetes and high blood pressure. In a groundbreaking book called Wheat Belly, a cardiologist outlines the negative effects of making grains a primary food source. Think of it grains are eaten at almost every meal. Children and adults are gaining weight at an alarming rate. Obesity is becoming more common than not. Chronic fatigue negatively affects productivity and quality of life.
The Digestive system or gut has been called the second brain. This area is rich in nerve endings. Messages are linked directly to the brain. Toxins in the digestive system directly affect the brain. Emotional stress affects digestion. Many psychological conditions are linked to gut health. For example, those suffering with Autism, ADHD, Bipolar disorder, and other psychological challenges are sensitive to dietary changes. The book GAPS, Gut and Psychology Syndrome, was written by a British MD. She was able to completely reverse the affects of autism in her own son through changes in his diet.
Nothing tastes as good as being healthy feels! It is health, not weight that matters most. When making changes it is necessary to replace a negative habit with a good one. If we feel deprived as a result of dietary changes we will fall back to old ways. When we understand what we are eating and why we should eat it, it is much easier to make lasting changes. Cravings give way to health. After time and detoxification, even the thought of junk foods becomes repulsive.
Eating whole foods or complete, organic, unaltered (NON -GMO) foods, is the foundation for a healthy life. It is not necessary to follow the latest diet trends. These diets tend to take away vital nutrients and are not sustainable as a healthy way of life. Just eat food as it comes from nature. Eat a variety. Have a balanced diet. Paleo cooking implies eating food as our ancestors ate it. Populations of long living humans, Greeks for example, consume a variety of food, mostly from plants, with some meat, usually fish, or animal products as well. Keeping things simple will have magnified outcomes when it comes to health.
Probiotics are extremely important for good health. Maintain a balanced gut flora will boost the immune system and allow the body to absorb nutrients from food and supplements. Our bodies are dependent upon beneficial bacteria for absorption of vitamins and minerals. Without proper gut flora much of what is put in the digestive tract goes straight through or sits and rots, both cause major digestive discomfort.
Think of a garden. If the system is healthy weeds don’t take root and overpower everything else. Maintaining a weed free garden requires less effort than after weeds have taken root and spread. Trying to reclaim a fallen garden takes significantly more work and effort. It is overwhelming!
Probiotics keep the proverbial weeds down in the digestive system. Billions of beneficial bacteria leave very little room for trouble. Antibiotics will annihilate both pathogenic and beneficial bacteria. Pathogenic (harmful) bacteria and yeast thrive and rapidly spread when the numbers of beneficial bacteria falls short. Eating natural probiotic rich foods will strengthen the gut. Yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and other fermented foods are very healthy to consume everyday because the support the natural flora of the gut.
Supplements are intended to support the body. Due to modern lifestyles, farming practices, and industrialization most people are not getting enough vitamins and minerals. Where there is a deficiency, the body will not work as well and health challenges result. The best form of supplementations is from food. Supplements made from whole foods are far better than synthetic. Fish oil/ omega 3 fatty acids are typically low in the western diet. Omega 3 fatty acids are necessary for proper nervous system function, they also significantly reduce inflammation in the body. Vitamin D is made in the body from the sun and cholesterol. Vitamin D is often low from the modern way of life.
Natural Salt is necessary for life to function. Cell operation depends on salt. Without salt the body does not get vitamins and minerals into the cells. Himalayan pink salt, sea salt or other salts harvested from nature and consumed in their natural state greatly benefit the body.