People often have a HUGE disconnect between their diets to their overall health. So much so that sometimes people are resistant to even really looking at changing their food even if they are very overweight. However, it’s even harder for MOST people to connect diet with health issues that are NOT weight-related.
You are what you eat.
It’s true and it is the MAIN cause of nearly all health issues. Are there other things at play – YES! Of course, our environment and toxins in our world are also at play when it comes to health and chronic health issues. But FOOD can change and help (or exacerbate) even those health issues. But one can work very hard to do the right things but still be influenced by toxins and the environment and still struggle with chronic health issues or things advanced like cancer.
How do we know if food is causing our health issues?
1. Nutrients are the things your body needs to function daily.
Your nutrients come from your food. It’s that simple. NO body system functions without nutrients. Example: you have no food or water for days at a time – you will die.
People think – well that is extreme. No, it’s the truth. You can slowly starve yourself even while eating “food” daily. Unfortunately, the majority of what people consume as food is not nutrient-dense food. It’s calories with no nutritional value. That means there are very few if any vitamins, minerals, and overall a general lack of healthy protein. There are plentiful empty carbohydrates out there.
If you are experiencing digestive issues, cholesterol, heart, immune, brain, nervous system, and other body dysfunction you have some deficiencies, and perhaps also toxicity.
2. You can’t find any other causes in your life for the problems you have.
Look at the nutrients in your food, the quality of your food, and the types of foods you are eating. If you are just blown away at how sick you are each season, or how your child has constant ear infections or constant digestive issues, and you are so confused – time to stop being confused. It’s your food choices. Those things I just listed are NOT normal things to have frequently. NOW, do MANY people have those frequently – sure but should they? NO. So they too have the same problems you do with food.
3. You have developed a chronic problem (like autoimmunity, gut issues, and more)
These are tied directly to food. All of them. Yes IMMUNITY is tied to food. Over 80% of your immune system is INSIDE of your digestive system. That is right. And what influences your digestive system? That is right – YOUR FOOD! That means if you work on your food, and you heal your gut, you will have better immunity – and that’s ALL types of immunity. You will also be getting critical vitamins and minerals by choosing nutrient-dense foods daily – this will help EACH system including the immune function properly.
Tips to Make Changes Now
1. Start PER meal in making nutrient-dense food choices.
Breakfast – stop eating processed cereals and dairy for breakfast. It’s very unbalanced, processed, and has no nutrient value to the day. Why start with empty calories and processed chemicals and foods? Instead, a few scrambled (pasture) eggs, made with grass-fed butter and vegetables of choice chopped in. Maybe it’s just spinach, maybe it’s a combo of peppers, onions, kale, spinach, and pastured feta cheese. You get a TON of vitamins and minerals with this option, as well as balanced protein and healthy fats. And FYI dietary cholesterol is not the cause of cholesterol imbalances so if you choose the right sources of these ingredients and ditch processed foods you don’t need to worry about eating eggs.
After you accomplish breakfast in whole nutrient-dense foods, work your way to lunch, and move from there to dinner. Check out other blog posts to see recipes and lunch and dinner ideas.
2. Ditch processed and packaged food.
This means starting to ditch those packaged boxes and bags. Start with your per-meal plan. Eliminate those packages and read the labels of things that you are buying to make those meals. Example – instead of that cereal be sure you read that butter label and it’s grass-fed and finished. You check that egg carton label – pastured is best. Or better yet get it from your local farmer. Check out your farmer’s market for fresh fruits and vegetables – organic is best, but traditional is always better than a bag of chips.
If you are purchasing a package, read the INGREDIENTS label to see what is listed. If it’s long, and you can’t understand it – that means it’s PROCESSED and inflammatory. It’s not good for you. It should ideally be only a few ingredients (5 or less) and be things that you grow in nature.
Slowly change your meals over to no packages or bags.
3. Quality matters.
Start looking for fresh food options around you. That might look like a farmer’s market on the weekend. That would have organic and fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, local meat farmers will be there. They will have grass-fed and finished beef for you. If you are lucky you will find a local seafood person as well. You can inquire about wild caught or organic farmed. No others will work – so those are your options there. Farm boxes are another option. My organic veggies and fruits are delivered by a local farm box service. The items I can’t get in the box are few, and those I purchase follow the guidelines I have put in here – grass-fed and finished, wild-caught, organic, and pastured. There are many options in most local grocery stores today.
If you have chronic health issues you don’t understand – it’s time to look at your food. Maybe you don’t want to change or you don’t understand it all – it happens. However, could it hurt to just give it a try?
If you don’t know where to start, don’t fully understand your health issues yourself, and need help making food changes – I do FREE consultations to discuss if nutritional therapy would be a good fit for your goals and possible changes. No obligation, just a free 15-minute chat so you can ask questions.
