I have been doing a lot of experimenting with the things I eat and what they do to me as far as allergies and other reactions. I've always had a lot of irritating health issues and the more I learn the more I find that they were nearly all related to food choices. My allergies and asthma are essentially gone. My other lung issues are nearly a thing of the past. I no longer have heartburn or the stomach & intestinal issues I used to have. And, my chronic joint issues/synovitis that I have had since childhood are almost non-existent. (I'm still working on the occasional migraines I still have, though.) How? Eliminating processed foods and modern grains, mostly. Organic, real foods are what our bodies were meant to consume. Plant AND animal sources. The way I now eat is nothing radical. It's the way humans used to eat until about 100 years ago, with very few exceptions. Before rampant obesity; before chronic health problems. Another plus for me is that my mom is seeing the benefits, too. She is recalling how she ate as a child. She used to think it was because her family was poor, but now she remembers she was never sick & she was skinny. That really didn't change for her until the 1960s. She has lost nearly 50 lbs. in the past year & is feeling much better now. She is down to about 5 prescriptions from 19 less than a year ago. She was diagnosed 12 years ago as diabetic, obese, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, et al. What caused all this? The food she WAS eating for about 30 years. Processed foods. High carbs/grains. She is now 72 & feels better than she has in almost 20 years. She is walking more now. She is eating the way her body needs and eliminating symptom-suppressing medications. We are getting to the source of our problems, not hiding the symptoms. We've done this in baby steps. So, it has taken a better part of the past year, but we have seen progress every step of the way. One little thing at a time. We're patient! Anyone can do it. Just say no to anything that is sold in a can, plastic bottle, styrofoam box, etc., or that has ingredients that you cannot pronounce or that didn't exist 100 years ago. And, stay away from restaurants (not just 'fast food'.) Trust me. You won't miss it after a while. Personally, I would rather pay for good food that I make myself than pay the exhorbitant prices charged by restaurants and doctors. I'm looking toward the long-term, not the quick fix.
How do we eat? We eat organic meats. Mostly organic/pasture-fed pork, lamb, poultry & rabbit as I have found local organic sources. I am still looking for local beef. Occasionally, trout or other seafood. We get pastured eggs from a local farmer (the hens roam on grass & eat bugs and other things chickens are meant to eat.) We eat and/or juice lots of fruits and veggies (organic & mostly local - go to your local farmer's markets and talk directly with the source!) We also grow a bit of our own fruits and veggies in our small space. We drink filtered water (and occasionally buy real spring water - sadly we don't have a local spring nearby.) We eat & drink organic and/or raw dairy from local creameries (WHOLE milk, WHOLE cream, real cheese - not that dyed orange pretend cheese crap, real butter from pastured, grass-fed cows.) Check out the following websites to help you start on the path to better health through food:
Local Harvest
Weston A. Price Foundation
Daniel Vitalis' blog
David Wolfe's blog
Mark's Daily Apple
These are just a few that I visit regularly. There are MANY more.
Remember, most doctor's are NOT taught nutrition while pursuing their medical degrees. Yet, many take the
Hippocratic Oath (which in truth has been adulterated over the years.) One of Hippocrates' original lines was, "I will apply dietic measures for the benefit of the sick according to my ability and judgment; I will keep them from harm and injustice.
I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect. In purity and holiness I will guard my life and my art." He also originated the phrase, "Let
food be thy medicine and medicine be thy
food".
Many will tell you to go what I consider the radical route (you must eat raw only, you must avoid all animal-sourced foods, you must eat or not eat this, etc.) Honestly, there is not a 'one-size' fits all 'diet' plan for everyone. I was vegetarian (almost vegan) for 10 years. It was not for me. I felt like crap all the time & it exacerbated many of my health problems. But, for others, it may work. But, the main thing I profess is to eat as closely to what our ancestors ate as you can - this is NOT necessarily a strict Primal or Paleo-type diet. They did not go to McDonald's or Starbucks every day. They did not use microwaves. The did not eat out of boxes or cans. Pick one or 2 things that you can do 'right now' to start your journey. Once you have that working, pick another and another, until you have the healthy diet that works for you. It doesn't have to happen overnight, but gradually it will. And, you will see and feel the difference!
