Day 314 of 365 - Back to Food Basics
I've been on this path of exploring nutritional changes to improve health for several years now. A lot of credit for that goes to my dear friend Lisa, who has suffered from chronic illness for several years, and her husband Jeff. As part of her own health care journey, she has tried a variety of dietary approaches, so when I've visited her, I've been able to partake and frequently help them prepare the recipes for the foods she and her husband eat. What I've learned in part, is just how delicious healthier recipes can be. My experience in their home motivated me to implement different choices in my own home.
For many years, professionals in the nutrition field have been well aware that people suffer from a variety of physical symptoms such as heartburn, bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, headache, joint pain and so on, not only from test diagnosed food allergies, but also due to food intolerance. Food intolerance does not show up necessarily as a clear result on a lab test, but it is abundantly clear to the person suffering the symptoms. So many people suffer these kinds of symptoms that it almost becomes the norm and many shelves of drug stores are filled with over the counter remedies for all of them. But, they are not normal. They are signs that our gut is not working as it should.
In the past, a nutritionist might suggest an elimination diet in order to find out which are the culprit food groups. The most common offenders are usually gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, added sugars and artificial sweeteners. One way to detect your problem food is to eliminate all of those for a three week period and let the body reset. Then, you slowly re-introduce just one at a time to see how you react. People feel better quickly when the offending foods are removed. Go figure!
The science of how the gut works is much better understood now, along with how what we put into our digestive system impacts that. A variety of triggers, including food intolerance can set up an inflammatory response which becomes the basis of a variety of diseases. By removing reactive foods we can reduce inflammation.
Most of us are probably aware of certain kinds of foods which create uncomfortable or painful symptoms during and after digestion. Think of that heaviness in your stomach, the heartburn and bloating that you might experience after eating something like a pizza. Or, maybe eating foods with additives like MSG, give you a terrible headache. It seems like common sense to just avoid those foods. But the flavors are addictive and it takes discipline to do it.
Since it is a deprivation or withdrawal experience to try an elimination diet, a suggested first step, before taking away any of the food categories, is to improve the quality of the food choices in your meals. Try eating higher quality meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and oils first to see if you feel differently. Then, consider eliminating food categories if you are still having symptoms.
I think changing the way we eat is one of the most challenging projects for us, because there is such a big emotional component involved. Food is comfort and solace, and over our lifetime we develop many patterns related to that.
The rewards however for making the effort to eat cleaner are many. Not only do you feel better, but food starts tasting better. You develop an appreciation for the flavor of fresh and home cooked food. When you do eat the more processed or high sugar added foods they don't have the same appeal as before. Once your body has had a break from those things, it tells you pretty quickly that it does not like the effect.
There are so many healthy recipe adaptations available now, that there really is no need for anyone to feel deprived by eliminating a certain food group. Eating nutrient dense and delicious foods supports our health and vitality.
For many years, professionals in the nutrition field have been well aware that people suffer from a variety of physical symptoms such as heartburn, bloating, gas, constipation, diarrhea, headache, joint pain and so on, not only from test diagnosed food allergies, but also due to food intolerance. Food intolerance does not show up necessarily as a clear result on a lab test, but it is abundantly clear to the person suffering the symptoms. So many people suffer these kinds of symptoms that it almost becomes the norm and many shelves of drug stores are filled with over the counter remedies for all of them. But, they are not normal. They are signs that our gut is not working as it should.
In the past, a nutritionist might suggest an elimination diet in order to find out which are the culprit food groups. The most common offenders are usually gluten, dairy, eggs, corn, soy, added sugars and artificial sweeteners. One way to detect your problem food is to eliminate all of those for a three week period and let the body reset. Then, you slowly re-introduce just one at a time to see how you react. People feel better quickly when the offending foods are removed. Go figure!
The science of how the gut works is much better understood now, along with how what we put into our digestive system impacts that. A variety of triggers, including food intolerance can set up an inflammatory response which becomes the basis of a variety of diseases. By removing reactive foods we can reduce inflammation.
Most of us are probably aware of certain kinds of foods which create uncomfortable or painful symptoms during and after digestion. Think of that heaviness in your stomach, the heartburn and bloating that you might experience after eating something like a pizza. Or, maybe eating foods with additives like MSG, give you a terrible headache. It seems like common sense to just avoid those foods. But the flavors are addictive and it takes discipline to do it.
Since it is a deprivation or withdrawal experience to try an elimination diet, a suggested first step, before taking away any of the food categories, is to improve the quality of the food choices in your meals. Try eating higher quality meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and oils first to see if you feel differently. Then, consider eliminating food categories if you are still having symptoms.
I think changing the way we eat is one of the most challenging projects for us, because there is such a big emotional component involved. Food is comfort and solace, and over our lifetime we develop many patterns related to that.
The rewards however for making the effort to eat cleaner are many. Not only do you feel better, but food starts tasting better. You develop an appreciation for the flavor of fresh and home cooked food. When you do eat the more processed or high sugar added foods they don't have the same appeal as before. Once your body has had a break from those things, it tells you pretty quickly that it does not like the effect.
There are so many healthy recipe adaptations available now, that there really is no need for anyone to feel deprived by eliminating a certain food group. Eating nutrient dense and delicious foods supports our health and vitality.
Comments
Post a Comment