Food: Your Body, Your Choice
As you know the BridgeIT Movement Motto is Your Money, Your Health, Your Choice. What are your choices about food? We get so many messages about what we are supposed to be eating.
Let’s look at the journey of my husband. When I met him, he would eat sugar all day. He would have coffee with triple cream and triple sugar for breakfast, a candy bar and Mt. Dew for lunch, and after dinner he would eat ice cream. I suspect this might be the case for many Americans. He has since tried eating like a Vegan and a Vegetarian, but he felt really sick and had no energy. He is currently on the Keto Diet and eating bacon for breakfast, cheese for lunch, and carving out the meat that I make for dinner. He says he has more energy and has been starting to lose weight. My best friend is a size 4 and she feels sick when she eats meat, so she chooses to be a vegetarian. Why is it that we could take 100 people and make them all vegan, and a percentage would feel great (after detoxing from inflammation) and some would feel sick or starving. And then if we took that same group and made them Keto for a month, we would see a different percentage feel great, lose weight, and others feel sick?
Now let’s look at other countries. We have had seven exchange students. It has been interesting to see how they like our food and what is different. For example, our Italian student was surprised that we eat meat at every meal. I was surprised that Italians are not overweight since they eat so much pasta and carbs! Isn’t that what we are told? Gluten and carbs are the enemy? I do think there are many things to educate yourself about regarding food and how it is processed and modified it very important. Check out the many documentaries on Netflix, but which one do we follow?
And don’t even get me started on calories! I have never understood this concept! If you ate 1500 calories from a Big Mac vs. 1500 calories from an organic roast, organic potatoes, organic carrots and homemade gravy…somehow that is the same? There is no way that is metabolized in your body the same way, but we narrow it down to this one unit of measurement. Let’s give those 100 people a Big Mac a day and see how they feel after one month. Have you seen the movie “Super-Size Me”?
I have to say, my journey with food started out with the Standard American Diet in the 70’s with TV dinners and Wonder Bread. But I was sick..often. My ear drums have ruptured seven times due to the multiple ear infections I have had. Which, by the way hurts like having a baby! What comes with ear infections…antibiotics! It’s a wonder I had any gut flora left by the time I was in high school. I didn’t know I was allergic to dairy and eggs until I was 35, when I went to see a holistic nutritionist. I thought it was normal to have so much pain in my neck and shoulders that it hurt to look down the road for my son’s bus in the morning. I would get massages and assumed it was stress. I was filled with inflammation from having a leaky gut. It took about 2 weeks to detox my body and get off all dairy and eggs. It felt like I had the flu. But after that healing crisis, I felt like a new woman. My massage therapist noticed right away. And then when I would accidentally eat dairy, I would feel it right away in my neck and get a headache. The next day I would have nasal drainage, a raspy voice, dark circles under my eyes, and fluid in my ears. The third day I would have eczema on my hands, elbows, and legs. So that whole journey makes me stop and think before I want to “cheat” and eat that piece of carrot cake (my favorite). It better be damn good for me to sign up for 3 days of pain if I want to cheat!
I have learned to listen to my body regarding food. Which foods make me feel good, satisfied, and gives me energy? But I get that not everyone has that effect regarding food. As I learned more, so did my family. I changed my grocery habits and started buying organic foods. My children could tell the difference between the organic strawberries and the non-organic ones. So, besides avoiding all dairy and eggs, I eat meat, lots of veggies, some carbs, some fruit, and drink water and green tea, and lemonade. I have been working out for the past 5 years and haven’t lost a pound, but I am stronger and feel great. I have found the way I want to eat and what works for me. My Body, My Choice.
When a client come into my office with signs of inflammation, I often tell my story and recommend an elimination diet, i.e.: eliminate gluten, dairy, corn, or soy, etc. for 2-4 weeks. Your body will tell you how it feels. You are a part of those 100 people, what works for you? What does your brain tell you to eat and how does your body respond? If you are not sure, keep listening to the experts and keep trying to find the right fit for you.
Listen to your body.
Just like we are listening to you.
It’s Your Money, Your Health, Your Choice!
