I must admit…..I am enamored with FOOD!
Not just eating it, but the fact that within all food is the treasure of LIFE and HEALTH!
That’s exactly the way God intended it, from the beginning. He decided in all of His Deity and goodness, that he would place in food all the information that every cell in our bodies would need to function optimally. He knew that if the heart cells functioned optimally, then the heart would function optimally. He didn’t create a food whose primary purpose was to cause diabetes, inflammation, high cholesterol or acid reflux. He created foods that would provide everything we would need for health!
Genesis 1:29-30 states, 29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.”
Socrates concurred with God when he said “Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food”. What a smart man.
Now we know that nutrients in our food have to pass through 1000’s of square feet of intestinal tract, be broken down and absorbed so that the chemical messages would end up in the right cells and their organs. And within this GI tract are billions of microorganisms that act as barriers to protect us, create important micronutrients and are a huge part (70%) of our immune system!
But somewhere along the line, we lost the importance of that and decided that man made chemicals worked better and were necessary to keep us healthy.
THE FALL
I’m still not sure why God used the image of something as healthy as an apple, to be instrumental in the fall of mankind….but that’s for another book!
Suffice it to say that when Eve bit that apple, a lot of things started going wrong in our GI tract and in our bodies. And unfortunately over time man determined that all of the wonderful food that God intended us to eat would become tainted with pesticides and modified at its genetic level. As a result we are facing catastrophic health situations caused by:
- enzyme deficiency
- microbial imbalance
- motility issues
- detoxification abnormalities
- intestinal permeability
- inflammation
Interestingly, food intolerance or sensitivities can contribute to every single one of these problems, either directly or indirectly. Indeed, a growing body of evidence shows that food allergies, or more accurately food sensitivities, can harm numerous other body systems and cause a wide range of unwanted symptoms.
For example, food sensitivities/reactions and other gastrointestinal disturbances have been linked to:
- asthma and allergies
- autoimmune disorders (lupus, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis,Chrohn’s, ulcerative colitis, fibroids, endometriosis, hair loss)
- skin conditions (eczema, psoriasis)
- arthritis
- atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases
- neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia
- mood disorders
- ADD/ADHD
- narcolepsy
- addiction
- migraines
- kidney problems
- GERD, reflux
Wow, that’s a LONG list! And, with more research, the list grows. In fact, because of the number of conditions now associated with either gut dysfunction or food sensitivities, anyone who feels like their GI system is working sub-optimally should at least consider trying a dietary approach known as an elimination diet.
Honestly, there are many ways to treat GI-related health conditions. But the first, easiest, and most effective place to start is by eliminating or removing foods that might be causing a problem.
WHAT IS THIS ELIMINATION DIET?
It is an approach that allows you to determine if food sensitivities are contributing to your “dis-ease”….your fatigue, foggy thinking, indigestion, pain, obesity, thyroid disease, GI-related complaints and everything listed above. And I can tell you, that is many of you! And it doesn’t cost you a dime….just your time and effort. It benefits everyone who does it in my experience; for many who have been to doctor after doctor, it will feel like a miracle! You take control of your own wellness when you do an elimination diet.
So what is it? You eliminate certain foods for a period of time, usually three or four weeks, then slowly reintroduce specific foods and monitor your symptoms for possible reactions.
While I can recommend food allergy testing, what I find is that some people with “normal” results (i.e. no food sensitivity identified) still have symptoms suggestive of food sensitivity. And by doing the elimination diet and tracking symptoms, you gain a more powerful incentive to make dietary changes…..for life!
I think you know where I’m going with this…..a good elimination diet will remove wheat gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, corn TO START WITH. That might sound like a lot, but it leaves plenty of options for a relatively satisfying diet comprised primarily of rice, meat (i.e. turkey, fish, lamb), most fruit, and most types of vegetables.
Step 1: Start a journal to record what you are currently eating on most days; be completely honest. Do this for 1 week and send it to me at dckcstanley@gmail.com. I’ll help you determine what you should begin to eliminate first.
HERE’S TO YOUR EXTRAORDINARY HEALTH!
Dr. Rita
