The article below really sums it all up, please take a minute to read it…..
Why Food Could Be the Best Medicine of All
Eating Well Is Self-Respect
I believe that eating well is a form of self-respect, what we decide to put into our bodies effects everything! Below is excerpts of an article from the health department of Harvard:
“Think about it. Your brain is always “on.” It takes care of your thoughts and movements, your breathing and heartbeat, your senses — it works hard 24/7, even while you’re asleep. This means your brain requires a constant supply of fuel. That “fuel” comes from the foods you eat — and what’s in that fuel makes all the difference. Put simply, what you eat directly affects the structure and function of your brain and, ultimately, your mood.
Like an expensive car, your brain functions best when it gets only premium fuel. Eating high-quality foods that contain lots of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants nourishes the brain and protects it from oxidative stress — the “waste” (free radicals) produced when the body uses oxygen, which can damage cells.
Unfortunately, just like an expensive car, your brain can be damaged if you ingest anything other than premium fuel. If substances from “low-premium” fuel (such as what you get from processed or refined foods) get to the brain, it has little ability to get rid of them. Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain. In addition to worsening your body’s regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.
It makes sense. If your brain is deprived of good-quality nutrition, or if free radicals or damaging inflammatory cells are circulating within the brain’s enclosed space, further contributing to brain tissue injury, consequences are to be expected. What’s interesting is that for many years, the medical field did not fully acknowledge the connection between mood and food.
Today, fortunately, the burgeoning field of nutritional psychiatry is finding there are many consequences and correlations between not only what you eat, how you feel, and how you ultimately behave, but also the kinds of bacteria that live in your gut.
How the foods you eat affect how you feel
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep and appetite, mediate moods, and inhibit pain. Since about 95% of your serotonin is produced in your gastrointestinal tract, and your gastrointestinal tract is lined with a hundred million nerve cells, or neurons, it makes sense that the inner workings of your digestive system don’t just help you digest food, but also guide your emotions. What’s more, the function of these neurons — and the production of neurotransmitters like serotonin — is highly influenced by the billions of “good” bacteria that make up your intestinal microbiome. These bacteria play an essential role in your health. They protect the lining of your intestines and ensure they provide a strong barrier against toxins and “bad” bacteria; they limit inflammation; they improve how well you absorb nutrients from your food; and they activate neural pathways that travel directly between the gut and the brain.
Studies have shown that when people take probiotics (supplements containing the good bacteria), their anxiety levels, perception of stress, and mental outlook improve, compared with people who did not take probiotics. Other studies have compared “traditional” diets, like the Mediterranean diet and the traditional Japanese diet, to a typical “Western” diet and have shown that the risk of depression is 25% to 35% lower in those who eat a traditional diet. Scientists account for this difference because these traditional diets tend to be high in vegetables, fruits, unprocessed grains, and fish and seafood, and to contain only modest amounts of lean meats and dairy. They are also void of processed and refined foods and sugars, which are staples of the “Western” dietary pattern. In addition, many of these unprocessed foods are fermented, and therefore act as natural probiotics.
Good bacteria not only influence what your gut digests and absorbs, but that they also affect the degree of inflammation throughout your body, as well as your mood and energy level, is gaining traction among researchers. The results so far have been quite amazing.
What does this mean for you?
Start paying attention to how eating different foods makes you feel — not just in the moment, but the next day. Try eating a “clean” diet for two to three weeks — that means cutting out all processed foods and sugar. Add fermented foods like kimchi, miso, sauerkraut, pickles. You also might want to try going dairy-free — and some people even feel that they feel better when their diets are grain-free. See how you feel. Then slowly introduce foods back into your diet, one by one, and see how you feel.”
We Need Dairy, Right???
We need dairy, right????
While I do believe in Bio-individuality (one man’s food is another man’s poison) The facts are that about 75 percent of the world’s population is genetically unable to properly digest milk and other dairy products — a problem called lactose intolerance. The majority of humans naturally stop producing significant amounts the enzyme needed to properly metabolize lactose, the sugar in milk — sometime between the ages of two and five. Our bodies just weren’t made to digest milk on a regular basis. Instead, most scientists agree that it’s better for us to get calcium, potassium, protein, and fats from other food sources, such as whole plant foods — vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and seaweed.
According to Dr. Willett (professor of Nutrition at Harvard University) who has done many studies and reviewed the research on this topic, there are many reasons to pass up milk, including:
1. Milk doesn’t reduce fractures. Contrary to popular belief, eating dairy products has never been shown to reduce fracture risk.
2. Less dairy, better bones. Countries with lowest rates of dairy and calcium consumption (like those in Africa and Asia) have the lowest rates of osteoporosis.
3. Calcium isn’t as bone-protective as we thought. Studies of calcium supplementation have shown no benefit in reducing fracture risk
4. Calcium may raise cancer risk. Research shows that higher intakes of both calcium and dairy products may increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer by 30 to 50 percent.
5. Calcium has benefits that dairy doesn’t. Calcium supplements, but not dairy products, may reduce the risk of colon cancer.
• Everybody needs calcium — but probably not as much as our government’s recommended daily allowance (RDA).
• Men may not want to take calcium supplements. Supplements of calcium and vitamin D may be reasonable for women.
5 Tips for Dealing with Dairy
• Don’t rely on dairy for healthy bones. If you want healthy bones, get plenty of exercise and supplement with 2,000 IU of vitamin D daily.
• Get your calcium from food. These include dark green leafy vegetables, sesame tahini, sea vegetables, and sardines or salmon with the bones.
• Try giving up all dairy. That means eliminate milk, cheese, yogurt, and ice cream for two weeks and see if you feel better. You should notice improvements with your sinuses, post-nasal drip, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, energy, and weight. Then start eating dairy again and see how you feel. If you feel worse, you should try to give it up for life.
• If you can tolerate dairy, use only raw, organic dairy products. I suggest focusing on fermented products like unsweetened yogurt and kefir, occasionally.
Good Health Is Wealth!
Good health is wealth! When we take control of what we put into our bodies, everything changes. Start adding in more water, more fruits and vegetables. The more you add, the more you will decrease your risk of chronic diseases (diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease, arthritis, Parkinson’s, Crohn’s….too many to list.
The Problem Is Sugar!
Many of the side effect of too much sugar are blamed on aging and menopause. When you cut out or at least cut down significantly processed foods and replace them with Real food. You will see these symptoms go away:
Fatigue
Carb cravings
Emotional eating
Nighttime eating
Resistance to weigh loss
Heartburn
Slowing expanding waistline
Uncontrollable hunger
Overeating actual causes stress on your body......
Our digestion actually requires a great deal of cellular energy, overeating stresses the body beyond the natural capacity to breakdown, digest, assimilate, and eliminate. Think of how you feel after a big holiday meal, such as Thanksgiving….we go into a sleepy state . People joke about a “food coma”. We should eat to fuel our bodies, not exhaust us! If we eat just enough to fuel our bodies, we reserve energy for healing and cell regeneration. Don’t misunderstand me, I am not suggesting to ever starve yourself, just eat enough to keep yourself satisfied and full but not stuffed! Don’t forget to stop eating 15 minutes before you actually totally full ( when your tummy feels slight pressure). It takes that long for the brain to get the message that the stomach is full. Eating is one of the great joys of life, let’s take time to actually appreciate the amazing flavors! Lets slow down and enjoy ourselves and the people that we are sharing our meal with :)
