Good Health: The Answer is in YOU

I’m writing this article not to lecture you about your diet or tell you what you should or shouldn’t eat. I am writing this because I care a whole lot about YOU! Take these words as a source of education and encouragement because, boy oh boy do I know this is a touchy subject.

Starting way, way back as an infant we were given food to eat from the people who raised us; typically our parents or grandparents. Right from the get-go, our bodies were formed and nourished by these foods we eat. Have you wondered why there’s a big question when it comes to nurturing newborns with formula vs breast milk. Formula consists of modified ingredients to make up a powder that when mixed with water, turns into a breast milk-like liquid. However, it’s nowhere near the same,. These types of decisions continue for the rest of our lives and consist of questions like “should I eat more carbs or protein”, “what kind of fat is good for me?”, “how much sugar is allowed daily?” Let me just stop right here and give you this famous quote:

“We are what we eat” by Ludwig Feuerback in 1848

I agree with this statement entirely, however I don’t believe that’s all that can be said. Food is what makes every cell of our body. As we age from an infant to toddler, adolescent to an adult, our bodies transform. Look back on the life you’ve lived so far… and ask yourselves the following ten questions:

1. Were you born naturally or by C-section?

2. Were you breast-fed as a baby?

3. Did you get sick as a kid?

4. What kind of food did you snack on as a child?

5. Did you run away from the green food?

6. What kind of culture did you grow up in?

7. Would you and do you eat at the dining room table or in front of the TV?

8. Where does the food you eat come from? Directly from the earth or packaged?

9. When did you learn how to cook? / Do you know how to cook?

10. Do you have an upset stomach often or lack of energy throughout the day?

These are legitimate questions and I’m not telling you the right answers will give you the keys to the palace of health, but they will teach you a hell of a lot about YOU! Starting with the way you came into this world. There are hundreds of articles and research indicating that cesarean birth (c-sections) may have “adverse effects on children’s sensory perception, sensory integration ability, neuropsychiatric development and the infant-mother relationship” (Chen & Tan, 2019). But not only that, Ob/Gyn Rebecca Starck from the Cleveland Clinic states that “babies undergo a process during a vaginal birth that readies their lungs, which are filled with fluid in the womb, to breathe oxygen after birth.” She then continues to say, “babies born vaginally also receive a dose of good bacteria as they travel through the birth canal.” C-sections are not always bad and quite frankly are lifesaving for some, but are they the best option? Absolutely not!

And so, life moves forward and we continue to feed our guts, also known as our second brain, with unnatural, artificial toxic crap that literally becomes who we are and can create some serious havoc in our lives down the road. Let’s stop again to address another famous quote by Earl Nightingale:

“We become what we think about most of the time, and that’s the strangest secret.”

Psychologically we tend to think we’re invincible at a young age, however that is not the case. It’d be nice of us to pay attention to how we live day in and day out. Getting healthy is not an overnight transformation or a “Monday I’ll get healthy” kind of thing. There’s habits and traditions that are ingrained in our heads. Holidays in the US make it seem like it's all good and dandy to eat and drink as much as we want to. It's true until our system has had enough and something goes wrong. I’m sure you’ve heard of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, covid19 etc. Did you know that ALL of these illnesses can be mitigated with simple lifestyle changes such as a plant-based diet and exercise? People in the United States are metabolically sick and as a fitness professional it is my duty to help people be healthier. Bottom line.

If you’re in a position where you worry about your health. Perhaps you're past that point and feel totally defeated. Please don’t give up! Start small and set achievable goals of going for daily walks, eating more fruits and vegetables, and drinking more water. Listen to your body. Little hints such as dry skin, an upset stomach after certain meals or lack of energy/sleep can tell you a lot about yourself. Feel deeply. Observe how your body reacts with every glass of water, alcoholic beverage, piece of pizza and/or piece of lettuce that passes through.

I’m here for you. The food and exercise changes may seem like the biggest challenge, but think again. Convincing your mind that health takes priority is the hardest thing! When you’re ready to start, remember in time you are one step closer to achieving your goals and if you fall off just hop right back on and call me if you need help! ;)

References:

Cizza, G., & Rother, K. I. (2011). Was Feuerbach right: are we what we eat?. The Journal of clinical investigation, 121(8), 2969–2971. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI58595

Chen, H., & Tan, D. (2019). Cesarean Section or Natural Childbirth? Cesarean Birth May Damage Your Health. Frontier of Psychology, 10. https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00351

Reisdorf, A., (2020). Covid-19 and Nutrition: What you can do. Nutrition. https://www.anareisdorf.com/covid-19-and-nutrition-what-you-can-do/