You Are What You Eat By Jess Ernst, Health and Wellness Coach When talking with many of my weight loss patients we discuss the old, “calories in, calories out” weight loss method. I explain that while this may work for some, research shows that a healthy diet is not just about lowering your caloric intake, it’s about understanding and changing the food you’re eating because of its effects on your body. The dawn of the industrial food age has provided a host of convenient “healthy alternatives” for our busy lifestyle: •
Packaged and processed foods
•
Refined sugar
•
Low fat
•
Grains
•
Low sodium
•
Dyes
Unfortunately, the only thing the modern day diet has really done is help raise the number of “contemporary” illnesses such as: • •
Obesity
•
Heart disease
•
Inflammation
•
Auto-immune disease
•
Type II diabetes
•
Neurological disorder
This is because we aren’t eating enough natural whole foods. Research shows the chemicals in these quick and easy foods are actually altering your body’s hormones and metabolism functions. David Ludwig, MD, of the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center at Boston Children’s Hospital has been experimenting with this exact idea. He states, “That approach will work for short periods of time, but people almost always gain the weight back because other mechanisms kick in.” People may eat less calories, but take in more refined carbs which in turn is fueling both inflammation, obesity and an array of other chronic-disease symptoms. Ludwig and other researchers are looking at programs where eating more whole foods that are a little higher in fats and lower on the glycemic index will help anyone who has struggled with weight and obesity for their entire lives.
My Story My struggle with pre-packaged food started like many of us, as a child. I recall staring at the kitchen pantry searching for my next snack. In most cases there was nothing, because my little brother would beat me to the punch. He would raid the pantry and stash all the “good stuff” in his room. At the time, I would be furious to find an EMPTY bag of Doritos in the upstairs bathroom trash can! I realize now he was doing me a favor, because it turned out the “boring stuff’ he left behind was one of the few good food choices forced upon me as a child, and I wasn’t very happy about it. Still, I could always find one of those damned Nutty Buddy Bars resulting in me being a chubby child never less. As a pre-teen, I became more conscious of my size, comparing myself to all the other girls. I would cry to my mom and feel awful about how I looked and she would tell me, “you are what you eat Jess” as I indulged in another Nutty Buddy. I hated hearing it, I despised her for saying it and I was angry with myself because I knew it was true, yet I would still indulge. Therein began the journey to my present day self, repeating those same words to my own children because it is TRUE! It took a long time for me to fully understand the effects my diet was having on me. Even after having children I struggled with my weight and eating habits. I suffered from: • •
Post-partum depression
•
Irritability
•
Endometriosis
•
Infections
•
Ovarian growths
•
Irregular cell growth
•
Mood swings
•
Overall despair
I remember sitting in my son’s pediatrician’s office hoping to get some answers for his reflux. The Dr. gave me some direction; at this point I was desperate enough to try anything. I wanted to continue breastfeeding so I did what he suggested. What happened next was life altering.
I cut dairy! The doctor suggested I try cutting a few things out of my diet. After about 3 weeks something amazing happened. Not only was my son doing better, I was actually feeling great. I lost 10 lbs.… boom- just like that! And things just kept getting better. I sought additional guidance for the stress and mood swings after the birth of my third child. I began reading and researching on my own. I learned about what effect one’s diet has on the neurological pathways in children with autism for instance, or the numerous articles and advice for people who suffer from Parkinson’s.
Good bye Wheat! Next, I decided to cut gluten. Lord help me I knew it was going to be tough and thinking about it made me cringe. I loved my home cooked spaghetti, breakfast oatmeal and those beloved turkey sandwiches. As depressed and deprived as I felt when I got started, I was looking for a better way to manage my hormones and stress, rather than taking a pill for “the baby blues”( which I had tried in previous years and still felt like this was not the answer). I found alternatives for my favorite foods and refused countless pizza parties and birthday cake.
Low and behold I made it through and after 3 months I was really surprised to hear my husband tell me, “You know I’m really impressed I hardly could tell you were about to get your cycle. And when you told me you were excited to be with the kids last weekend, I was shocked.” This was the best compliment I heard in years. At first I wasn’t sure if I was angry, sad or happy; I mean what on earth are you trying to say? It only took a moment for me to realize that I was really feeling, well just better. My husband was happy and my kids and home were more balanced and fun than ever before. That was the moment when I was convinced that my new food journey was really working and I could see that I was starting to reap the benefits of “reprogramming”. No more depression, no more “female problems”, no more aches and pains. I even started recovering faster after workouts and today I have a more energy than ever before.
Awakening to the Truth The interesting thing about my journey is that I had no real “issue”. In the past, doctors recommended anti-depressants, or that I take more time out for myself and tried to exercise. They would say, “Get a massage and try to reduce your stress”. Nothing ever worked because there was no “real” problem, I just need to rethink who it was I wanted to be and adjust my diet accordingly. I learned to think of my body as a car, for optimum performance it is best to use the right fuel. In the past I was using 87 octane in a Formula 93 engine. Had I kept it up it would have stopped working altogether. Once I altered the fuel I was using, my “car” ran fine. The food we eat provides the fuel you need to rebuild every cell in your body. That means what you eat directly effects how your body repairs and regenerates its own cells- for better or for worse. For example, it takes the average person’s liver about 4 months to completely regenerate itself with new cells. In my case after a few diagnostic blood tests and micronutrient tests I received as a consultant at NAVA Health and Vitality Center, I found later that my hunch on the gluten and dairy sensitivity was 100% correct; the lab results confirmed that I WAS HIGHLY SENSITIVE TO BOTH! I had no idea. Once I had access to the tools and resources they supplied, I was able to confirm what I had to learn through years of trial and error. It’s amazing the effect this change has had on my everyday vitality. As I ventured farther into the world of health and wellness, I see that my story is not profound or special. It’s a story many have undergone, and many others are still writing. It’s about change and making room for change in your life so that you can experience something better, healthy cells, a healthy mind, and a balanced body FOR LIFE!