Making The Connections

This post is not for those who do not have any health issues. This post is for those struggling, or those who care for someone who is struggling with health issues.

During my journey of becoming healthy I have made a distinct connection in what I eat and how I feel. It is very clear to me that if I eat grains I bloat and feel sluggish. If I eat sugar I get headaches and feel tired. I have learned not to eat those things. Yes, sometimes I am tempted and I give in and I live with the consequences.

Someone asked me recently what I have accomplished by changing my lifestyle. My immediate response was that I have cut my triglycerides in half, as well as my liver enzymes. My moods are more even without the highs and lows that were such a problem before. I have lost 50 pounds! As I thought about it more later, I came to realize the most important change I have experienced is how I feel about myself. I feel like I am more what I am meant to be. That is very difficult to explain, but while I was heavier and becoming more and more unhealthy, I never felt like that was really me. I would look in the mirror and not recognize the person I saw looking back at me. I know that had to affect how I interacted with others, especially my family. I was happy with my husband and my kids and my life in general, but I was not happy with me and I felt like there was nothing I could do about it. With thyroid disorders, traditional diets do not work. You may temporarily lose weight, but it is guaranteed to come back plus some. It is horrifying to watch yourself gain fifty pounds while doing the South Beach Diet and working out three times a week. And it physically hurts to gain weight like that, down to your bones.

No one ever suggested to me it might be the foods I was eating that were responsible. I have come to that realization on my own through experimenting with my diet. I have come to the conclusion that what we eat impacts our health more than any other single factor, including genetics. Absolutely genetics predisposes us to some types of health issues, but our food is the trigger for our problems. I do believe there are some issues that require traditional medicine and the care of an experienced medical doctor and diet is not the answer for every medical issue out there. But I do think the most prevalent diseases are related to our diet and nutrition, or lack of. Diabetes, autoimmune diseases, thyroid disorders, heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis...the list goes on. These are the diseases of our society. It is so easy to say "it's not my fault" when we are diagnosed. "My grandmother had it" is an easy answer as we eat a pizza and ice cream to make us feel better. We have an emotional attachment to food and can't imagine not having certain things like bread. We take our medicine and do not change our eating habits. "I can eat what I want as long as I take my medicine". I cringe when I hear people I care about say this. My response is "eat healthy and you won't have to take your medicine"! My favorite quote is "Let food by thy medicine, and medicine be thy food" by Hippocrates, ironically, the father of modern medicine. I don't think he meant a handful of pills should be our dinner!

Food is a habit and any habit can be changed in 28 days. Our bodies become addicted to certain substances such as refined sugar. That substance begins regulating how our hormones function. When we run low, our bodies crave it. That is why we can't imagine not having a soda or ice cream. It is the same with alcohol or nicotine additions. When our hormones are controlled by those substances rather than the chemicals our bodies are supposed to produce to control them, disease sets in. Our metabolism gets out of whack, which affects our weight, energy, blood sugar, heart, blood pressure...We get fat and we get sick. And we get depressed. And we eat more pizza because that makes us feel better. It is a vicious cycle. It is a cycle I have been on for years. But I broke those habits cold turkey. Some need to do it in baby steps, but it can be done!

We are fast becoming a society that does not take responsibility for our conditions, whether financial or physical. There are government handouts for those with the victim mentality. There are pills and surgeries for those whose eating is out of control. We are a generation addicted to instant gratification. The processed foods that feed that addiction are killing us. We need to realize that it is up to us and only us to change our circumstances. Do not wait for someone to do it for you. Take control now and do something, anything! Once you make that first step, the next step becomes easier, then the next, and the next...

Just give it a try for 30 days and see for yourself. Don't make any more excuses as to why you can't. Just do it. Make that connection between your actions and your condition. Take responsibility. You don't know where to start? The book "It Starts With Food" by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig is where I started. Or check out their website. Practical Paleo and balancedbites.com are another great resource. thepaleomom.com has great aricles.

I am by no means at the end of my journey, I am just getting good and started. I have a long way to go yet. I have more weight to lose and a thyroid condition to reverse. It is going to take time and patience on my part. It takes perseverance when those around you do not hop on board with you. It takes educating yourself and understanding what you are doing. It requires you to take charge. You can do it!