As I talked about before I was once eating very unhealthy and ended up in the hospital due to severe pain on my side. The doctors were unable to tell me why I was having this pain as all tests came back normal, but they did tell me I had a fatty liver and I needed to lose weight. I started researching why I had these digestive issues. Initially I came to understand that I was gluten intolerant. I felt horrible after eating any flour and yeast based products. I loved donuts but those along with cake and bagels were the worst for me. Over the course of 5 years I found out what my body needs and what it has a problem with. The information below are various opinions on what food is good for you and what isn’t.
Processed Foods
I think the biggest reason why my body put the brakes on was because all of the processed foods I was eating. It is amazing how this country claims to have departments that claim to be there to protect our health. But really they are really only there to make the big corporations richer. Food companies are making money by throwing a bunch of chemicals together and calling it food. There are many countries that have banned certain food products from being sold to their citizens most likely because they don’t want their citizens being poisoned. The worst ingredients in processed food are preservatives, food coloring, high fructose corn syrup, enriched flour, and processed sugar. Genetically modified foods are also something that should be avoided. Foods that are pumped full of hormones, antibiotics, and other chemicals are also just plain bad for you. Also any fast food is also a no no. We have all seen the hamburger and french fry photo where the food does not change for years and insects and other rodents won’t even eat it.
Look at the people
When I started becoming more aware of the energy that people have when I enter certain stores or restaurants it became clear to me that the food was either good for you or not. I have two main grocery stores in my town. One of them is a health food store basically and the other is a general market. If you go into the general market or a liquor store the people shopping there are generally looking rather worn down, not much energy, and maybe even have underlying health issues that you wouldn’t normally notice from the outside. The way peoples skin looks is also an indication of how they are taking care of their body. Fast food places are even worse. I walk in there unfortunately because we need to stop somewhere and get something fast and the people are just looking like zombies. It is really sad. Wouldn’t it be great if every McDonalds was bought out and replaced with a healthy alternative? At the health food stores people seem to be more happy and healthy. They don’t sell processed foods, foods with lots of sugar, and generally have foods better suited to those with food sensitivities. There is also a better organic section in the produce department.
Immune System
When you listen to your body and not the mind telling you what to eat you naturally begin to eat more healthy. You stop buying stuff you shouldn’t eat and have more self control at social functions when there is a big bowl of Oreos on the table. You will notice that your immune system starts to really be there for you. I don’t get sick nearly as often now that I am sticking to a raw plant based diet. My body is thanking me for feeding it nutrients and not filler foods. When I hear that someone has developed cancer in their body, the first thing that comes to mind is what were they putting in their body before this happened. And that goes for a lot of different illnesses besides cancer. I don’t believe western doctors have a clue of what they are doing. I think they are just following protocol, prescribing drugs to combat what should have been prevented through a better diet. It is never too late to start eating better and paying attention to where the food is coming from and what the ingredients are.
Filler foods
I consider these foods to be filler foods. I don’t think they have nearly as much vitamins and minerals as classic fruits and veggies. They are potatoes, rice, milk, wheat based food such as bread, and corn. I am sure some of you are thinking where are you getting your calcium, protein and starch. Well fruits and veggies have that as well plus many more valuable vitamins and minerals that your body needs. So why eat something that is only half good for you?
Liquids
Probably the best thing for you is water. I try and drink as much as I can and I also infuse my water with lemons, cucumber, ginger, and mint leaves. I drink decaffeinated tea instead of coffee. I never got into coffee and to me seems like a filler and just something else to be addicted to. But some say coffee has some good healing properties in it, so I don’t discourage people from drinking it, but I think there are other things that could be more nutrient rich that could replace it. Alcohol is something that I have been trying to cut back on. I have recently been able to drink beer again even though it has gluten in it, but I have realized that beyond one drink it is really not beneficial to your system and seems to make all of the organs work harder in your body, which is counter productive when you are trying to eat healthy at the same time.
Naturally Raw Food
I try and stick to a raw plant based diet. I am not completely there yet as it is hard to get there after once being a meat and potatoes kind of guy. Like a lot of people I like eating food that tastes good. But for the most part I eat healthy 90% of the time and every now and then I will let my guard down and have something I know is not that good for me. I think that sometimes I deserve it because I work hard to take care of my body. My body may not like it later and that is just a reminder that I need to pay attention to what my body is telling me.
Other add-ons that I include in my diet
There are some things that I eat that are a bit different than just fruits and veggies. I was drinking kefir which helped my digestive system combat most likely what was a yeast overgrowth problem because it has probiotics in it. And on that note I just want to mention that when the doctor prescribes you antibiotics he or she should also tell you to follow up with some probiotics. But there isn’t much money in that is there. So we have to be on our toes and make sure that after we take antibiotics that we take probiotics to help replace the good bacteria in your digestive system that was killed off when you took the antibiotics. I have recently discovered kombucha which is tea that is fermented. It has plenty of good probiotics and other natural healing properties. It has given me quite the boost of energy lately. I highly recommend it. Just be careful if you are sensitive to caffeine like me as I have to make sure I drink it in the morning or get the decaffeinated ones. Some kombucha also has a good amount of vitamin B, which is good if you are vegan. I also eat honey as much as I can. I was doing really well and eating it every day but have slipped off of that schedule some. Honey helps with allergies and asthma and it boosts your immune system. Try and get locally made honey as your allergies are related to the types of flowers the bees are collecting from. I also try and get some trail mix or dark chocolate covered almonds. That helps with the protein intake. I also like to get food products that are packed with chia seeds or flax seeds. These are high in protein and have other benefits. I have grown fond of kimchi. It is a Korean food(fermented cabbage) that is high in probiotics kind of like sour krout, but spicy! It is kind of expensive to buy in the store and I want to make a batch of my own someday as it doesn’t seem that hard. I also tend to buy foods that are high in anti-oxidants and Omega-3 fatty acids.
So listen to your body and give it what it needs. When you start doing that you will feel better, have more energy, and get sick less often. You will also prevent the chances of getting cancer or other miserable illnesses. Even though I am vegetarian it is not for everyone, so be careful if you are thinking of going in that direction, but I love it so I would recommend trying it out and seeing what your body tells you.
Live better, be happy, and love all that is!
Namaste!
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