Could Your Current State of Health Be Due To Old Habits?
/I was recently driving with 2 elderly women who were discussing some of their ailments. One of the women said that she had an autoimmune disease that just popped up. She had no idea why and how and told me about the medication she was on. I asked her why she thought that this disease just popped up out of nowhere. She was very surprised as she told me that she has been eating the same foods for years, gets regular check-ups by her doctor, and takes her meds and vitamins every day. She did mention she's not as active as she would like to be but still felt that was not the reason for her recent diagnosis.
I don't think diseases 'pop up.' There is always a root cause for everything that surfaces and, until we investigate something we have been doing over time, we may never know the origin. Since our bodies have the ability to heal and actually want to heal, it's important to look for some of the reasons why things pop up.
In all my years of research and education in the holistic health field, here is my list of possible culprits that can make the body turn on itself.
- Processed Foods - does your diet consist of processed food? If so, you are eating way too much sugar, unhealthy fats and various chemicals that can cause the body to be in a toxic state.
- Stress - do you find yourself in a constant state of stress, always thinking about what you haven't done, what you need to do, where you will find the money to get by each month, etc.?
- Gluten Sensitivity - how does your body react to gluten? do you know if you have a gluten sensitivity? If not, get off gluten for 3 weeks and see how you feel. Then begin to eat gluten and see if there is a difference. If so, think about getting off gluten for good.
- Dairy Sensitivity - if you are allergic to dairy, your body will not be able to function correctly and problems may arise.
- Inactivity - are you sedentary most of the time? If so, get up and walk! Walking is critical to good health. There's no need to work out at a gym and exhaust yourself on a fitness machine. Simple walking every day will help your circulation and improve your energy level.
Your digestive system is key to a healthy body. Keeping inflammation down by eating more whole foods can really make a difference in your overall health. If you are ingesting too many toxins (whether environmental or through nutrition), stressing out each day, taking antibiotics frequently, not drinking enough water and not moving your body, this can lead to digestive disorders. Autoimmune diseases are a result of a leaky gut which many Americans have today due to everything I mentioned above. Do you see a rise in autoimmune disease? Hmm.. think DIGESTIVE HEALTH.
Start to incorporate more organic foods to eliminate the pesticides, find ways to reduce the stress in your life, think WHOLE FOODS by eating more leafy greens, eat fruit as dessert, drink lots of good quality water, move your body and take a very good probiotic to introduce healthy bacteria in your gut. Ideally, introducing fermented foods into your diet is key to healing the gut. Click here for my fermented cabbage recipe. It's economical, easy and YOUR DIGESTIVE SYSTEM WILL THANK YOU!!
xo, C