YOU ARE NOT EATING AS HEALTHY AS YOU THINK

At least I wasn't.

Let me explain.

Here is a picture of a meal I had about 7 years ago. I found it when Facebook popped up with one of those "remember when" posts. I had dinner with my 13 year old daughter and this was on my plate, or bowl I should say.

HOW REAL IS YOUR FOOD?

It's a little blurry because of the candlelight, which was a nice touch. I love candles, so that's a good thing.

The small plates, a good thing. That was for a protein on the way.

The glass of red wine for me, and not my daughter, that's a good thing too.

The salad of mixed greens - that is organic and triple washed, so that's a good choice. Greens soak up pesticides and chemicals easily, so it's important to get them clean and organic. Check out the EWG's 2018 Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce™ for up-to-date information.

The organic cauliflower and the organic slicer tomatoes are good choices too - sort of - I'll explain more below. 

Let's take a look at the bottle of salad dressing on it's head. That's organic too. However, this salad dressing contains the following ingredients according to their website:

Organic Soybean Oil, Water, Organic Distilled Vinegar, Organic Buttermilk, Organic Whole Eggs, Salt, Organic Garlic Puree, Contains 2% Or Less Of: Organic Cane Sugar, Organic Garlic*, Organic Onion*, Organic Parsley*, Organic Gum Acacia, Xanthan Gum, Mixed Tocopherols For Freshness, Organic Sunflower Oil. 
*Dried.   Contains: Milk, Egg.  Kosher

This isn't so healthy. The organic soybean oil is non-GMO (genetically modified organism); most  soybean products today are not - so it's good that this one is.  If a product is certified organic, it's not GMO. Whew. Yet soybean oil, even organic, is considered a PUFA oil, which is chemically unstable and prone to oxidation. If you want to really dive deep into this, check out Mark's Daily Apple. He's the dude that trained and certified me as a Primal Health Coach, and he knows a ton about PUFAs.

If you're getting aches and pains every morning, like I was, and thinking it's that you're getting older, like we all are, it may very well be that the PUFA oils are creating stress in your body, like what happened to me. So PUFA oils - canola, corn, soybean, refined coconut, and almost all nut and seed oils - are off of my grocery shopping list these days. For a deep dive into oils, Mark has done a fabulous job.

As i've wrestled with some autoimmune achiness, swelling, and pain this year, I have made some big changes. I have begun an Autoimmune Protocol to eliminate possible offenders. This is a rigorous protocol and it is helping me tremendously to get the irritations out of my foods and life. 

When I look at my "healthy" meal based on this new knowledge about foods that can trigger an autoimmune response, here is how it stacks up.

1. The tomatoes are nightshades, so they are avoided; they can ignite the immune system - a no-no for anyone with an autoimmune issue. Upon reintroduction in my diet, I noticed my gut doesn't care for them.
2. The salad dressing is a no for the soybean oil, xanthan gum, mixed tocopherols for freshness (because I don't know what they are), and sunflower oil. I'm having most of my vegetables lightly steamed now, as it's better for my digestion. If I use any oil, it's avocado oil, lard, bacon grease, cultured ghee, or coconut oil for cooking, and olive oil spritzed on the salad.
3. Any red wine I have is low carb or energy-cleared before drinking.
4. I am using my intuition to check in with my body. I have slowed down - I sit when I eat and don't eat on the run - so that I can pay attention to how my body feels about what I am eating. And I sit to rest and digest after a meal. This new practice is the single most important thing that contributes to my health. My intuition knows what works for me and what doesn't. I have to take the time to tune into it, and respond to this powerful feedback.

Especially for Highly Sensitive People: Since we highly sensitives feel more, see more, and intuit more, our reaction to foods is strong too. So we really need to make sure we're tuning into our bodies and creating the health that we want. We need to honor this feedback and make it a priority to give ourselves foods, thoughts, and movements that support us well. 

I'm sure I'm not perfect yet (as if I ever will be!). There are days I have symptoms and I have no idea where they came from. But I'm continuing to learn and grow, and I feel healthier the older I get. I plan to live long, stay healthy, and drop dead without disease. 

Care to join me?

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