“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” ~Hippocrates
Wow that is a powerful message!! Take a minute to just think about it. For our body to work properly we need to give it the nutrients and energy it needs to thrive. If not we will pay the price down the road with any number of common and preventable health issues such as heart disease, high cholesterol, diabetes, etc. Food as medicine is not a new idea and really makes so much sense!
Junk Food Society
Today we live in a junk food society – processed foods abound a distant resemblance of their former self. We want food fast and in convenient forms. Some items classified as food do little to nothing to nourish our bodies – like Cheetos or mountain dew. Food comes from the ground and from animals. Buying whole foods to feed yourself and your family is so important to get proper nutrition.
GMO’s (Genetically Modified Organisms)
The verdict is still out about GMO’s and our family does our best to avoid them. Did you know they have changed the structure of plants so that Round Up (the “probable” carcinogenic herbicide you use to kill weeds) is found in the plant DNA of GMO’s? I don’t know about you but I do not want to eat something that can cause cancer.
Up to 80% of processed foods contain GMO’s – just another reason to pass on the junk food and processed foods and buy whole foods.
Pesticides
Many pesticides are used on the food you ingest everyday. If you can buy organic, it is best. If you are unable to afford organic make sure to wash your fruit and vegetables thoroughly before ingesting.
Sugar overload
Our society consumes an enormous amount of sugar on a daily basis. The average American consumes 156 lbs of sugar per year according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). That is 31 five pound bags of sugar per person and about 1/2 a sugar per day!! Eating sugar in such high doses is toxic to our bodies. Food manufactures have gotten really good at hiding sugar in processed foods everywhere, not just the sweets you think about containing sugar. Sugar is in bread, pasta sauce, frozen pizza, salad dressing, and condiments (like ketchup and BBQ sauce).
Even worse most processed foods contain high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Its made from corn so it has to be better than table sugar right? WRONG! HFCS is processed so that it is even more sweet than sugar and food companies use it because it is cheaper than regular sugar. According to the Huffington Post “high fructose corn syrup is the real driver of the current epidemic of heart attacks, strokes, cancer, dementia, and of course, Type 2 diabetes.”
Too much dairy
Here’s something else to think about – were our bodies ever meant to consume milk from cows? Cows milk comes from Mama cows to feed their baby cows – which in turn grow to be very large animals from the nourishment of their Mama cow milk. Humans on the other hand were designed to make human milk for their babies. Logically we should be eating human milk cheese and drinking human milk. Yet most people would turn their nose up at this idea! Why is so gross to drink human milk but socially acceptable to drink cows milk?
As Americans we consume milk, cheese and dairy products in general in mass quantities. This will pack on the pounds – remember we are eating milk designed to make a baby calf grow into a cow weighing over 1,000 pounds. Plus since the milk is so different from human milk many people have problems properly digesting the proteins found in cows milk.
The closest milk to human milk is actually goats milk and typically the preference for those with problems digesting milk. There are many options for goats milk cheese too. Personally I have to forgo milk altogether as my body works optimally on a dairy free diet.
The milk companies have done a great job with their marketing campaign to make us believe that the only source of calcium is through cow’s milk. No so!!! Many countries in the world do not consume any dairy products yet they do not have higher rates of calcium deficiency. Here are some other sources of calcium without the milk.
Dark Leafy Greens
Chinese Cabbage
Snap beans
Almonds
Super Gluten foods
Did you know that the wheat we eat today is remarkably different than the wheat used in the Bible? We have created a super gluten wheat and with the gluten free craze, many people are realizing they have trouble digesting this super gluten. Plus not only are our baked goods made with super gluten wheat, but food manufacturers add even more gluten when baking. Just read the label on your bread – almost all of them contain additional gluten.
Hi There! I'm Shannon - I help women regain their health from the inside out so they can lead healthy, happy lives - full of energy and effortlessly maintain an ideal weight. 
