- Adrenal Fatigue
- Chronic Exhaustion
- Depression
- Mental Illness
- Acne
- Auto Immune Diseases
- Cancer
- Poor Dental Health
- Heart Disease
- Weight Trouble
- Leaky Gut
- Mineral Imbalance and Dehydration
You see, most people recognize they are sick when they have something as serious as cancer or heart disease, but many of the other illnesses that consume us are so common and "normal" that we don't understand that they are a signal that your body is struggling.
Cameron Diaz talks about this is her book The Body Book. She talks about how she could eat all the fast food she wanted (and she wanted lots) and she never gained weight. She didn't have cancer or heart disease and people told her she was so lucky that she could eat whatever she wanted and never get fat.
She talks about having severe acne that caused serious self image issues. She continued to have acne long after her teenage years and well into her modeling career. People would spend a lot of time and energy covering it up for her modeling shoots and clearly it was humiliating.
I love that she talks about how not everyone gets cancer from how they treat their bodies, but that doesn't change the fact that many of us are sick. It's not a game of luck.
I think I partly loved that story because I could relate to it. I never had weight trouble until I was put on mind altering medications for my Bipolar, and have since gotten both in check. However, I was always fatigued even though I had a hard time sleeping. My skin was terrible (acne, dry, and dull). My hair was growing in dull and gray and it was completely normal for me to color it to add some life to my face. And my adrenals were dependent on caffeine or else they would crash and burn and I could be bed ridden for weeks at a time.
By transitioning to real food, you will give your body nourishment from real sources. Highly processed vegetable oils, preservatives, colorants, and sugars wreak havoc on your body, so the first step is to cut the crap. Literally. Life happens and it may be hard to follow sometimes, and I've been known to go outside of my regular standards when traveling and I don't have another option, but remember that every time you sacrifice quality because of a craving or convenience, it compromises your body's ability to heal and it makes it easier to continue making poor choices.
The goal isn't to "get better" so you can go back to living the way you did before. At least, it shouldn't be. If it is, then maybe this isn't the right blog for you to be following.
I want my body to be in good condition on its own. I don't want to be in a perpetual state of detoxing or fasting or to chronically need western medical care. Yes, someday I will die, but why would I torment myself to get there? I have a lot of incentive since part of the reason I am so rigid with my standards is because if I don't follow them, I risk the necessity of starting up my pharmaceutical medications again. While I think those medications were beneficial for me in the beginning, I feel I thrive more without them so long as my illness is kept in check. This is especially important since what keeps my mental issues at bay is my lifestyle habits, but eating well allows me to feel good enough to continue my lifestyle arrangements.
Because if I feel fatigued from junk food, I'm less likely to do yoga or run, which have a calming effect on the brain and regulate brain activity and release endorphins which are proven to be near equally as therapeutic as pharmaceutical drugs for people who suffer with depression.
If I am on my medication, I am less likely to play my violin, which is therapeutic in preventing manic and depressive swings, and in turn makes me more dependent on the drug.
If my home and body is filled with synthetic fragrances, aromatherapy methods with essential oils are less effective for me and this raises the chances of me using an anti anxiety medication in times of high stress.
If my home and body is filled with synthetic fragrances, aromatherapy methods with essential oils are less effective for me and this raises the chances of me using an anti anxiety medication in times of high stress.
That's barely a snap shot, but you get the idea.
I encourage you to look at your life and the things you struggle with. Even if it is considered "normal," but it bothers you and you feel like it compromises your quality of life, confidence, energy, or health. Try making some real food changes and just see what happens. It takes your body a few weeks to adjust and detox, and a few weeks more for your mind to create a new habit, but by this point most people see some changes, and if you don't? Was it really so terrible to push yourself and try something new? You can always edit down the road and adjust your path (I know I did), but that initial choice is the hardest hurdle to cross.
"Holistic health practices are not about adding years to your life, but about adding life to your years."
