Nutrition is one of those things we are all aware of and we all vaguely
pay attention to. It is probably the single most important part of our day, yet
we put very little emphasis on it. Part of the reason it is so difficult is no one
seems to agree on what "good" nutrition is. You can find conflicting views on
almost everything. It is sad to me that there is seemingly so much that is
not understood about how food works in our bodies.
So how are we to know what we should and shouldn't eat? First and foremost, you need a basic understanding of how food works in your body. I have tried to compile some information to give you that basic foundation. Included in that is understanding the health risks involved in eating processed and industrialized food products. On a very basic level, I believe we need to return to a more primal diet that the human body was designed for. Eating whole foods that have not been altered and are grown the way nature intended is a good start.
It's also important to understand that without a well-balanced, healthy diet, many ailments can be the result of excesses and deficiencies. Many chronic diseases are the result of inflammation in general. Avoiding inflammatory foods is critical. Paying attention to your body and symptoms and recognizing the signs of deficiency or excess are the first line of defense against all illness. In order to help you and your doctor determine if your symptoms may be related to nutritional imbalance, I put these together:
Essential Nutrients Symptoms Checklist
Mineral Symptoms Checklist
There are so many people diagnosed with this syndrome, or that disorder, or any number of diseases with no known cause or cure. Our doctors are quick to test for signs of ailments that they can treat with a magic pill. But, how often do they test for vitamin and mineral deficiencies? How often do they test for amino acid deficiencies? How often do they even ask you what you eat? Sure, they tell you to eat right and exercise. But, do any of them really know what that entails? From one doctor to another you will get very differing views. Even nutritionists don't always agree.
I have learned the most important thing is quality whole foods. Whole Foods doesn't mean strictly raw foods. It means eating food that is provided in its natural state. Stop eating processed foods. Stop eating chemical laden and altered food. Your body, its cells, and all of its functions depend on what you put in your mouth.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Your highly processed and sweetened diet may taste good. But how do you feel after eating it? How about the next day? How about the next week? Ever wonder why you're so tired all the time? Ever wished you could get rid of wrinkles or improve your memory? How many wrinkle creams and supplements have you wasted money on that didn't work? We're all searching for the fountain of youth, and it's right in front of us.
Did you ever consider the food that you are eating? After all, that is what our bodies use to make new cells and to implement all of our bodily functions. Perhaps you believe you are eating "healthy." But have you considered the quality of the food you buy, where it comes from, and how it is manufactured?
Getting Started
When I first began to implement my dietary changes, it was due to my decision to become a vegetarian 20 years ago. Even though I started to eat meat again after 15 years, I have been aware of the importance of food ever since then. Organic food became much of my focus at that time. While I understood the negative effects of chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones, I didn't quite get that sugar and processed foods (even the all natural ones) are just as bad. I understood the importance of balancing food, but I didn't know exactly how or why.
It was out of necessity due to Candida overgrowth from prolonged use of antibiotics that I recently expanded my search for knowledge and understanding regarding how food works. I have come to realize that nutrition is a vital part of health, healing, and prevention overall. It is not limited to those of us with Lyme disease, Candida, or any other illness. It is not limited to those of us who are or have been sick. It is an important piece to the puzzle that has gone missing from our culture (even the vegetarian and health food culture) and prevents most of us from living a full, healthy, and happy life.
It wasn't enough for me to follow a list of do's and don'ts. Necessary as it is to avoid certain foods and to make sure you are getting the appropriate nutrients, etc.....I had the need to understand where these "rules" came from and why. I'm not one to take anyone's word for anything....so I embarked on a journey to learn how food works.
In my research, I have found many conflicting views, ideas, protocols, and "ideal" diets. Initially, it was incredibly frustrating, but it served to push me forward into really learning the truth about food. I am still on this journey, and I will continue to update this as I learn more. However, I feel I have researched a broad spectrum of nutritional approaches and have a pretty good basic idea of what helps us return to health, and what hinders us and makes us sick. At the very least, it helps to narrow things down.
I feel it is important to mention that I am by no means dictating to anyone how or what they should eat. It is up to you to research this information for yourself and decide what is best for you and your body. I am simply sharing what information I have found along with my own experience, and what has and hasn't worked for me. You also have the option of going to a nutritionist to discuss your diet, although I would try to find one who is knowledgeable of Lyme disease and Candida.
There are many schools of thought on the chemistry of food and food combining that could drive you insane trying to figure it all out. You don't have to be a master of digestive chemistry. Humans survived for thousands of years without it. Scientists and Nutritionists are constantly trying to come up with one way that is the best way. There is always a new "diet" that is supposed to be "the one".
Frankly, our bodies are just too complex for that and they constantly change. I think that is the point most schools of thought miss. While one diet may help remove excess, replace deficiencies, and ultimately return you to health; staying on that diet past that point can sometimes create new deficiencies and excesses. It is important to understand that diet and nutrition are in constant flux. Health is not static, but a fluid and delicate balance that requires flexibility, close monitoring, and regular adjustments and fine tuning.
Every person is different, and your body is in constant change. Sticking to one diet is just not practical for health over time. The best thing you can do is to pay attention to how you feel and learn to listen to what your body is telling you. If a particular food makes you feel "bad" or sick don't eat it.
I have provided additional information on the pages linked to the right that goes into detail of the different food types and how they affect the body. Although I don't claim to know all there is to know, it will give you a good starting point in understanding this. I encourage you to study the basics of food and nutrition for yourself, and I highly recommend the books and links to the right of each page. Keep in mind that some of them have conflicting ideas, but the basis of their viewpoints are sound. Between two extremes, you find balance and truth.
Back to Top
So how are we to know what we should and shouldn't eat? First and foremost, you need a basic understanding of how food works in your body. I have tried to compile some information to give you that basic foundation. Included in that is understanding the health risks involved in eating processed and industrialized food products. On a very basic level, I believe we need to return to a more primal diet that the human body was designed for. Eating whole foods that have not been altered and are grown the way nature intended is a good start.
It's also important to understand that without a well-balanced, healthy diet, many ailments can be the result of excesses and deficiencies. Many chronic diseases are the result of inflammation in general. Avoiding inflammatory foods is critical. Paying attention to your body and symptoms and recognizing the signs of deficiency or excess are the first line of defense against all illness. In order to help you and your doctor determine if your symptoms may be related to nutritional imbalance, I put these together:
Essential Nutrients Symptoms Checklist
Mineral Symptoms Checklist
There are so many people diagnosed with this syndrome, or that disorder, or any number of diseases with no known cause or cure. Our doctors are quick to test for signs of ailments that they can treat with a magic pill. But, how often do they test for vitamin and mineral deficiencies? How often do they test for amino acid deficiencies? How often do they even ask you what you eat? Sure, they tell you to eat right and exercise. But, do any of them really know what that entails? From one doctor to another you will get very differing views. Even nutritionists don't always agree.
I have learned the most important thing is quality whole foods. Whole Foods doesn't mean strictly raw foods. It means eating food that is provided in its natural state. Stop eating processed foods. Stop eating chemical laden and altered food. Your body, its cells, and all of its functions depend on what you put in your mouth.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Your highly processed and sweetened diet may taste good. But how do you feel after eating it? How about the next day? How about the next week? Ever wonder why you're so tired all the time? Ever wished you could get rid of wrinkles or improve your memory? How many wrinkle creams and supplements have you wasted money on that didn't work? We're all searching for the fountain of youth, and it's right in front of us.
Did you ever consider the food that you are eating? After all, that is what our bodies use to make new cells and to implement all of our bodily functions. Perhaps you believe you are eating "healthy." But have you considered the quality of the food you buy, where it comes from, and how it is manufactured?
Getting Started
When I first began to implement my dietary changes, it was due to my decision to become a vegetarian 20 years ago. Even though I started to eat meat again after 15 years, I have been aware of the importance of food ever since then. Organic food became much of my focus at that time. While I understood the negative effects of chemicals, antibiotics, and hormones, I didn't quite get that sugar and processed foods (even the all natural ones) are just as bad. I understood the importance of balancing food, but I didn't know exactly how or why.
It was out of necessity due to Candida overgrowth from prolonged use of antibiotics that I recently expanded my search for knowledge and understanding regarding how food works. I have come to realize that nutrition is a vital part of health, healing, and prevention overall. It is not limited to those of us with Lyme disease, Candida, or any other illness. It is not limited to those of us who are or have been sick. It is an important piece to the puzzle that has gone missing from our culture (even the vegetarian and health food culture) and prevents most of us from living a full, healthy, and happy life.
It wasn't enough for me to follow a list of do's and don'ts. Necessary as it is to avoid certain foods and to make sure you are getting the appropriate nutrients, etc.....I had the need to understand where these "rules" came from and why. I'm not one to take anyone's word for anything....so I embarked on a journey to learn how food works.
In my research, I have found many conflicting views, ideas, protocols, and "ideal" diets. Initially, it was incredibly frustrating, but it served to push me forward into really learning the truth about food. I am still on this journey, and I will continue to update this as I learn more. However, I feel I have researched a broad spectrum of nutritional approaches and have a pretty good basic idea of what helps us return to health, and what hinders us and makes us sick. At the very least, it helps to narrow things down.
I feel it is important to mention that I am by no means dictating to anyone how or what they should eat. It is up to you to research this information for yourself and decide what is best for you and your body. I am simply sharing what information I have found along with my own experience, and what has and hasn't worked for me. You also have the option of going to a nutritionist to discuss your diet, although I would try to find one who is knowledgeable of Lyme disease and Candida.
There are many schools of thought on the chemistry of food and food combining that could drive you insane trying to figure it all out. You don't have to be a master of digestive chemistry. Humans survived for thousands of years without it. Scientists and Nutritionists are constantly trying to come up with one way that is the best way. There is always a new "diet" that is supposed to be "the one".
Frankly, our bodies are just too complex for that and they constantly change. I think that is the point most schools of thought miss. While one diet may help remove excess, replace deficiencies, and ultimately return you to health; staying on that diet past that point can sometimes create new deficiencies and excesses. It is important to understand that diet and nutrition are in constant flux. Health is not static, but a fluid and delicate balance that requires flexibility, close monitoring, and regular adjustments and fine tuning.
Every person is different, and your body is in constant change. Sticking to one diet is just not practical for health over time. The best thing you can do is to pay attention to how you feel and learn to listen to what your body is telling you. If a particular food makes you feel "bad" or sick don't eat it.
I have provided additional information on the pages linked to the right that goes into detail of the different food types and how they affect the body. Although I don't claim to know all there is to know, it will give you a good starting point in understanding this. I encourage you to study the basics of food and nutrition for yourself, and I highly recommend the books and links to the right of each page. Keep in mind that some of them have conflicting ideas, but the basis of their viewpoints are sound. Between two extremes, you find balance and truth.
Back to Top