Learn and Thrive

Food as Medicine, Food as information to our cells. What does this mean?
Eating to thrive is about finding your way of eating that promotes your health. There is no single “right diet” for everyone; we have to take into consideration genetic backgrounds, different cultures, and our likes and dislikes … Most of us have not taken the time to figure out what foods are right for us. This is where I will help you navigate.

For centuries we have relied on our food supply not only as a source of energy, but also for improved health, disease prevention, and connection with family and friends. However in the last several decades our food supply (and how we eat) has drastically changed. These changes towards processed and convenience foods have contributed strongly to the the increases in diseases.

Even science is very clear that food is a powerful influencer of our health. Food is not just calories to fuel our engines, it also carries nutrients that play important roles in all bodily functions — informing our cells how to behave to create health and resist disease. Poor quality food can actually create disease where as high quality foods at the right amounts, at the right times of day can reverse disease and sustain health. This is how food is medicine and food is information to our body.

Food also represents connection; families and friends that prepare and eat food together form healthy cultural bonds — at the daily dinner table and through celebrations and ceremonies. Preparing food from scratch are the traditions that spread knowledge of how to cook and prepare healthful foods from one generation to another. The loss of cooking from scratch has contributed greatly to the current disease load.

How do we get back to it? Change is not easy — there will always be ups and downs … but there will NOT be any harsh restrictions, counting calories, or feeling deprived. Instead I will help you with effective strategies and tools to improve your health; like weekly meal planning, shopping schedules and resources of clean foods, recipes, and recommendations about time management, cooking, and food storage. As well as steps toward mindful eating so you can digest and absorb all the nutrients in your nutrient dense foods.

Just a few basic concepts will get us started on the path … Keeping it simple in the words of best selling author Michael Pollan “Eat Real Food, Not too much, Mostly Plants”.

This is an area where we can greatly reduce our chemical load. Personal care products are some of the most toxic.

Do you know that the average woman who uses cosmetics, lotions, lip stick, fingernail polish, hair gel, etc. walks out the house in the morning with over 60 known carcinogenic chemicals on her body (!) And over 515 chemicals in general. These chemicals interfere with our bodily processes — especially our hormones and are linked to increased risks of cancer and auto-immunity. With the rise in our populations with these diseases we clearly need to reduce our chemical exposures. Here is a nice starting point and a relatively easy way to reduce your chemical exposure which thereby reduces your risk of disease.

Essential oils for cleaning are far superior!
EWG.org the Environmental Working Group explains that commercial cleaning products can cause numerous health problems including asthma, allergies, birth defects, cancer, and chemical burns. You want to avoid these poisonous products from “scented” cleaners to air freshers to dryer sheets!

A clean environment not a sterile environment is what we want. Sterile environments don’t teach our immune systems how fight off germs and bad bacteria. The bacteria in our soil and around our house “vaccinate” us from many illnesses just from being exposed to small amounts of them.  Many household chemical cleaners not only kill the bad bacteria, but also the good. This is like cleaning with anti-biotics — disrupting the balance of immunity and digestion. Don’t kill the good guys . . . and avoid the chemicals. It’s easier than you think.

You really don’t need clorox, oregano oil works better! Essential oils effectively kill MRSA, e. coli, salmonella, the flu virus, staph, listeria, and pneumonia. They effectively kill bacteria, viruses, and fungi without promoting resistance like anti-biotics and other chemical cleaners.

Essential oils are relatively easy to obtain, have low toxicity, and degrade quickly in water and soil making them environmentally friendly 🙂

Some of the best antimicrobials, antibacterials, antiseptic, degreasers, and mold and mildew killers are:  Cedar wood oil, Cinnamon, Clove, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Juniper Berry, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass, Lime, Peppermint, Pine, Rosemary, Sweet orange, and Tea tree.

A word on Elbow Grease
As it turns out, it is not what we spray on surfaces to clean that does the cleaning — it is our effort of wiping . . . think wax on, wax off . . . The most effective mix for removing bad bacteria is a double wipe down method. It is the effect of spraying once and wiping down, then a second time and wiping down each area you are disinfecting.