Why Food?
What we feel is all we know.
A slow decline in health, however, can begin with easily dismissed and common things such as afternoon fatigue, stiffness in our bodies, brain fog, headaches, problems with elimination, PMS, hair loss, weight gain, etc.
The health of our cells is responsible for our vitality, or our decline. And our bodies are made up of trillions of cells which all have different functions. They are ultimately the building blocks from which we are living. To keep you alive, healthy and symptom free, your cells need very certain conditions and very specific nutrients.
How are those conditions created and where do those nutrients come from?
They begin with the food you eat – nowhere else.
CELLULAR FUNCTION
Your cells need nutrients for many functions: building, maintaining, repairing, and eliminating toxic waste.
Some cells need more energy/nutrients than others. Your brain, retina, heart and liver cells contain a lot more mitochondria than most other cells because thinking, seeing, pumping blood and processing toxins are all high energy activities.
Your cells have approximately 4,000 different enzyme systems with more than 1,000 different chemical signals, performing trillions of chemical reactions every second. We truly are miracles!
Think of a person, however, who isn’t getting fed (starvation) or someone standing in a burning house. Both situations result in dysfunction and ultimately death. The cells in your body also need to be fed and need to live in the right environment to help you thrive. If these two things aren’t happening, then malfunction at the cellular level eventually impacts any aspect of your health. Usually, many aspects of your health.
It all comes down to the cells because when the cells malfunction, then the organs follow, then you as a human being begin to malfunction.
The right food feeds your cells.
AUTOIMMUNITY
All autoimmunity begins in stage 1 with predictive antibodies. Within this phase, a person is most likely not experiencing any symptoms related to their specific autoimmune condition however are more likely experiencing some of the common and seemingly random symptoms listed in the first paragraph since these are signs of the body beginning to break down.
This phase is like a big blinking yellow light - exactly when diet and lifestyle intervention would be very effective at stopping the damage and restoring health to the cells and balance to the body.
If you have progressed to full blown autoimmune disease, diet and lifestyle help to put you into remission.
Food is your best defense or a slow poison.
NATURE VS. NURTURE (Genetics vs. Epigentics)
The question of nature vs. nurture also comes into play. Do your genetics affect your health?
Your DNA impacts what goes wrong or what type of autoimmunity you have. However, diet and lifestyle, also known as epigenetics, are the determining factors for if you actually get into a state of dis-ease.
I’ve heard this likened to your genetics being a loaded gun laying on a table. Nothing happens until diet and lifestyle (epigenetics) pulls the trigger.
WE ALL HAVE THE SAME DISEASE
Scientists are discovering that nearly all chronic disease, autoimmunity included, share four things in common:
1. Mitochondrial dysfunction
2. Excessive and inappropriate inflammation
3. High cortisol levels
4. Absence or insufficient amounts of microbes in and on us that constitutes our microbiomes
“For health to return, the chemistry must revert to normal, and communication within and between our cells must be restored. This is true for every disease.” Dr. Terry Wahls
SO, WHY FOOD?
Mitochondria, if you remember from high school biology, are the powerhouses of your cells. These mighty mitochondria, when working at peak performance, give your cells the energy they need to function so your body can work the way it’s supposed to without having to compensate for deficiencies in energy and nutrients. Your cells will produce fewer free radicals, minimizing cellular damage.
The proper diet facilitates this WHOLE process. A deficient diet derails this process, leading to mitochondrial strain, rapid aging and a worsening of chronic disease.
Food does not rid your body of an autoimmune condition. The right food, however, puts your body into remission, brings your body back into balance, grows your good gut flora, builds your cellular function, stabilizes blood sugar, thereby hormones and empowers your healing process.
Disclaimer: Information on this site is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before beginning any diet, supplementation or exercise program. Statements and opinions contained on this website and other related sources (blog and social media platforms) are provided as informative and educational tools only. Whole Body Health & Healing cannot and does not guarantee the accuracy or effectiveness of the information to your unique circumstance.