Food is everything

For the past week, I stopped eating spinach and eggs. Two foods mentioned to me by my PCP (and referenced in the book The Plan that I’ll get to in a minute) that can cause some people to have weight gain due to a chemical reaction inside your body. I have lost 6 pounds this past week! Every single day this week previously- since my birthday last week, Easter, and throughout every day, I have lost some amount of weight from ½ a pound to a pound and a half. Every single day. So what was different? I am not eating less- if fact I ate more of the things I liked over Easter and my birthday. I am not working out more- In fact, both my doctor and The Plan recommend no more than 4 days a week, so for the past two weeks now I have only gone to the gym 4 days. The deciding factor: Spinach and eggs. I am allergic to spinach, for sure.

 

What kind of dirty trick is that? Tell someone to eat healthy- but little do they know that any food- no matter how “healthy” it is- can have a negative reaction inside your body. Lyn Genet Recitas, author of The Plan, writes all about her findings. She has studied and helped countless people who couldn’t lose weight, had bad arthritis, and couldn’t get pregnant, were diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, and so on, and so forth. What if food is everything? What if food is the source of 99% of our problems? What if our bodies, each different, when processing food internally, has reactions to innocent foods such as eggs and spinach. And then, the reaction doesn’t show up on our skins or as a belly ache- what if we are having “reactions” to food each and every day but don’t realize it. Every acid reflux or weight gain or acne could be a sign that your body is “reacting” to something that you ate. What if you could find out once and for all what your body reacts to- wouldn’t it be worth doing anything to find out? What if it could drastically reduce your inflammation and make you feel better? Forever?

 

Lyn Genet Recitas has been studying nutrition and holistic health for 30 years and has treated countless patients. She writes, “I’d been studying all the research on inflammation, so I knew that Inflammation happens instantaneously. …I knew inflammation was the basis of all disease, and that it had been linked to weight gain. ” As she goes on to explain, it’s all about the chemistry of your bodies. Not how much calories you eat- if the foods you’re eating “burn clean” or do not have a reaction, then you won’t gain weight. Gointrogenic foods, she explains, have been shown to interfere with thyroid function. Eating these foods raw can cause serious issues- guess what is an example of a gointrogenic food that I was eating raw- every day!!!!-  spinach. I had been eating raw spinach and strawberries (also on the list) almost every single day. I recently just found out that both of my parents (who both have a TON of food allergies) are both allergic to strawberries. My mother is also allergic to gluten like me, and she is also allergic to mustard which is another highly reactive food. My father is allergic to salmon which is another food found to be reactive with people. Her studies and research found that 90% of her clients are highly reactive to farm raised fish, deli meats, sushi, hot dogs, bagels, corn, and thick crust pizza. 85% react highly to hard boiled eggs, shrimp, turkey, eggs, eggplant, greek yogurt, salmon and the list goes on and on.  The only way to find out what foods work for you and which ones do not is to do “The Plan.”

 

Oh yes, we could all go to the allergist and be tested- and I’m sure that would help us to discover some of our reactions- but it wouldn’t show them all. The spinach does not have an allergic reaction when coming into contact with my skin. It is when it is broken down and chemically released into my body that it starts to block my thyroid and also cause inflammation. Some food items will only show up once digested. The plan has a 20 day special meal plan with the first 3 days being a detox. It is designed so that each meal is chemically balanced to restore your body and allow it to heal while you introduce different items one at a time to discover which ones you have a reaction to. It is 20 days of eating things such as Kale and carrot ginger soup. I won’t lie to you- it seems like a daunting task, and you had better have 20 days where you have the time to cook yourself special (if not sometimes unappetizing) meals and not eat out. Not until day 18. I will also mention that the book is geared to mostly people 35 and above- food allergies and triggers worsen after 35 and people become way more sensitive to food which is why it is geared for that age group. There are examples of people my age in her book who have used it to figure out what things they are allergic to. I believe anyone of any age would be greatly assisted by this book- especially people suffering from certain illnesses- just keep in mind that as you age, you will need to do this again because the food allergies will change.

 

The plan has already helped me and I haven’t even started it yet. I lost 6 pounds this week just from cutting out a few seemingly harmless foods that reacted with my body chemistry. I believe that all along- all of my health issues and weight gain- have been tied to food. First the gluten and now other foods as well- there are probably more and will be more as I grow older. I thought that once I discovered my issues with gluten and had my big epiphany, that I was on my way. It didn’t occur to me I would have other food issues. What if I can figure out all of the foods that are reacting negatively? Not only will I fix my weight issues, but I could possibly eliminate my cortisol and thyroid issues as well. Who is to say that those things aren’t reacting out of a chemical imbalance in my body? Who is to say that fixing these issues and reducing inflammation won’t save me from having a hip or knee replaced later in life like some of my other family issues? Who is to say that it won’t reduce my chances of getting cancer? How can I afford to not find these answers?

 

Food is the best medicine says Hippocrates- what if it is also our worst disease?  What we know about medicine seems to be very little. The more I learn about myself, the more I believe that. Since I’ve started to write this particular segment, I’ve gained a pound one day and then lost it and then gained another a different day, then lost it again. So the question is: what was I eating those days that I had the inflammation that resulted in the weight gain? What was the difference? Something (I think it may have been milk) caused my body to freak out, gain a pound, and I had a headache the next day. The guessing game of what my body is or isn’t reacting to is making me nuts. Sunday I start the 20 day plan. I will try to post on my blog as much as I can during those 20 days to give you all an update. The first day is whole flaxseed granola with blueberries, carrot and ginger soup with salad, and roasted kale/vegetables for dinner. It should be interesting to say the least!

 

I would have thought that holistic health was a joke a year ago. I would have laughed if someone told me I was allergic to gluten or that other foods could be causing my problems. But I know this to be true- so the question is- what all is affecting my health? Is it just food? My body is obviously stubborn. It’s kind of funny- when you think about it- my cells, my very DNA, is programmed to be different. To be stubborn. It’s like my body says, “Oh yeah, go ahead eat that bread! I’ll do what I want! I’ll show you!” My very ‘being’ was created to be a pain in the ass (that makes a lot of sense to those of you that know me, I’m sure J )  But seriously, what all foods or environmental things are affecting me that I don’t know about or don’t realize?  I’m about to embark on a difficult journey to find out. Wish me luck! Stay happy and healthy my friends!