Nutrition
Our mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health are all intertwined and affect one another. More and more research is coming out on how the gut impacts the brain, even down to the neurotransmitters that impact our emotions. Unfortunately, we live in a time where there has never been such toxicity in our environment, deeply impacting our gut health. Toxins including plastics are being found in our water, and even in umbilical chords. Air pollution is becoming more and more of an issue, especially with the wildfires and smoke.
These are some of the recommendations, supplements and products I do and use for myself and my family, after having done tons of research on the topics. Feel free to do your own research and see what fits for you. (I receive zero commission on any of the products).
1. First off, buy organic as much as possible. Glyphosate, a component in RoundUp that they use on non-organic, and GMO food, is TERRIBLE for your gut lining. It has been shown to cause or impact: irritable bowl syndrome, leaky gut, cancers, and autoimmune disorders. And if those aren’t reasons enough, it has even been shown to impact fertility in mice, generations down the line! At the VERY least, look up the dirty dozen and definitely buy those organic.
2. Be wary of gluten. Wheat is not really wheat anymore, it’s been hybridized so many times, it’s just not very healthy nor good for our gut. And definitely be wary of non organic, as it’s all sprayed with Round up. It can do a number on your gut and cause a lot of inflammation which then can cause those diseases above. Reducing inflammation is the name of the game for health. (Dairy can cause a lot of inflammation, too. One route could be to test for your food allergies too, and see what is causing you inflammation, there are some great at home test kit options these days). You can find some ancient grain wheat like Einkorn flour that isn’t so hybridized and still has some nutrition in it. Luckily we live in an age where it’s easy to do and find a lot of things gluten free (baking, pizza crust, bread, etc).
3. Find a good probiotic and possibly prebotioc. Any natural health food store will have some good options in the refrigerated sections. (I don’t recommend a probiotic that is just on the shelf and not refrigerated). I haven’t done a ton of research on prebiotics, I’m just learning about those myself. There are a lot of prebiotic foods you can focus on. I just listened to a doctor talk about FOS, a non-refrigerated prebiotic that can help you avoid getting sick so often during cold and flu season. Fermented foods are really helpful for your gut health, too.
4. Vitamin D. It does SO much for us. Lack of it can wreak havoc in the body, including causing cancer. Apparently despite the immense sunshine we have here in Colorado, most people in Colorado are very deficient in Vitamin D, most likely due to sunscreen blocking the absorption.
5. Get on a B complex vitamin. We don’t get enough B vitamins from food unfortunately. B’s impact our energy and mood. Not all complex B’s are created equal. You want to look for one that has at least 50 mg of B1, B2, B3, and B6. (Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, and Pyridoxine HCI/Pyridoxal-5-Phosphate).
6. I’m just starting to read and research the impacts of magnesium deficiency. They seem pretty profound as well. There are different ways to obtain it: orally, which one has to be careful to not cause diarrhea; and topically (sprays, or Epson salt baths). A good option for the oral route is a product called Calm. Just start with a small dose and let your body adjust. Magnesium helps keep your body healthy from disease (cancer and autoimmune) and also helps combat anxiety and sleep issues, among many other issues.
7. Again, I haven’t done as much research on this topic, but fish oil seems quite important, especially for growing brains (kids). I take it on and off myself and also just eat a lot of fish. My kids are both on it. Their naturopathic pediatrician highly recommended it, as well as other books I’ve been reading about childhood nutrition. I get curious about it for my husband who has ADHD and how that might impact him, again, I need to do more research. But I’m grateful we’re all just trying to eat more fish.
8. Invest in a water purifier. After countless hours of research, we got the Berkey several years ago. It’s amazing. We get the fluoride filters, too. Apparently flouride has terrible impacts on the thyroid. And I’ve found it’s pretty affordable. The flouride filters have to be replaced annually, but the carbon filters you can just scrub and clean for years.
9. Invest in an air filter. You can get a whole house one, or a mobile one. Again, after a lot of research, we got the Air Doctor, a mobile one. We love it. You have to replace the filters every six months, but again, I feel like for what it does, it’s affordable, and the filters have definitely done their job at the end of 6 months. I’ve been especially glad for this with the wildfire smoke.
10. If it fits, see a naturopath or functional medicine practitioner. It changed my life. I went in after my first kiddo was born, when he turned one, I just felt so tired (which what parent isn’t?!). My adrenals were moderately to severely fatigued, which, any new parent is going to have, as well as any human who has undergone prolonged periods of stress. Unfortunately in our culture, that is the norm. The 6 month adrenal program was amazing. I still wasn’t quite there so we checked my gut health and my cellular health (mitochondria etc), and it turned out I had a parasite (apparently 50 % of people in the United States have one!), and I was deficient in B6. The whole healing process took about a year. I can say, even pre-pregnancy, I can’t remember having that much energy and feeling that good. It also gave me piece of mind that my body is doing what it is supposed to be doing and not going down a cancerous or disease path as of now.