Why healthy eating can be bad for you
Whole grains, fruit and legumes form a large part of dietary trends setting the scene in a new plant-based culture; however, the consumption of these foods may be detrimental to your health! Inflammation is by far the leading contributing factor to a whole host of diseases, ranging from anaemia all the way to autoimmune compromise, yet how does eating ‘healthy’ contribute to the rise of inflammation within our given lives and bodies?
Given the rapid rise of autoimmune compromise along with obesity and chronic inflammation, our efforts to eat healthily have increased, yet many of us are still finding ourselves in a state of pain, fatigue, and mitochondrial compromise. Now, what if I were to tell you that eating white rice instead of whole grains may benefit your weight loss and improve your overall state of inflammation? Think about, Asians have been eating rice for centuries, and up until the recent introduction of the ‘western’ ideal diet they have had the lowest incidence of diabetes, obesity and even cancer, certainly, there must be a few golden nuggets of information that we could integrate from their lifestyles into our own nutritional efforts? Well, truth be told, refining carbohydrates may be one of the biggest pieces of their health puzzle!
Lectins are protective proteins that bind to carbohydrates of certain plant foods, enabling a greater chance of survival of plants against the grazing of animals and in our case, humans. Foods such as legumes, whole grain products and even fruits picked before fully ripened contain high amounts of lectins. Given that lectins impact our mineral use, immunological reactions, and overall state of inflammation, aiming efforts to avoid lectin toxicity may prove paramount to lowering many of our nutritional and dietary concerns when trying to lose weight, improve energy and fix pervasive anaemia.
Eureka! The answers are always in the details, you see with all our modern-day fads and nutritional ‘remedies’ we have simply forgotten to ask the question why!
Why did so many all over the world strip the husks from grains before munching down on some sushi, well it’s pretty clever thinking if you ask me, rid the source of nature’s toxic defence (lectins) and presto your body does not have to deal with constant attack i.e. inflammation.
Here is a list of high lectin foods to avoid if you’re struggling with ANY inflammatory disorder:
- Whole grains
- Legumes (raw)
- Tomatoes and peppers
And here are some good choices to incorporate on a low lectin plan
- Broccoli/brussel sprouts
- Leafy green veggies
- Pasture-raised meats
Now the healthy picture doesn’t just stop at eating white rice…hahaha…. far from it! Excluding preservatives, particular sources of dairy (no, not all dairy is bad for you BTW) and opting from seasonal fruits, all provide immense benefit in regulating how your mitochondria regulate energy metabolism. Not so long ago, our ancestors ate in accordance with the seasons and for a due reason, you see our mitochondria respond to energy metabolism dependent on environmental climate and associated biochemicals produced in different seasons. Therefore, when we eat in accordance with what nature makes available, the likelihood of our mitochondria developing confusion drastically lowers along with mitochondrial associated diseases!
The modern diet feeds bacterial overgrowth, in my opinion, due to poor seasonal eating and excessive consumption of lectins throughout one’s diet. Stress in all forms suppresses healthy bacterial growth and liberates glucose, sugars which unwanted and unhealthy bacteria feed off to produce aldehydes!!!!
So exactly what are aldehydes, and why is it such a concern? Well without bogging you down with too much science, aldehydes are necessary for acetylation in the nervous system, if and only IF they are converted into acetyl Co-A. However, most cases of bacterial overgrowth deplete many of the nutrients required to have this conversion take place, leaving your liver in a state of excess aldehydes and a clogged detoxification pathway, ie non-alcoholic fatty liver!
Nonalcoholic fatty liver increases the potential of diabetes, loss of cognition, impaired sex hormone production and poor cholesterol metabolism. So…. if your gut is producing Aldehydes that are hijacking your liver’s ability to detox, guess what? You’re also going to have metabolic issues, i.e., mitochondrial dysfunction. Interestingly through a diagnostic I run called the organic acids test, we can distinguish if indeed your mitochondria have become dysfunctional due to either excessive bacterial overgrowth, yeast accumulation or even poor aldehyde detoxification!
I get it… you are trying to fix up bad habits and yet here again comes another health claim that may make you feel as though you’re thrown off track again, truly that’s not the objective! What is important is to ascertain what is ACTUALLY going on in your body, instead of taking the advice from others who may have never had to deal with inflammation, autoimmune compromise, depression, obesity or immense and intense brain fog.
I am dedicated to enlightening your efforts, providing objective findings that you can use to validate choice, choice which should not have your calorie starving only to continue to put on weight and feel awful. If you have tried everything from: ‘if it fits your macros’ to ‘Atkins’ and possibly the ‘lupus diet’ and yet you are still struggling, then it may be time for a more targeted approach to your health.
It may be time for Autonomic Coaching