Humans have had a symbiotic and harmonious relationship with food for as long as we’ve existed on this planet. It has been a source of fuel, healing, community and connection for milenia. In our primal days, we hunted and gathered seasonal foods and consumed it sacredly as a community. We used the entire animal from nose to tail including the very nutritious organs so that nothing went to waste and added herbs, spices, and other plants to add flavor and enhance the nutritional value. We understood that food was information for our cells and had the ability to heal ailments and illnesses. The medicine people of the village used plants, roots and barks to help us heal. As a human species, we were more connected to nature and the healing properties they bestowed upon us. Food was truly our medicine.
Today, in our modern world, we have strayed far from this concept of living with the Earth. Instead of eating a multitude of colorful plants, we have moved towards eating “food like substances” made IN a plant. These food-like substances are often poisoning our cells slowly without us grasping this truth and creating dis-ease dynamics that could otherwise be prevented. Dis-eases such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and so much more.
Food is defined as “any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for an organism.” Often, when we hear the word “nutritional/nutrition” we have been taught to think of macronutrients (protein, fat, carbs) and calories. What we don’t typically consider are the phytonutrients, the phytochemicals and the actual micronutrients (Vitamins, Minerals) that are within the foods that actually nourish us. Macro nutrients are absolutely essential for our energy production, but the micronutrients and phytonutrients are what tell our cells what to do. They are information that essentially tell your body HOW to work! Without them, the body can start to fall apart. Take for example, Vitamin C, it is needed to support the immune system and without it, the immune system weakens. Another example is Vitamin B12, suboptimal levels can lead to neurological symptoms because it is neuroprotective. All nutrients have their benefits.
Herbs and spices contain concentrated levels of nutrients and hold amazing healing powers. In Functional Medicine we often turn to herbs for healing and rebalancing. Cilantro for example is a great heavy metal detoxifier, garlic has great anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties as does oregano. In the pursuit of making food taste sweet rather than flavorful, we have sadly lost sight of the healing properties of the Earth that help keep our bodies in harmony and within balance.
We are meant to be one with the nature around us so that it can provide us with the fuel to thrive. Yet our modern day living is pushing us further and further from our natural way of being. Is it any wonder that lifestyle diseases and chronic illnesses are on the rise? We are often over fed, yet malnourished. We are disconnected from our true nature of living off the Earth.
The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation, in its 2019 Global Burden of Disease Report, analyzed data from more than 190 countries and found that what people eat, and fail to eat, is the leading cause of disease and death. Sadly however, food and nutrition education/support for conventional health care professionals is lacking. Only 27% of medical schools in the U.S. provide the minimum 25 hours as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences since 1985. Furthermore, only 14% of medical residents (physicians in training) believe they possess the knowledge and training to provide nutrition counseling to patients, nor do they know the guidelines for diagnosing and treating obesity. How can they teach us that which they have not been trained in?
I recently ran a detox cleanse with an empowered group of individuals and lives were transformed simply by the power of eating real food. One participant said “It was a life changing experience”. I was certainly thrilled to hear this and asked for more detail… They went on to say that their cravings had completely gone away and that they did not feel hungry during the cleanse. They were able to finally lose some weight they had been struggling with and that their eating was in a much better place now. They have an abundance of energy without the need for coffee anymore. Now this is real energy and of course music to my ears! Precisely the reason I love running these cleanses twice yearly, to help us remember how great it feels to eat real food and have our bodies remember that food is truly medicine! I am certainly inspired to run our next cleanse in September!!
Written by Sue Rapley
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