Get Woke! Stay Woke!
Jul 07, 2020 - by: outlier-admin
This article was originally published in NW Labor Press June 2020. Written by Donna Hammond.
Title: You Are What You Eat – Get back to food basics for better physical and mental health
Date: Thursday, July 9, 2020
Facilitator: Michelle Martin, CIHC, Cascade Centers, Inc., EAP & Wellbeing
Objectives
Understanding the business and motivations of the food industry
Discuss the nuances of why food matters and how the body utilizes the food we consume
Review key food factors to reduce our risk of short and long-term illness
Learn what food supports our mental and physical health
Provide resources for connecting with our curiosity about real and clean food, and where we can find it
To register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3306119721932061197
Change your Diet… Extend your Life!
In the words of the Greek physician Hippocrates, "All disease begins in the gut." Your gut health will determine the future of your overall health and wellness and be a major factor to your survival when you’re exposed to COVID-19.
The next COVID-19 wave is expected in the fall of 2020. When you are exposed you have a better chance of defeating this virus if you have practiced the CDC’s safety protocols of social distancing, hand-washing, wearing a face mask when you’re in a crowd plus…
Eating whole foods!!!
The CDC’s reported cases are represented in the chart provided here. Check out the confirmed cases for your age group. Then notice that the combine age groups from 18 – 64 make up 73.8% of reported cases. You’re going to be exposed!
So, when you are exposed, your first 1st line of defense will be your immune system.
It is currently reported that patients with underlining health concerns have a higher risk of succumbing to COVID-19. The reason why people with chronic diseases are more susceptible to the virus is not because they have a chronic disease; it’s because their illness is a sign that their immune system is impaired… OR, that they have an underlining condition known as insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome caused by a leaky gut that leads to inflammation, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, stroke, Type 3 diabetes, and more!
But, they did not get sick overnight… it took years!!! Years of subscribing to the Standard American Diet (SAD). Since the 1950s, the SAD included a greater abundance and accessibility to calorie-dense and nutrient-poor food and beverage choices. It’s a diet that recommends GMOs, processed carbs, fructose, and sugar… junk foods that are at the root of the American Sick “Care” System.
Learn more: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6146358/
I grew up on the SAD. I raised my family on SAD. We enjoyed SAD and I thought that we were relatively healthy until I received a diabetes diagnoses after several years of “pre-diabetes.” My blood sugars continually elevated and I could not understand why because I followed the SAD and thought I had relatively good eating habits.
I followed the SAD... until one day I read my after-visit summary diagnosis that said uncontrolled diabetes. That day I received two prescriptions of insulin that rocked my world and changed my life!!! My new normal was now needing to take daily oral and injectable medications to control my elevated blood sugars from insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is when cells don’t respond well to insulin and can’t use glucose from your blood for energy. To make up for it, your pancreas makes more insulin. I was resolved that this was my new normal.
Until I woke up. I discovered that my diabetes was caused by my diet. And, that the medicine was treating a condition that was caused by the food. The food was making me sick.
So, I started researching my diagnosis and found multiple theories about inflammation, autophagy, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, intermittent fasting and so much more. I focused on food as medicine and for several years I explored vegan, vegetarian, carnivorous, then vegan “again” and I eventually landed at Mediterranean, aquatics, and intermittent fasting – OMAD. I worked with my primary provider who was somewhat of a skeptic but my blood work indicated that I was now controlling my blood sugars with whole foods, exercise and medications… so, my medication dosages were being reduced. Food as medicine was working. It was functional medicine. As Hippocrates also says, “let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”.
But, as my diabetes was being controlled, I still did not feel quite like myself.
In late October 2019, I fell ill to a ruptured appendix and then sepsis. After two surgeries, the physician shared that I had an exorbitant amount of bacteria and infection in my body cavity and she attributed my survival in part to my surgeon, the antibiotics, to my clean diet, and lots of prayers. Yes, I was told that I survived because I had a strong immune system. My gut saved my life. But as important, I know that it was your prayers as well. I want all of you, my siblings, to know that I really appreciated all of the prayers and get well wishes you sent my way. I feel so grateful for our labor family!
Today, I am off of all medications for my diabetes. I am solely using food and supplements as medicine. Recently, I had a nutritional test that revealed several foods that I am sensitive to. This functional medicine lifestyle is a marathon. It took years for the insulin resistance diagnosis and it will take a few more years for me to get well. But, I have an army in my gut… I can feel it… YES!!!
My journey to wellness started with baby steps… here are a few videos and podcasts for your research.
------
Let Food Be Thy Medicine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p79D6u-6pN4
--------
Are You Healthy Enough To Defeat The Coronavirus? COVID-19, It’s Not All About Death
Dr. Sten Ekberg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA2QmwVakzU
-------
The New Science of Immuno-Rejuvenation
Dr. Jeffrey Bland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V20K4nUwO9Y
-------
What Is Autophagy? 8 Amazing Benefits of Fasting That Will Save Your Life
Dr. Sten Ekberg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCvUf9WU4qI
------
Anti-Inflammatory Foods / what I eat every week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66VdylXI0nQ
------
10 Foods That Cause Inflammation (Avoid These)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVK1Q1iwGjU
-------
Forks Over Knives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1LUj3kxB9M
------
Again I ask, “Are you in your best possible health to fight off the virus?”
Because, it’s not a question of if you’re exposed, it’s when you’re exposed to COVID-19... will you be healthy and strong enough to defeat it?
If you would like to further this discussion, please register for your free ticket. Let’s talk about this wellness journey… what has worked, lessons learned and opportunities to build health!
Title: You Are What You Eat – Get back to food basics for better physical and mental health
Date: Thursday, July 9, 2020
Facilitator: Michelle Martin, CIHC, Cascade Centers, Inc., EAP & Wellbeing
Objectives
Understanding the business and motivations of the food industry
Discuss the nuances of why food matters and how the body utilizes the food we consume
Review key food factors to reduce our risk of short and long-term illness
Learn what food supports our mental and physical health
Provide resources for connecting with our curiosity about real and clean food, and where we can find it
To register: https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/3306119721932061197
