Thursday, November 8th, 2012

“The Specifics, For Now” is part two in a four part series on nutrition. Part one is here.

(This photo is not meant to illustrate ideal food choices. It just happens to be the ingredients from dinner the other night.)

So, as I told you in Part One of this series, I have come to believe that your food choices have a far more fundamental effect on your health than is commonly held. I promised to share with you in this article which food choices I thought those were.

But first, I’m going to be honest. I have changed my mind, and gone back and forth, and learned new information that shed light on foods I previously thought were fine so many times in this learning process that I have lost count. That’s why I’ve included “For Now” in the title of this post. However, everything I mention specifically below has been with me for some time; these are the pillars that have remained convincing to me after shaking away the other bits and pieces. I just hope and pray that if and when I am presented with good evidence to the contrary of any of this, I am willing to change my mind.

I also want to mention that the the primary purpose of this post is to put access to information into your hands. I am not going to try to convince you of my position; I know that you will not be convinced unless you want to be (and that’s o.k.), and if you do want to be, the resources here should be amply convincing. The only argument I can bring to this personally is my own story, and that will be coming later.

Know Anyone With These Things?

Diabetes · High Cholesterol · High Bood Pressure · Obesity · Acne · Eczema · Psoriasis · Chronic Fatigue · Hives · Asthma · Allergies · Sinus Infections · Migraines · Acid Reflux · Celiac Disease · Crohn’s · IBS · Bipolar Disorder · Depression · Autism · Seasonal Affective Disorder · Eating Disorders · ADHD · Endometriosis · PCOS · Infertility · Arthritis · Lyme Disease · Hypothyroidism · Fibromyalgia (list adapted from ISWF)

I bet you do… we all do. And all of these things have in common that they are directly influenced by what we eat. Hard to believe? I understand. But I have become convinced of the truth of this, and my hope is that you just might be too–especially if you or someone you love suffers from one or more of these conditions, and might be able to do something about it.

Stop Right There: Recommended Reading

Before I go into the specifics, I want to give you a few general resources that are well worth your time. Actually, I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to stop reading this article right now and just go read these guys; they will lead you well.

First of all, I highly recommend the folks at Whole9. You’ll see many of their articles linked to below, and their entire website is full of helpful information and encouragement. But moreover, I highly recommend their book that just came out: It Starts with Food.

I am just finishing reading it, and it has been one of the most thoughtful, well-written, and encouraging books on food I have read. (And I have read a few.) If you are at all interested in more information on all of this, please track down a copy of this book.

The next resource I highly recommend is an online one: Chris Kresser, and in particular his series 9 Steps to Perfect Health. He is also incredibly thoughtful, knowledgable, and balanced in his view. Please check him out.

And finally, if you are interested in or are dealing with some of the more difficult issues listed above (especially the mental ones), I recommend researching the GAPS diet, which is based on Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., Depression, Schizophrenia by Natasha Campbell-McBride. The GAPS diet focuses on intense gut healing, and the link between the brain and the gut.

Alright, without further ado, then… Specifics.

(Some) Fats Are Your Friends

This is one area in which a fast one has been pulled on all of us–it’s increasingly coming to light that the reports linking saturated fat and heart disease were based on faulty research, and that far from making us healthier, the “low fat” craze has severely detracted from our health. The good news? Lard, bacon fat, butter fat, coconut oil, and olive oil are all good for you (when sourced appropriately), and actually essential to your health. The bad news? Although saturated fat is not the villain we’ve been led to believe, vegetable oils and seed oils actually are linked to heart disease. That’s right, the ones that say “heart healthy” on them!

• Chris Kresser: The Saturated Fat Myth Debunked in Two Minutes and Thirty-five Seconds
• Eat Fat, Lose Fat (Book)
• Food Renegade: Healthy Fats

So Are Meat, Fish, Eggs, Vegetables, and Fruit

More good news–there’s a whole spectrum of delicious and nutritious whole foods available to nourish your body! It’s called meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, and fruit.

• Chris Kresser: 9 Steps to Perfect Health – #3: Eat Real Food

Sugar Is REALLY Not Your Friend

No, really, it isn’t. But kicking it is incredibly difficult. I liked what my friend Diana had to say about kicking sugar, and how every attempt is worthwhile even if you go back to it again.

• Chris Kresser: 9 Steps to Perfect Health – #1: Don’t Eat Toxins
• Sugar: The Bitter Truth (Video)
• The Whole 9: The Sugar Manifesto
• The Whole 9: Sugar = Sugar = Sugar

Neither Is Soy

Soy is one of those things about which I have strong personal feelings; it breaks my heart to see the number of people who over-consume soy, especially in the name of health. The mother of some good friends of mine died far too young from a rare, aggressive form of thyroid cancer; she was also a faithful soy milk drinker, and it was only after her death that the link between the two started getting any press. (The first article here, from Food Renegade, helps explain the myth that Asians safely consume tons and tons of soy.) If you’re going to make one change, make this one: say goodbye to soy!

• Food Renegade: Dangers of Soy
• Thyroid Info: Do Soy Foods Negatively Affect Your Thyroid?
• Cheeseslave: Avoid Soy for Thyroid Health
• Chris Kresser: 9 Steps to Perfect Health – #1: Don’t Eat Toxins

Grains and Legumes Are Troublesome

Yes, grains. Like wheat, and barley, and rice, and oats, and all the wonderful ingredients of every baked good that you love. Turns out that grains and legumes are actually designed to fight off things that want to eat them, and that their defense system tends to wreak havoc with the gut of those who actually do eat them. But this topic is somewhat controversial even among the schools of thought I agree with, because although Paleo and GAPS folks maintain that ultimate healing of the gut will happen only if grains are eliminated, the Weston A. Price Foundation (another real food resource) instead recommends that grains and legumes be prepared via traditional methods like soaking, sprouting, and souring. The idea here is that these traditional preparations (at least partially) break down the defense systems that cause so much trouble and release greater nutrition from the grains. Either way, careful consideration of your grain and legume intake is called for.

• Chris Kresser: 9 Steps to Perfect Health – #1: Don’t Eat Toxins
• Whole9: The Grain Manifesto
• Whole9: The Legume Manifesto
• Wellness Mama: Are Sprouted, Soaked, and Fermented Grains Healthy?

So Is Dairy

Dairy is one of those items on which people tend to disagree hotly. It comprises many of our most beloved foods, so it’s understandable–also, it has a higher nutritional value than grains, and not as obvious of a negative effect, so it can seem pretty easy to let this one slide. Here’s where I’ve landed (for now) on dairy: Pasturized dairy isn’t very good for anyone. Raw and fermented dairy are much better, in fact, they may even be downright good for you, if you tolerate them well. But that last “if” there is the key, and unfortunately I think the only way to be sure of how well you tolerate dairy is to cut it out for a while (30 Days seems like a good idea) and then reintroduce it.

• Food Renegade: Real Milk
• RealMilk.com (Helps find local Raw Milk)
• The Untold Story of Milk (Book)
• Chris Kresser: Dairy: Food of the Gods or Neolithic Agent of Disease?

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I’ve ruined your life now, right? Or far more likely, you just think I’m crazy. That’s okay; I thought this was all crazy too for a long time, so I forgive you! But even if you think I’m crazy, I hope you’ll stick around for the next two parts of this series, because we’re about to take a sharp turn away from this cold, hard, info, and I think you’ll want to hear what I have to say.

Up Next: Let’s Talk About Food — Part Three: Love and the Love of Food.