I recently completed an intensive and progressive nutritional
cleanse program that I capped off with 3
consecutive colon hydrotherapy sessions. After completing the whole
process, I felt pretty "clean", but also pretty sensitive. In the weeks
following my cleanse process, every time I ate wheat, corn, sugar or
anything refined (as in, not having come directly from the ground), even
in moderation, I experienced uncomfortable gastrointestinal symptoms
like gas, major bloating and bowel irregularity. I thought about how,
having cleansed, my body "should" be digesting things better and more
efficiently. I also considered the particular items that my body was
clearly NOT digesting well - wheat, corn, sugar and refined foods.
So - here's the thing...well, there's 2 things actually:
1.
Wheat, corn, sugar and refined foods are high offenders. Wheat and
corn, in particular, rank pretty high on a list of the most common
allergens, enticing allergic symptoms in a large population. Sugar and
refined foods have a pretty "bad" reputation in the field of holistic
health, having a tendency to wreak havoc in the internal system if not
moderated over time and especially contributing to metabolic disorders like
obesity, blood sugar irregularities, chronic problems with low energy
and diabetes.
Considering this point, it seems clear that
my body is sending me a message that it doesn't want these items. Fair
enough - I can choose to heed this message or ignore it, ignoring it setting the stage for poor health. But I never had such
strong adverse reactions to these items before, and I used to consume
them frequently before having made concerted efforts to improve my
nutrition and overall health in the last 5 years or so. In theory, if my
body is balanced, I should be able to periodically indulge in some
birthday cake, a beer or a warm plate of spaghetti and not suffer.
2. The second part of my first point IS my second
point: "I used to consume [wheat, corn, sugar and refined foods]
frequently" - that is the problem. My theory in the last sentence of my
first point is based on balance. My body - as a result of overindulgence
in the past - is no longer balanced. When a person repeatedly consumes
offending foods, or any food for that matter, thereby throwing the
concept of balance out the window (how can you be balanced if you eat
the same things everyday?), the body begins to react to those
foods.
When I first became a vegetarian about 11 years
ago, I didn't research vegetarianism enough, nor did I make a point to
include enough protein in my diet. My staple item was toast with
margarine (barf! I cringe!). And let's not forget booze! Beer beer
beer...wine wine wine...spirits, shooters, cocktails...you name it -
if it had alcohol in it, I wanted it. I was loading up on simple carbohydrates at the expense of protein, and a good balance of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. Gross!
I wrote a column on this topic back in April after taking a general interest in allergies and Dr. Carolee Bateson-Koch's book, Allergies: Disease In Disguise. Succinctly put by Bateson-Koch, “When you eat a
food frequently, you are calling on specific enzymes to digest that
food. When this eating pattern continues over days, weeks and years, you
may create an enzyme deficiency for that food.” I have done precisely this thing and, as a result, my body is overly sensitive to wheat and corn, while refined foods, including sugary treats only add insult to injury since I also overindulged in these things - many refined, sugary foods containing high fructose corn syrup, derived from corn.
Here's my conclusion - if you haven't already developed food sensitivities, do yourself a favor and bring awareness into how balanced your diet is. If you're a vegetarian, make sure you're getting enough protein that is essential to all physiological processes. I've been craving chicken more and more since my last cleanse and have decided to eat organic, free-range poultry when my body asks for it. I guess that makes me a flexatarian? Further, make sure you're not relying on any one food as a staple - especially not refined and processed foods! Relying on broccoli, for example, is a far cry from relying on toast and beer! Even so, eat a variety of fresh fruits and fresh or lightly steamed vegetables. Focus on consuming grains in their most natural form - here's a good rule of thumb: if it hasn't come straight from the ground before you cook it and/or eat it (as in quinoa, rice, couscous, oats, amaranth, millet, etc.) then don't eat it, or keep it to an absolute dull roar in your diet. Integrate good fats into your regime by eating fish and oils. Avoid or moderate sugar and if and when you do eat sugar, make sure it comes from sugar cane, not high fructose corn syrup.
If, like me, you've already developed food sensitivities, eliminating the offending foods is your best bet for a period of time to give your body a chance to heal. You can also consider using digestive enzymes (available at any health food store) to give your digestion a boost. Eat pineapple and papaya, both of which contain natural enzymes. Probiotics help to re-establish bacterial balance and intestinal integrity, improving overall digestion. Finally, make a point to eat foods rich in vitamin C (or periodically use supplemental vitamin C) to help bolster the immune system.
If you would like help establishing whether or not you have food sensitivities or allergies and direction on how to best change your diet to improve your health, please contact us to set up your nutritional consult today.
Roberta Shepherd for Prana Holistic
