Just go and eat dirt.
ImageCopyright of Dr. Josh Axe (2016)
Without this sounding too much like a pity party, I'm going to quickly give you an insight into why my blog has suddenly taken a different direction. This week I have been off work for the third time with sickness. When I wasn't being violently sick, everyday I felt nauseous , generally unwell, tired, sluggish, had pain in my abdomen, brain fog and a lack of focus and to top it all off - cherry on the cake - was extremely bloated after every meal. The sickness was a relatively new development with all the rest of the 'ailments' just something I put up with for years. However, three weeks with what i thought was a sick bug and various trips to the doctor which showed I didn't have an intolerance to gluten or diabetes, thyroid problems or a blood disorder and I was getting a little frustrated that I couldn't find out what was making me feel this way. So, like I do with most things in life that I'm unhappy with, I decided to take matters into my own hands and do my own research.
At the time that this was all going on, I was actually discussing with a colleague whether I get enough probiotics in my diet. The answer was yes, I do! I'm one of these people who would sooner look to a natural yoghurt for breakfast than cereal or a bit of toast. However, the morning that I was sick I had toast! It was then that I was recommended the book 'Is gluten making me ill?' Supposedly the blood tests run by doctors does not show a sensitivity to Gluten, only an intolerance to it? Or something like that. At the same time, I was sifting through my symptoms with a colleague of mine who recommended the book 'Eat dirt'. This book, written by Dr Josh Axe, goes back to the principles of almost eating organically or as mum likes to call it 'the prehistoric diet' - eating foods that do not have the pesticides or chemicals that our bodies just aren't used to. That includes instead of using margarine, using real butter, whole fat milk, meat from grass fed cows and free range chicken and eggs. And I understand that, for most of you, you're thinking 'ahhh jeeez, is that what this is about?' Well, not quite, but hear me out. The way that my mother (who is daft on nutrition etc) explained to me is, every body - not collective - but individual, bodies, are all like cars and require a different fuel. She told me that you wouldn't put diesel in a petrol car and our bodies are exactly the same. (Well I wouldn't want to put petrol in my body either, but that's by the by.)
Reading through Dr Axe's book helped me to realise that I, for one, have taken my body, immune and digestive system for granted for too long. He describes your gut (nice phrase, huh?) like a fishing net and when the net is all together it can catch the food etc for absorption. However, due to processed foods, MSG, cane sugar, thickeners, emulsifiers, sweeteners, food colourings (which you can all find in everyday foods), antibiotics and other medications and hydrogenated oils - something that the gut is constantly being exposed to, our 'net' has started to leak and has let all the nice nutrition out and let all the nasty things (gluten etc) in. So, no matter how many lovely expensive vitamins and minerals you buy to keep your immune system, skin, hair and nails nice, this isn't going to do a bit of good if your 'net' is not together.
This, to me, makes complete sense because when you're ill you go back to your staple items to get better; water, fruit, broth etc and this wholesome food is what our body needs to repair - so why are we not doing it day to day? The answer is, our lifestyle! We have come to rely on quick, processed, foods containing chemicals that our bodies have never been subject to before and that's why (like putting diesel in a petrol car) our bodies start to react. I'm not going to sit back here and say 'uhhh, that isn't me' because I can completely identify it - coming home from work and trying to rustle something quick for dinner. We get too caught up in our day to day routines that we forget to actually sit down and eat food that is actually good for us and actually has a nutritional benefit. Not only that but we have to come to accept internalising everyday stresses from various aspects of our lives. These paired up with anxieties all put pressure on our liver and gall bladder in their process in absorbing fats and other foods and can cause us to have 'leaky gut syndrome'. Therefore, without sounding too hippy trippy, take time out of your day - whether its in the evening or the morning to either meditate, carry out breathing exercises, pray or chat with a trusted friend how things are going because, although we think we are doing well internalising our problems, our bodies still have to pay the bill at the end of the day.
Axe also puts emphasis on not only letting our bodies have exposure to 'friendly' bacteria but also the 'not so friendly' kind! I know I speak for a lot of us when I say, when I was growing up, if you dropped a piece of apple or anything on the floor it was 'the 10 second rule', run under the tap and eaten afterward. Dr Josh, argues, that we simply just aren't exposed to that kind of bacteria anymore and that has almost given our bodies an extended rest from all the harmful bacteria that our immune systems should be fighting off on a day to day basis. This is due to the use of antibacterial soaps, cleaning products etc which we use everyday! So, in order to kick start your immune system - get down to your local farmer and get tattie picking! Or, muck out some stables, brush some horses and get all that dust and dirt in amongst your lungs. Because, if you've got a leaky gut now and it's not treated, it can lead to lots of nasty things in the long term such as autoimmune diseases etc.
If you cant tell already, I would highly recommend, Dr Josh Axe's book 'Eat dirt' and if you think you have the signs of a leaky gut, you can take the quiz on his website I'm not in anyway, shape or form a medical professional so please don't take my word for gospel, read his book or visit your GP. Or, if you're like me and think you may have a food sensitivity, get a skin test and although you have to pay for it, it will tell you any intolerances you may have with certain food groups and how to change your lifestyle to see an improvement!!
Sorry I took so long to write all that so if you're still with me, then well done!
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Have a nice week,
Lots of love
Lauren
xoxo
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