Whole Foods Lifestyle

I know for a fact that what we eat has a direct impact on how we feel and the level of health that we experience at any given time. Through the years of my dietary explorations, I have discovered foods that trigger mood swings, allergy reactions, cravings, and if we include caffeine and alcohol in this discussion, addiction. Long ago I discovered that my childhood "seasonal" allergies could actually be attributed to a sensitivity to all the white flour and dairy products I consumed in such large quantities while growing up. I also learned that they were key players in chronic headaches, mood swings, hypoglycemia, and contributed to some extra weight I was carrying around. After an acupuncturist shared with me a list of possible food triggers for health concerns I was experiencing, I began exploring a low sugar, whole foods diet restricting such allergens as peanuts and oranges (as well as others) for a time. After I felt the improvement of my health from careful food choices and supplementary Chinese and local herbs, I felt I had experienced living proof that I could live with more energy and vitality through dietary choices; I have been a practitioner of nutritional eating ever since. Not long after I had my first epiphany about foods and their connection to my personal health, I befriended a man who was living as HIV positive and managing his health with a diet rich in raw foods and vegetable juices. This was my introduction to treating serious health concerns with nutrition.

As incredible as it was for me to learn of the allergen potentials of common foods such as peanuts and oranges so many years ago, today I find myself painfully aware on a daily basis of food allergies, and the importance of adhering to strict food rules. My husband and children are allergic to gluten in all of its guises, and both of my children cannot tolerate dairy products. Their physical health suffers in various forms if they ignore their respective limitations, and will experience severe eczema, diminished immune system function and subsequent susceptibility to illness, dark circles under eyes, dermatitis in various parts of the body, and gastrointestinal upset....to name a few complaints. In this we witness another interpretation of the phrase "you are what you eat". I can tell if my daughter has had a food that doesn't agree with her based on the appearance of the skin on her cheeks.

While pregnant, I spent much time and energy learning about the importance of proper nutrition for building a healthy system for both the baby and myself. Never before had it been so important to have healthy eating habits; quite literally, the baby would become what I ate. I was enthralled by this, but also quite challenged. I had cravings for foods that weren't on the nutritionist's top 10 list....and had to navigate that with compassion and tolerance for eating foods merely for the sake of pleasure. I can still recall, ten years later, some of the most memorable meals that satisfied those strong pregnancy cravings. In this way, again, "you are what you eat" is seen in how my memories are shaped by what I ate, and I carry them with me still.

On a somber note, I have seen firsthand the destructive effects of poor nutrition and alcoholism in my family; I have a family member who is suffering from the effects of long standing alcohol addiction and accompanying malnutrition. In this case, it is devastating to see the effects of an individual's wasting away in response to what she puts into her body and what she doesn't; her skeletal frame and yellow eyes bespeak the illness that ravages her physical form. She is what she drinks, in this case, and also what she doesn't eat.

A book to explore a whole foods lifestyle that also addresses food allergies (written by Bellingham authors):

Segersten, Alissa and Malterre, Tom. The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook. Bellingham, WA: Whole Life Press, 2008. Print.