You Are What You Eat

It is a age old saying that translates into so many languages and cultures. It amazes me how well we know this and yet are so ignorant to just how true this statement is. We get so caught up with body image, the latest diets, no carbs, no sugars, no fats, but neglect to make sure we are eating the kinds of foods to properly fuel our bodies.

Like most people who learn about the food pyramid in grade school I understand the 5 basic food groups: Grains, fruits and vegetables, dairy, protein and sugars and fats. However, the way foods affect our bodies go way beyond that. For example, the other day I went to my yearly ophthalmologist appointment, because my tear ducts were not producing enough moisture to my eyes, my ophthalmologist, suggested

I start taking fish oil omega-3 supplements. According to the Mayo Clinic (click here for the link) "Research studies looking into the benefits of omega-3 fatty acid supplements have found fewer dry eye symptoms in people who take the supplement. It appears that omega-3 fatty acids can improve the eye’s oil film that’s produced by small glands on the edge of the eyelid, called the meibomian glands. That improves dry eye symptoms and reduces the need for artificial tears."

Although I am no doctor and will never claim to be of any medical authority, I am a strong proponent in being proactive in one's own health and wellbeing. After the very difficult pregnancy and birth of my second son, my body was a mess. I was told just hours after he was born that if I got pregnant again it would be very dangerous to both myself and the future baby. After such a warning and a long conversation with my husband, I called and made the appointment to have a tubal ligation. Unfortunately that would not be the last of my surgeries and procedures needed to correct the damage that had been done to my body. I also learned the hard way that just because you are seeing a doctor does not mean you are seeing the right one.

After dealing with a multitude of issues and continually telling my doctor, one day he looked right at me and said, "I think it is all in your head." I left his office and immediately started researching for a new doctor that would not only listen to me, but would be willing to fix the issues I was having instead of just medicating the issue. It was by far, one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. I went from being in constant pain, first because I had a septic gallbladder that had to be removed, which was followed by IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). It was dealing with IBS that really caused me to learn about how food affects the body. I had to go in what is called a low-FODMAP diet. If you are interested in learning more about the Low-FODMAP Diet visit www.lowfodmap.com

I had to cut out everything that was not considered Low-FODMAP for a month to reset my dietary system then slowly bring in different foods and document how each one affected me. If there was no change then it was good to add in, if I had a reaction to it then I knew I could no longer eat it. I had to establish an entirely new relationship and respect with food.

At this point in my life I was on 16 different medications! I was foggy and groggy and some of the medications were to curb the side effects of the other medications, and my health seemed to decline instead of getting better. Thankfully, my current doctor believes in fixing the problem, not masking it and we set a list of health goals and one by one we are checking of that list.

My beautiful body wrecker is now a handsome 8 year old (he will be 9 in August 2020) and I am down to 5 medications and even those are lower doses then they were just 2 years ago. the fog has lifted from my brain, my body still has a ways to go before I am where I want to be, but I am so happy to be where I am now. Using food as an enjoyment and as fuel for a healthy body and lifestyle. Am I skinny? Nope. Am I healthy? Getting there. Am I happy? Absolutely! To me that is all that life is about living a life that makes me happy!

Until next time, I hope you find your happiness,

Jacque