"I get no respect". The line made famous by Rodney Dangerfield can also apply to our poor digestive system which, no matter what we throw at it, tries to keep doing its job. When you think of years of nutritional abuse we put our stomach through it truly is amazing it works at all. Granted, our health probably suffers because nothing is working properly but, hey, it's keeping us alive.
Consider this. When a baby is born, it's digestive system is brand new, ready to work as it was created to work - take in nutrition, process it, send it to the cells, blood, brain, organs and get rid of whatever isn't needed. Simple. Really?
So, the optimum food for newborns for their first 6 months of life is breast milk.
Aw, but that's just not convenient so let's substitute something that's been formulated to be almost as good as the real thing. Actually, it's better because it's fortified with even more than breast milk can provide AND it's convenient.
Really?
OK, so when that baby is ready for solid foods the best things to start with are real foods from Nature like fruits and vegetables so get out the blender and make it nice and mushy so it slides down real easy and is easy to digest. After all, we want to keep these brand new digestive systems working their best.
Aw, but that's not convenient and, besides, it's tasteless. Let's stock up on those cute little jars and we should add a little flavour - maybe some salt or sugar?? And if the little fella is REALLY good maybe we'll give him a treat! Say, a taste of ice cream or chocolate. Yummy!
Really?
Now that baby is a toddler and he's a pretty picky eater so let's entice him with fruit-flavored cereal or cereal-bars (both from a box). And he doesn't like veggies so we'll give him pizza. The tomato sauce counts as a vegetable doesn't it? And the cheese is dairy - that's important, right? And those fruit snacks in the package count as fruit so we've got that covered.
Are you starting to get the picture? From Day 1, we abuse our bodies with food that isn't really food at all.
We assume we can eat anything we want and the stomach will magically do its thing and our body will continue to work and you know what? It does continue to work but it becomes "hardened" to the junk we keep throwing at it and we suffer because of it by developing a variety of health problems from allergies to asthma, irritable bowel and gallbladder problems and kidney stones. And let's not forget obesity and Type II diabetes, the two fastest growing health problems in children today. The list goes on and on.
The good news is that our bodies are miraculous in their ability to heal if we change the way we eat and start giving them the proper foods and nutrition. A great rule of thumb is "If Nature made it, eat it in abundance. If Man made it, eat very little or leave it alone" (Ron Williams, CEO ForeverGreen)
It's never too late to start giving our digestive system the optimum "fuel" it needs to allow it to work to perfection. Let's start respecting our body and, in return, it will Thank us by being ailment-free - by functioning the way it was born to.
If you get a chance I urge you to go and see the documentary, "Forks Over Knives" this summer. http://forksoverknives.com I can't wait to see it and have heard many great reviews about it. Movies like this are what start a "shift" in how people think and when I see the sad state of our health today I truly believe we are overdue for those changes.
"Health" is so much more than visiting your doctor when you don't feel good. True health is achieved through "wellness"....of the body, mind and spirit...to achieve balance on all levels and to do so in a way that honors WHO you are. We are a part of Nature and, as such, should look to Nature for our wellness.
