How I Escaped The “Modern Diet” And Went Back In Time

I remember as a young girl how I loved to watch my grandfather cook and tried to learn all I could from him. As I got older, my family life became difficult and our food traditions fell away. My mother worked at night, so she would prepare dinner in a chafing dish (keeps food hot) for us to eat later.

This mostly consisted of packaged/processed foods that were simply heated (i.e. shake n’ bake, potato flakes, frozen vegetables). We rarely ate any fresh vegetables, most were frozen. Breakfasts were an assortment of frozen pancakes/waffles, pastries, and sugary cereals with mascots. My teeth were the first affected by this diet: overcrowded, crooked, and lots of cavities.

Eventually, I learned I had respiratory asthmatic disease and gluten sensitivity. I kept wondering why -all a sudden -I felt such discomfort from eating foods I always had eaten.

As I have gained more knowledge I have learned from Dr. Price that “foods of commerce” have attributed to the bone density and early dental issues I suffered; and my gluten sensitivity is a result of my epigenetics telling me that I should not be ingesting grains. Unfortunately, it took decades for my bio-individuality (how each body is different) to surface due to my poor lifestyle of cigarettes, Mountain Dew, and boxed dinners. I finally sought the help of a G.I. doctor and learned that I had developed chronic gastritis, which is an inflammation of the protective lining of the stomach (Healthline, 2019). I was constantly bloated and uncomfortable. I felt tired all the time and was not motivated to do anything. I could feel myself just falling away into despair, and I had to reach out and save myself before it was too late.

My diagnosis was a wake-up call to my senses; I need to change my lifestyle and behavior. I learned of the “paleo diet” from my brother and started on my reparative journey to better gut health. Quite simply, The Paleo Diet® is the diet to which the human species is best adapted. In other words, when you eat a Paleo Diet, you are eating the optimal foods for your body, literally programmed into your DNA. The modern Paleo Diet mimics the foods that we would have consumed in our historic past. It is as close as we can get to a diet unadulterated by modern agricultural methods, animal husbandry, or processed foods, elements that have only existed for a short amount of time relative to the span of human evolution (Paleo Diet Team, 2020).

After I started eating more whole foods and less processed foods, I saw a distinct change in my overall health, mood, and brain function. I had much more energy at the right times of day, I craved vegetables I used to hate, my focus and critical thinking improved, and my motivation to just do things (anything!) was off the charts. My body was beginning to share its innate wisdom with me once I purged all the “bad stuff” out, and I could finally hear it. As Dr. Natasha states in her article, “One Man’s Meat Is Another Man’s Poison”, stop eating processed foods and your normal sense of desire for food will return. Paleo eating has changed my entire outlook on food and inspired me to a career path where I can help others feel healthy, happy, and alive.

References

Healthline. (2019). Retrieved from Healthline

Natasha, D. (2014, 08 15). One Man’s Meat Is Another Man’s Poison. Retrieved from doctor natasha.

Paleo Diet Team. (2020, February 4). The Paleo Diet Premise. Retrieved from The Paleo Diet.