A theme on my IG Live last Thursday was dispelling the clean eating and living illusion.
Clean eating and sacrificial health ideas in America like “no pain, no gain” or “nothing tastes as good as thin feels” are influenced by the idea of purity, as defined from a white Puritan, Christian lens.
Even if you aren’t religious, this version of Christianity culturally shapes much of what we think is “good” and “bad”, especially around food, health and bodies.
One of the greatest milestones in healing our relationship with food is when we lose our idealism. I’m defining idealism in relation to health purity: that if we eat and live clean enough and sacrifice, we will be “the chosen”, saved from disease, death and weight gain. This is a complex topic that is paradoxical and counter-intuitive.
In short, there is some truth to “clean” eating and it is far from the whole truth. Especially when you consider certain germs, dirt and trusting satisfaction are integral to our health and weight.
One examples? Dirt, soil and germs – largely “rebranded” as the microbiome – are proving to be the seat of health and weight in integrative medicine. And as I share in this week’s IG live, the absence of being “dirty” is one reason for increased in allergies and certain cancers.
Click on image above to watch
Don’t I pick the most flattering photos?
My top three take-aways from this IG Live:
1. Clean eating and living affects allergies and our immune system needs primed from dirt and being sick! I also forgot to mention another immune-priming tip: most of us shouldn’t be using mouthwash. We have an entire microbiome in our mouth of which mouthwash chemicals disrupt!
2. Sleep issues are the worst and one root cause I don’t hear talked enough about is blood sugar regulation. I’m not sure I believe certain foods promote sleep as much as certain combinations do. I share an example of how re-evaluating my own blood sugar needs postpartum made the biggest difference in my recent insomnia and an easy, uplifting and profound lifestyle shift to support natural melatonin production.
3. When a partner or family member becomes “religious” about clean eating and living, it’s important to understand each other’s deeper fears and needs. It is easy to get defensive because of their real or perceived criticism and judgement. However, if we can sink below this surface food battle, we can clarify the real concerns and work together to support each other’s health goals, even if that means different food and lifestyle choices (I share some ideas and examples in the video).
This Thursday’s Ask Me Anything IG Live is with Liz Merci, one of my current Truce with Food clients, at 3 pm EST time. We’ll talk about some of the “good” and “bad” self-judgements she’s discovering this early in the process and much more.
Be well,
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