Family health is the responsibility of both parents, Mom and Dad and it is the foundation that has the potential to leave a legacy of disease or health and vitality.
As a kid who was born in 1962 our food system was not filled with as many food additives or chemicals as there are today and I believe that is why, my mom, and my two sisters, and myself were pretty healthy. But that isn’t the case with many families today that are eating the standard American diet. Many families today are facing health challenges like:
- Allergies
- IBS ( Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
- ADHD Symptoms
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Auto-Immune Diseases
In 1980 at 18 years old I began to experience allergy symptoms when I was exposed to dust, pets, and trees. I decided to go to my doctor and get tested and I was blown away by what they found. If you have ever been tested for allergies you know that the way they test you is to put a grid on your back and prick your skin with a small dose of substances in each section of the grid and if there is a reaction that means you are allergic to that substance. The results the doctors gave me was a list of about 10 things I was allergic to. for example. I was allergic to trees, dust, and all pet dander.
I followed my doctor’s recommendation and started immunotherapy where I had to get injections each week to allow my body to build up immunities to the substances I was allergic to. This went on for a year with no changes, I still suffered from the same symptoms.
In 2008 I was on a 7-day cruise with my family and on the return trip home there was not much to do because you are on the ship for the rest of the trip home. One of the days my wife and I decided to attend a health talk where the speaker began to share that if you are currently experiencing things like obesity, high blood pressure, and poor health that the last ten years of your life can be very difficult and painful. This started me on my journey of examing what I eat on a daily basis and along with some valuable information my wife was learning at a local nutrition class and I was shocked at what I found.
The first thing we started doing was read the nutrition labels of the dry foods we eat on a regular basis. Foods like macaroni and cheese, crackers, potato chips. (most of these foods contain high amounts of preservatives, fat, and sodium.
The second thing we started looking at was the quality and the number of servings of fruits and vegetables we were eating on a daily basis. We found that we ate about 1-2 servings a day of mostly non-organic and produce and many were canned or frozen. ( Daily recommendations are 3 cups for men and 2 1/2 cups for women). Source VeryWellFit.com
The Third thing was to begin drinking half of our body weight in water. ( Water helps with weight loss, regular bowel movements, mental clarity, and healthy skin).
The Fourth Thing we did was change where we ate when we ate out, we eliminated fast foods and ate at restaurants that cooked fresh foods in healthy ways. (many fast-food restaurants like McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Wendys use a lot of preservatives and food additives). ( I noticed that every time I ate my favorite meal at Wendy’s I had a headache afterward and when I stopped eating there the headaches stopped).
The fifth thing we did was to buy organic produce whenever possible and avoid the dirty dozen. ( These are 12 food you need to pay the most attention to how it is grown and harvested. The details on each one are listed at The 2020 Dirty Dozen List I included the list below.
The 2020 Dirty Dozen Foods List:
- Strawberries
- Spinach
- Kale
- Nectarines
- Apples
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Pears
- Tomatoes
- Celery
- Potatoes
In summary, After following these five steps for the past 12 years I was able to eliminate all of my allergy symptoms, lost over 50 pounds, created a habit of looking at my diet before I visit the doctor, and finding alternative ways to help my body heal. Many people have left their health in the hands of their physician but do not realize their doctor does not have any knowledge about good nutrition unless they live a healthy lifestyle themselves. My doctors only wanted to treat the symptoms with medication but never wanted to get to the roo of the problem
Make the commitment today to be 100% responsible for your health, look at the five things listed above before you seek treatment for minor ailments. If you have a serious health issue contact your doctor right away or go to the emergency room.
