I talk a lot about how the things we do every day can erode or build wellness with Lyme Disease because it is important. I am giving a talk about Food, Inflammation and Lyme Disease on Monday July 17, 2017. Check this link for the details. Answer 3 Big Questions before you eat and start to shift the way you look at food.
We build and rebuild our bodies with the food we digest. Our bodies repair the damage from disease like Lyme using food as the raw material. What we do, eat, and digest influences how we feel and who we are. The 3 big questions have changed my relationship with food and are a mainstay in my eating for wellness with Lyme disease.
In my before Lyme Days, I ate to satisfy my emotional needs rather than build my health. It was all about taste, texture and immediate gratification for me. My emotional needs were large, lots of anxiety and stress. As a result, I ate too much and too often. Fast food was like the exciting friend who gets you in trouble, a lot of trouble.
I joked with my husband, that I knew the location of every fast food place, within 20 miles of my home, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Dairy Queen and Kentucky Fried Chicken to name a few. I am not trying to tell you never eat at any of these places, just that I took it to an unhealthy place with too much focus on food to fix things. Is your relationship with food healthy?
Because of my choices I was overweight and eating foods that didn’t nourish me or help keep me strong. Obese, nutrient deficient and stressed out, I made a great home for Lyme and co infections. I got bit, they moved in and took up residence. It took a long time for me to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment. I dug myself a big hole and had to make changes to pull myself out.
Changing the Role of Food in my life
My studies of Ayurveda and my recovery journey taught me an enormous lesson in regards to food choice. Healthy Digestion is essential for Health. The right amount of healthy food fuels healthy digestion. Too much food or junk food smothers the fire.
Your Gut is intelligent. It is on the front line making tons of decisions about the food you eat. It makes choices to optimize wellness and minimize harm based on what you eat meal by meal. The gut asks questions and examines the food you eat for answers.
3 Big Questions
- Am I eating this to support my body? Or am I trying to soothe my emotions boredom, anxiety?
- Does my body need the quantity, calories and nutrients?
- Can I make this food into healthy self? Or will it cause me to attack myself or create waste that taxes me?
Depending on the answers maybe I shouldn’t eat this.
Shift Your Relationship with Food
Answering these questions consciously as part of my meal prep and consumption, gives me a better connection to the purpose of food. Understanding of the work of digestion can change your relationship with eating in a really positive way. Here are some of my insights from learning about digestion.
- Listen and refine satiety. Satisfied is not stuffed or numb.
- Constipation means digestion is not working optimally.
- Nausea and bloating are not normal.
- Build meals with whole foods in order to get the critical building blocks, anti inflammatory compounds vitamins and nutrients. If it has more than 5 ingredients on the label or many you don’t understand, I just don’t buy it.
- Add foods to heal the inflammation damage from Lyme.
- Spices are fabulous, functional foods, work them in to bump up flavor and health
- Stay away from irritants and allergens.
I’m only human, sometimes I still eat less than perfectly. But I do a lot better when I think about it and ask the 3 big questions We have more choice in our foods than ever before in history. Choose to eat to build health. What ways have you shifted you food intake to help you heal? Do you have 2 or 3 big questions to check in on your eating?
The information provided on this website is not a substitute for professional medical care, treatment or advice. All the material here is for information purposes only. Always share strategy and work with your health care team.