By, Lisa Middlecamp-Lowder
December 26, 2021
Are You Contributing to Your Health, or Illness?
It’s cold and flu season again, or STILL, if you will; and it appears to me as though there is someone sick in nearly every family I know. More and more health practitioners are getting on board with the "supplement" train, recommending vitamins D, C, Zinc and other nutrients, depending on who you follow. It’s great to see them encouraging people to strengthen their immune systems and not stifle the healing with over the counter meds. It is VERY important, however, to consider nutrition and how to get nutrients through our food, as well as the other things we are putting in and on our body. They all contribute to our health or to illness.
What should I eat to be healthy?
With regard to our diet, we’ve been told through the years to eat a “balanced”, diet - but why isn't that anymore? The food industry has created "food-like" substances that cannot build healthy bodies. Our Standard American Diet [SAD] is filled with toxic processed flour, sugars and oils that tantalize our taste buds and decimate our immune systems, bones and organs.
Most people believe that butter and animal fat [from free range animals] are going to clog their arteries and thus are bad for their health. This couldn’t be further from the truth, especially if the butter is organic.
The industry that feeds much of America does not want us differentiating between nutrient rich clean food from our local farmers vs. what they pass off as food. The reader is encouraged to look into the dietary advice of the Weston A Price Foundation, a non profit organization devoted to educating the world on eating and lifestyle choices proven to promote health - not profits for corporations. The guidelines the Foundation shares give us the best chance at resisting disease, including colds and flus. The Weston A. Price Foundation guidelines are as follows:
1. Eat whole, unprocessed foods.
2. Eat beef, lamb, game, organ meats, poultry and eggs from pasture-fed animals.
3. Eat wild fish (not farm-raised) and shellfish from unpolluted waters.
4. Eat full-fat milk products from pasture fed cows, preferably raw and/or fermented, such as raw milk, whole yogurt, kefir, cultured butter, whole raw cheeses and fresh sour cream. (Imported cheeses that say “milk” or “fresh milk” on the label are raw.)
5. Use animal fats, especially butter, liberally.
6. Only use traditional vegetable oils: extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), expeller-expressed sesame oil, small amounts of expeller-expressed flax oil, and the tropical oils (coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil). Don’t heat the EVOO as it destroys all the good stuff.
7. Take cod liver oil regularly to provide at least 10,000 IU vitamin A and 1,000 IU vitamin D per day.
8. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables – preferably organic – in salads and soups, or lightly steamed with butter.
9. Use whole grains, legumes and nuts that have been properly prepared by soaking, sprouting or sour leavening to neutralize phytic acid, enzyme inhibitors and other anti-nutrients.
10. Include fermented vegetables, fruits, and beverages in your diet on a regular basis.
11. Prepare homemade meat stocks from the bones of chicken, beef, lamb and fish and use often in soups, stews, gravies and sauces.
12. Use filtered water for cooking and drinking.
13. Use unrefined salt and a variety of herbs and spices for food interest and appetite stimulation.
14. Make your own salad dressing using raw vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and a small amount of expeller-expressed flax oil.
15. Use natural sweeteners in moderation, such as raw honey, maple syrup, maple sugar, date sugar, dehydrated cane sugar juice (sold as Rapadura) and stevia powder.
16. Use only natural, food-based supplements.
17. Get plenty of sleep, exercise and natural light.
18. Be careful what you put on your skin - usually if you can't eat it, you shouldn't put it on your skin/hair.
I would emphasize EXERCISE. Every day. At least a little and as much as possible. Keeping our body moving not only supports our muscular strength, but builds our immune system's strength. And in today's day and age, that is of the utmost importance.
So what about supplements...
Personally, I eat as described above, including fermented cod liver oil every day, and then supplement with at least 150-300 mg of magnesium per day [at bedtime] to keep my liver detoxifying during this challenging time. In addition, I put a drop of pure iodine on my skin everyday, because iodine is necessary for the thyroid and the body's use of minerals. I also take (and highly recommend) 1000 mg of high quality vitamin C each morning, and increase it to several times a day if I feel ill. I have succumbed to the encouragement about zinc, but don't agree with the massive amounts some practitioners recommend. I see 15 mg a day as adequate with a healthy diet.
There are so many people offering advice on supplements to take now. Here are several I have some trust in:
Dr. VladimirZelenko [who treated President Trump]
What about Quercetin?
Many "experts" are promoting the use of the supplemental Quercetin during this "flu season". Do I take it? No. Do I recommend it? Well, if you don't eat well and you're getting a high quality supplement, sure, because Quercetin is not well absorbed in forms other than food, I prefer to get it the good old fashioned way by healthy eating. So what food sources contain this helpful nutrient? Red onions, blueberries, organic red apples and tomatoes are easily obtained sources in Michigan. When we consume our nutrients in food, they come along with all the God-given other benefits, like fiber and synergistic nutrients that the body knows how to use in their natural form.
If you do become ill...
SLEEP. God equipped us with an amazing immune system that can fight the good fight if we take it easy and let it do the work. I was recently sick with a head cold (omicron? who knows and who cares), I took at nap around 2 p.m., got up for dinner then went back to bed. Next day I wasn't totally up to par, but I was so much better. Aside from sleep, I knew I had to stay hydrated because dehydration is one of the top reasons people end up in the hospital. You don't have to drink much, just a few sips every hour you're awake.
It's all quite confusing
God created us miraculously, to be able to handle whatever the world throws at us, IF we take care of ourselves, which is tricky in the 21st century. For many the journey back to our birthright – radiant health- is confusing because it flies in the face of what the mainstream is telling us. And because of this, I've created a page on my website with the foundational knowledge and steps for REAL healthy living. I encourage people to work their way through the"Start here" page on my website at ThriveForReal.com; https://thriveforreal.com/start-here/
Staying healthy is not so difficult or confusing when you learn the facts and begin putting into practice reading labels and searching for natural, organic products.
Additional Resources:
Lisa Middlecamp-Lowder, Ph.D., holds a Doctorate in Holistic Nutrition as well as a Masters in Social Work. She has worked the last 30+ years in the medical, mental health, juvenile court and public school systems. Lisa is a #walkaway.
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