 Nutrition for Detoxification
Why are we toxic? There has been a heightened awareness that we are exposed to many toxins in the environment since the 1970s with the release of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. I studied it in high school along with many other boomers. You would think after all these years we would have figured out that continually adding new chemicals to our world isn’t a good thing, but it seems we haven’t made to connection to the increased incidences of cancer, MS, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, even obesity. All have been linked to toxicity and we just keep adding news toxins all the time and let the manufacturers tell us they are safe if used in the recommended fashion and then wonder why we are sicker than ever.  Water, Water, Everywhere
We are bombarded with reminders to drink more water, and for good reason. Most people are chronically dehydrated. I have to confess to being in that state more often than I’d like to admit. We get busy or distracted and we just plain forget to drink enough. As these waning days of summer are still hot and dry, we really need to remember to get extra fluid to counteract the effect of the heat. There is some debate about how much we should drink in a day, but anywhere from 2-3 litres is the standard recommendation depending on water content in our food, weather/temperature, activity level and state of health.  As a boomer doing my own version of “Freedom 55” (that is reinventing myself by doing what I probably should have done 30 years ago had it been an option), I learned the hard way about taking care of my health as well as my wealth in my 40s. I was working more than ever (several part-time jobs), had 2 teenagers, a husband, a dog, house etc. and started to neglect the fitness and nutrition habits that I had developed in my 20s and 30s. I was just in the throes of peri-menopause, with the requisite hot flashes, anxiety, heavy periods and consequent anemia. After all was said and done I found myself through menopause by age 47 but with hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease. At 50 my first bone density test was met with a diagnosis of osteoporosis. I was becoming my mother without the smoking and drinking. That set me on the course of reinventing myself and learning all I could about these conditions and working hard to get my fitness and health back. But it has been a long journey with many setbacks, mostly in the form of injuries, including a broken arm. My physiotherapist and chiropractor have become very good friends.
 Human Microbiome
“Human Microbiome” is bit of a mouthful, but it is the scientific way of describing gut flora or micro flora. This is a topic that is becoming more and more front-of-mind for experts, media and consumers alike, and of course is prompting a whole new industry of fermented foods products and probiotic supplements. I listened to a 2-hour webinar by Dr. Nigel Plummer PhD., an expert in the field, and was fascinated by the impact this “system” has on our health and well-being. We all have a unique combination of micro-flora and it is similar to our relatives due to similar environments and diets. I will summarize a few of the most interesting facts from his talk below as well as some tidbits from Brett Hall RD and supplement developer for Biotrust. It is so wonderful to listen to webinar replays as you can stop and start them, allowing for copious note taking. Fact #1  Why see a Holistic Nutritionist?
Sometimes even I wonder why people should come and see me as a Holistic Nutrition Consultant. We all need to eat and we should all know how to eat, but for various reasons adopt a diet that is convenient, tastes good and gets us through the day. We’ve lost the art of eating the way our ancestors did and we are seduced daily by slick ads and tantalizing tastes and smells that sway our best intentions. We also neglect to eat to match our activity level. I have known people over the years who either “eat to live” or “live to eat”. Generally the “eat to live” types are slim and healthy, and the “live to eat” types look for any excuse to include eating in their daily activities. Which one are you?  My Wellness Journey
It is a stretch for me to reveal my personal health history, as I am a pretty private person, but here goes anyway. My interest in nutrition goes back to my teen years when I had my first challenge with being overweight. I ate the SAD (standard American diet), and didn’t like sports. Thank goodness we always lived too close to the schools, so I always had to walk to school (uphill both ways and against the wind, LOL) and swimming was the best way to keep cool in southern Ontario summers. Canadian Living magazine was my first “text book”, and I had my first ventures into the world of dieting and weight loss. |
AuthorTanya Sullivan is a Holistic Nutrition Consultant with many opinions on the state of our food and health. Archives
November 2017
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