Battling Inflammation

Everyone knows when they sprain an ankle or bump their head that there’s going to be pain and swelling to follow. Typically we take an anti-inflammatory pill and maybe use ice to make it feel better. That we can all agree on. (Although the use of drugs here could be debated. The body uses inflammation as a defense mechanism to help heal itself. Trying to counter the inflammation certainly helps the pain factor, but also inhibits the healing. Just food for thought.)

Another point to be made in these cases is the injury usually can’t be prevented. Trips and falls are part of life and simply have to be dealt with. The reason I state this obvious observation will make sense later in this post.

However, there’s growing evidence of other types of inflammation that’s harming us. This type of inflammation is avoidable and yet we keep doing it to ourselves – typically without even realizing it.  It’s frustrating that more people (especially doctors) aren’t aware of this and no one educates us.  Of course, that’s why I’m writing this: to spread the word!

I’ve written about it in this blog before but I’m writing about it again because I think it’s extremely important.  I want everyone to educate themselves as best as possible on how to live a better, more pain free life. Plus I’ve come across two outside blog posts which break down the crux of this problem with much better details than I can provide.  Once again, the problem I’m writing about is what we eat.  More specifically… grains.

But first, I’d like to digress with a disclaimer…

I’m never quite sure how my writing comes across to others, but let me state it for the record here that in no way am I belittling anyone or judging their lifestyles.  A lot of the things I believe and practice are relatively new to me because I’m always tweaking and experimenting with what works.  That’s the important part here – educate yourself as much as you can to make the best decisions for you and your family.  What works best for me may not be best for you, but the only way you know is if you learn about it and try it.  Now then…

Despite your thoughts on Paleo, you should check out these articles.  Many of you will think these posts are crazy, but try to have an open mind.  What if they’re right?  What if you tried out what they’re suggesting?  What if your changes worked and you felt better and/or looked better as a result?  Only one way to find out!

Here are the two blog posts I keep referring to:

• Everyday Paleo: What’s the Deal with Grains?
• Mark’s Daily Apple: Top 8 Most Common Reactions to Your Grain-Free Diet (and How to Respond)

I know I’ve seen a number of positive changes in myself and my family since going primarily grain-free.  Otherwise, why would I be so passionate about sharing with you?!

As usual, I’d love to hear your thoughts and results if you’ve tried cutting grains!

Better Health For Everyone

Last year, my family found out our two young daughters had many different food allergies (30 and 12, respectively).  Sure, I knew some kids could get seriously ill when they ate certain foods, but I never realized “mild” allergies could be such a pain.  Seeing my daughters be fussy, irritable, break out in rashes, etc was enough for my wife and myself to seek out a solution.  We didn’t want to simply eliminate those foods from our diet because they included just about everything between the two of them (dairy, rice, many fruits, etc).

My wife found out about the LaValle Metabolic Institute in Cincinnati and met with their doctors a few times.  They did help her in understanding how the body works, but in the end, we felt like they were helping us out just enough to keep us coming back and using their services.  And the fact that they told us to keep the kids off of foods with grains, all while recommending their expensive supplements that included rice, we were fed up.

Luckily a friend, Tara Kleier, turned us onto Robb Wolf‘s book, The Paleo Solution.

My wife purchased this book the day she found out about it and read it cover-to-cover (320 pages) in 2 days.  It not only changed the way we took care of the health of our kids, but of ourselves too.  It turns out just about everyone has problems with “modern” foods (often misdiagnosed as IBS or allergies or depression or ADHD and so on), but they don’t realize it.  And if they do realize it, they typically resort to popping pills to “solve” their problems.  All that does is treat the symptoms while the body continues to suffer.

The body is an astounding and resilient machine, so it often masks problems and adapts to poor lifestyles.  However, when you cleanse your body and give it the food it needs and thrives off of, you’ll be amazed at how you look, feel, and act.

More on this in upcoming posts…