Oh wait, yes it can.
If you’re familiar with the healing principles of the paleo or ketogenic diets, then what I’m about to say will probably not be of any news to you. If you’re not familiar, then I hope I can plant a seed of interest!
The typical modern day lifestyle- inactivity combined with most of the materials we put on, around, and inside our bodies- are simply poisonous. From plastics, pesticides, preservatives, hormones, antibiotics, grains, gluten, sugar- we are inundated with chemically altering substances that wreak havoc on our internal systems.
Yes, I’m aware of how I sound right about now. I swear I’m not an agoraphobe who spends her days building a bomb shelter and feeding stray cats. I’m just well informed!
Just look at the number of people in developed countries who suffer hormonal imbalance, depression, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, thyroid disorder, sleep disorders, learning disabilities, Alzheimer’s, etc. Is it so unrealistic to consider that these substances could be the cause of our ailments?
I could elaborate on the subject but I wouldn’t know where to begin. If I started I fear the writing in this post would expand to a harangue surpassing the volume of Gone With the Wind. Anyway, I do a shit job of paraphrasing what is already being said by countless other spokesmen out there who are far more qualified than myself.
So while I’m not prepared to re-spew the vast amounts of information I absorb on the subject, I would like to share some of the sources from which I’ve acquired my information. I want to share the materials that I personally have found to be the most honest and informative.
*Disclaimer: You will almost never find two experts that agree 100% on a diet and lifestyle choice. A lot of research out there will condemn one thing while other research exists to support it. Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s best to do. So just use your discretion and see what works for you. In any case, it is likely that what works for one person will not work for another.
The first resource I’d like to share is a book that I purchased last summer while researching the paleo diet. For those who wish to better understand the intricacies of human body functions, along with the corresponding impact that the SAD (Standard American Diet) has on them, I’d highly recommend it. The book is called The Perfect Health Diet, by Paul and Shou-Ching Jaminet. It’s not a strictly paleo plan but does advocate most of the paleo principles. What drew me to it and still continues to bring me back, is that it includes actual scientific studies to substantiate its claims.
No, it doesn’t just mention a study here and there like every other book on the market with the word “diet” in the title. This book actually contains abridged versions of lab reports conducted by various credible sources (by credible I mean- studies not funded by pharmaceutical companies).
I’m a girl who likes cold hard facts. It especially comes in handy when arguing on principles that go so against traditional wisdom…
“Whole grain bread is heart healthy!” Really? Direct poor fool to studies proving quite the opposite.
Having studied neuroscience in college I’m no stranger to reading through lab reports. But the great thing about this book is that the studies have been simplified to only the most essential information, so that you don’t even have to be versed in scientific jargon to understand the information. In addition, every chapter is filled with personal and third-party testimonials about the ways this diet has improved a person’s health.
Once you’ve read even just one chapter of The Perfect Health Diet, it all just seems to make sense. You’ll wonder why we ever started eating the way we do now.
Ok I am reading this. Working nights and trying to cope with my hip equals an odd form of brain fog and persistent weariness. Maybe a change can help.
Definitely, Aunt Katie! Every little change can help. I know the feeling of “brain fog and persistent weariness.” So a change is vital. I hope you start feeling better soon <3