The good news is YOU were made to heal. The human body is SO incredibly complex and amazing! The goal is to strive towards optimal health, so our bodies can function the way they were meant to. This is a lifestyle, a commitment to yourself, a marathon, and will require some discipline, but I promise your body and health will thank you!!!
- Eat REAL food!! The goal is to eat a nutrient dense, properly prepared whole foods diet. This includes lots of vegetables and fruits rich in color, organic as much as possible, and organic pasture raised, grass fed meat. An amazing goal is to shoot for 5 colors of fresh with every meal. Avoid processed packaged food which was created for a long shelf life, and often has inflammatory shelf life ingredients added.
- Use quality cookware. The best options out there are cast iron, stainless steel, and ceramic. The goal should always be to remove as many stressors as possible. Avoid teflon and non-stick pans which are known neurotoxins, and yes that means they kill brain cells. If budget is an issue, just start with one and slowly replace your collection.
- Use quality cooking oils. Stock your shelves with oils that have a high smoke point such as coconut oil, ghee, grass fed-butter, and avocado oil. Avoid highly processed, unstable vegetable oils such as canola, soy, corn, sunflower. These oils have a low smoke point and are often rancid before they even hit the shelf. If you are wrestling with any inflammation in your body(which is most of us) these oils should be avoided like the plague, as they have a huge inflammatory response in our body.
- Swap out plastic storage containers and cooking utensils. There have been 100’s of chemicals linked to plastic packaging, the top being BPA’s, and phthalates(known as the forever chemical). These are known endocrine disruptors meaning they affect your hormones. Swap out for glass storage containers, and bamboo or wooden cooking utensils.
- Clean up your home products. There are many hidden chemicals and toxins in the products we use in our home. Avoid synthetic fragrance and dyes which are also known endocrine disruptors. Think dish soap, laundry detergent, personal body products, yes even perfume(I know ugh), make-up, toothpaste, and cleaning supplies. Remember everything that you put in your body think food, or on your body(our skin is our largest organ), will either push you towards optimal health or away from it!
I hope this has been helpful, I am truly blessed to be even a small part of your health journey. XO, Shauna