“Changing your diet won’t help”  your ______ (fill in the blank).  Psorasis, anxiety, ADHD, fibroids, PMS, acne, ulcerative colitis, depression, etc. etc. etc.   How many times have you heard a doctor say this? 

I have heard it from clients countless times. I’ve heard it myself. Years ago, I dealt with chronic fatigue, blood sugar swings, panic attacks, acne, and persistent gut issues. Medication was the only answer – multiple ones to address each condition. And then likely more to manage the side effects of those medications.

“Food has nothing to do with it.”  Well, I was eating a high-sugar, high-processed food diet and washing it down with a few beers at night.  I was drinking conventionally produced milk daily, and ignoring the connection between that and my gas, bloat,diarrhea, and acne. I was putting on perfumes, lotions, and make-up filled with chemicals, in addition to acne creams and products to clear my skin.

“Changing your diet won’t help.” “Food has nothing to do with it.”  

Here’s the thing. Most doctors don’t study nutrition, and if they do, they certainly don’t study the mind-body-food connection. Nutrition goes beyond the macros-micros, and recognizes the healing components on food (and with that, the harmful ones too).  The study of nutrition looks at the whole person and analyzes how a particular food is working for that person.

“Food has nothing to do with it.”  

Well I’d like to share some stories from clients that prove otherwise:

 

Stress resilience

A client mentioned he was going through a particularly stressful few weeks. We’ve been working together for a few months, and he’s made significant changes to his diet. From high sugar, skipping meals, and fast food to a whole foods based diet with consistent eating.  But what I loved was his recognition of how those diet changes have impacted his ability to react to stress. In the past, a stressful situation would have disrupted his sleep, thrown him off his exercise routine, caused irritability and moodiness, and/or put him on a sugar and caffeine binge. However, with a healthier foundation and regular exercise he was able to react calmly, sleep well, keep his blood sugar stable, and maintain his healthy eating. As a result, he felt empowered to voice his opinion at work, recognize his feelings and process them, and shake a few things off. WOW!

Eating a healthy diet gives your body the foundation it needs to develop stress resilience.

 

Marriage saved

When I first started as a health coach 14 years ago, one of my clients was in a very difficult spot in her marriage. She came to me for help lowering her cholesterol.  As we peeled back the layers, she discovered that her sugar addiction and lack of wholesome foods was not only raising her cholesterol levels, but also causing her to have major blood sugar swings, irritability, and moodiness, which dampened her ability to communicate with her husband, tolerate mess in the house, and get organized. Her lack of steady energy was affecting her sleep patterns, sex life, self-esteem, and motivation. As a result, her marriage was suffering.  Once her diet was changed (and she was a rock star), she felt more stable and less moody, slept better, communicated better, organized her house, cleaned up the messes, felt sexier, and……14 years later her marriage is going strong.

Changing your diet changes how you feel about yourself and how you relate to others.

 

Beautiful skin

“I saw someone who I haven’t seen since June, which was right before I started seeing you. She told me I looked refreshed, healthy, and like I’ve lost weight. Many people have recently commented on my skin and that I look brighter and healthy.”

A healthier inside produces a healthier outside. Your skin is one of the first things to change and people notice!

 

Cancer risks reversed and PMDD alleviated!

A client had been dealing with PMDD (severe PMS) for years. No doctor was able to help her mediate the symptoms of fatigue, irritability, blood sugar swings and heavy, painful cycles.  Additionally, she experienced fibrous breast tissue and was on high alert for breast cancer. After 3 months working together, plus self-continuation of the protocols, 5 out of 6 precancer markings resolved, and her estimated lifetime cancer risk dropped to the lowest end of intermediate.  Her PMDD symptoms also alleviated and her cycle became lighter.  As an added bonus, small patches of psoriasis, which she dealt with for years, disappeared!

Eating a healthy diet helps balance hormones and estrogen dominance.

 

Ulcerative Colitis in remission

For 6 months, this young client was in so much pain before he came to see me. In his late 20s, his life was on hold dealing with severe gastro-intestinal inflammation known as Ulcerative Colitis. He was scared, full of anxiety, and depressed. Within two weeks of implementing an anti-inflammatory diet, incorporating some herbs, and adding in healing supplements, his symptoms significantly improved. By the end of a few months, he was in remission, committed to his new eating patterns and starting to exercise again.  He now has the tools he needs to deal with flare-ups and not allow anxiety to take hold.

Eating foods that are anti-inflammatory can heal the gut and the mind.

 

“Changing your diet won’t help.” “Food has nothing to do with it.”  

 

Please don’t tell me this because I see it every day.  Symptoms are signs and messages from the body that something is off balance.  When the body gets what it needs and the blockages are removed, it can begin the God-given healing process placed inside of every one of us.

Next time someone tells you diet won’t help….give it a try anyway. 😉