When I was out and about yesterday I stopped in at the local grocery store (Fred Meyer) to pick up a few organic produce 
items for my green juice. At the checkout I looked at the items the people in front of me and behind me had in their carts,
They didn’t have much produce, mostly processed foods, sodas, chips, yogurt, white bread and processed foods. At least one of them bought Organic milk!
I had all organic produce in my cart. To each their own.
Before I was diagnosed with MCTD, Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis I never gave thought to what I ate. I didn’t know any better. It got me thinking about what I ate growing up.
Growing up my Mom was somewhat nutrition conscious but we were on a limited budget so we ate a lot of processed foods, canned foods and frozen foods. Who didn’t love kraft Mac-N-Cheese with cut up hot dogs made from animal lips and nitrates, with a little canned pears, cottage cheese and green jello on the side?
She at least always tried to provide the four food groups – Spam, Gluten, Powdered Milk and Sugar! Just kidding – she really did try hard and did the best she could according to what she knew and what she had to work with.
I didn’t like vegetables so I didn’t eat them much. You couldn’t pay me to eat a Brussel sprout or a beet!
Believe me, my Mom tried! Beets were like alien invaders that leeched into the rest of the food on my plate rendering them inedible!
Brussel Sprouts were disgusting little balls of green dirt that I wouldn’t feed to my dog – well, that’s not exactly true, I do remember slipping a few into my napkin under the table for the dogs consumption! At least someone in the family was getting good nutrition!
What’s with creamed corn? Corn is perfect on the Cobb. Who came up with that? Lets throw our corn in the blender, puree it with horse urine and feed it to the kids! Yeah – great idea. NOT!
Then there’s broccoli – little green bushes that brings Yule Gibbons to mind! “Ya ever eat a pine tree? Many parts are edible!” Enough said!
Today my diet consists of mostly all organic produce – a green smoothie for breakfast, green juice for lunch and either a vegetarian and / or fish. for dinner. No gluten. No sugar. No dairy. No processed food.
If I hadn’t gotten sick, very sick, I would probably never have discovered good nutrition or cared about what I ate. Making the shift from eating for pleasure to eating for health came out of pain and fear – the great motivators.
I’m not a health nut – everything I’ve learned about anti-inflammatory nutrition came out of necessity. I had to make a shift in my eating philosophy and habits or I was going to die.
Auto-Immune Disease may be INCURABLE but I believe it is PREVENTABLE!
Here is a list of the DONT’S when it comes to quality Anti-Inflammatory Nutrition.
I like to call them The Four Horseman of the Nutritional Apocalypse!
The Four Horseman of the Nutritional Apocalypse
- Sugar
- Meat
- Dairy – Casein
- Wheat / Gluten
They are acidic – make your body more acid than alkaline and can cause inflammation and disease or dis-ease!.
Minimize or eliminate consumption of Sugar, Meat, Dairy and Wheat or Gluten and you will reduce inflammation in your body.
It’s necessary for me, I don’t have a choice unless I want to be in extreme pain. You may not have health issues today, but what about tomorrow? Prevention is the best medicine!
Everything I have gone through in life, every challenge, was necessary to break down the ignorant, selfish, egotistical and immature belief system I had toward life, and toward nutrition.
At the end of the day, the pain and adversity I have endured in my life has been the greatest gift because it is what eventually brought me to a place of nutritional consciousness and gratitude.
Today I take action in my life to help others. I know that is the cornerstone of my spiritual belief system. My mission is to help educate people about anti-inflammatory nutrition, promote wellness and healthy living.
I am forever grateful for the many health and nutrition mentors who have helped me, held me and educated me along my journey from sickness to health.
My darkest hour has truly become my greatest gift, to myself and to the world.
You can also follow my anti-inflammatory nutritional journey by “Liking” my Beyond Inflammation “Facebook page, Follow Beyond Inflammation on Twitter or Instagram or Subscribe to my YouTube Video or Pinterest pages.
Have an organic nutritious day – I know I will!
Dave
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