Listening to your Body

        Eating habits create vicious cycles that can rip your digestive system slowly apart and work against your body.  I heard a statistic recently that something like 60% of all surgeries could have been prevented with diet changes.  I think I'm being conservative in my guess on the percentage, there...  as I recall it was more like 90%..., but I can't recall the source to double check it.  I shake my head at how acceptable it is to eat over processed foods that contain no nutrients.  And then we turn around and wonder why our health care services are over-taxed?! 
         Many of us have serious digestive issues that we live with day to day unbeknownst to us.  Our bodies speak to us in painstaking detail.  We tend to ignore what it says.   Depression and lethargy, skin problems, lack of libido, gas and bloating, all of these are symptoms that can be contributed to poor diet.  It’s time to tune in to your bodies.  Do you get headaches after eating certain foods? What foods give you gas?  These are indications from your body…
        
         My mother contends with Celiacs disease and is therefore afflicted by the tiniest amount of wheat in her diet. She was stricken with a bout of blisters and diarrhea after eating breadcrumbs left in the butter. Shell fish allergies, Vegans, and peanut allergies are other examples of dietary sensitivity with extreme reactions to small amounts of food. Often, however, allergies and food sensitivities go completely unnoticed and unchecked.
          It can be very difficult to assess our bodies reaction to food, sometimes. A single serving of food may contain more than a dozen ingredients. Industrially prepared food, especially, contains an enormous amount of preservative chemicals and flavouring additives.  A good start on your quest for health would be to get back to simple ingredients.