If You Are What You Eat -- Would You Be Healthy?

I asked the questions "If you are what you eat, what would you be?" and "what would you ideally be" in order to make people think about if they're eating the way they want to be.  As information goes forward, there seems to be an impossible amount to keep up with about food.  I feel proud that I finally remember which oils are the ones that are recommended for cooking.  Part of having a compromised memory as I do is that I maybe see how to simplify things for people.  However, to do that myself is cumbersome and in some regards 'over my head'. 

I attended the free seminar at the local Natural Grocers (formerly Vitamin Cottage) in order to learn more from Dr. Christopher Lepisto (naturopath who has three videos, one free, here at Lumigrate), and Audrey Barrett, the acupuncturist that also sees patients at the Integrative Medicine Center of Western Colorado.  The title was "Food as Medicine -- Beyond Organics".   Since I've seen less of her information over the years, I really look forward to learning from her.  They were talking about the Chi content when I arrived, detained by running into my former neighbor whose wife was one of the people in the studio audience when we recorded the videos you see on Lumigrate.com.  Concepts such as eating locally in order to decrease the carbon footprint of food, keeping things more within the season and therefore more natural, and supporting your local community bonds.  Naturally, growing your own is a wonderful option and it seemed to me like more community gardens could be springing up this spring, I'd hope.  Seasonal eating was another concept they covered -- root vegetables now, dark leafy vegetables, and warming spices, lightly cooking or steaming as cooking methods. 

Ayur vedic was covered, which was intersting to me because two years ago the live educational forum that I was co-leading here in Grand Junction had requested someone come and talk to us about this type of medicine.  It turns out that locally Dr. Lepisto and Anthony Bogart, his yoga instructor, are the resources on that.  I will hope that they'll want to write about that in the Forum area of people are interested.  (so if so, please Comment below).  A resource suggested is ayurveda.com, and click on 'determine your constitution'.  I've loaned my Ayur Vedic Medicine for Women out many times over the years and people have always found it fascinating and helpful, so I suggest this as something you might look into as well.     

"Free Range" was something I learned about in my time there, as the federal regulations on what classifies 'free range' isn't what I thought it implied from the term.  Greenchoices.org is a resource for people to look things up on, as well as the Organic Consumer's Association.  I guess what I simply thought as a streamlining measure for people that might read this is to look at the Natural Grocer's website to see what brands they carry, as Dr. Lepisto and I both trust this Colorado-based company's ethics.  I've had a personal conversation with one of their corporate people and suffice it to say they have as much passion for ethical business as I do.  (Link will be below for your convenience). 

And as we look into spring, it's time to get moving -- awaken the liver energy, and that is what can contribute to feelings of depression right now in winter's depths.  It's an excellent time to detox and cleanse -- I'd like to remind people that Dr. Lepisto's seminar about this topic, complete with the handouts, is one of the low-cost downloadable videos at this website.  He also talked about food allergies and that is the other low cost video of his.  FREE ($0.00) is his 'Chronic Illness, Full Barrel Syndrome', and new this year is an area in the website for people who have watched the videos to come and talk about it in the Forum areas.  We're finding that many people are reading the forum information and really looking to have people with the same knowledge base as they have to discuss things with.  Dr Lepsito's seminars are very well attended in Grand Junction and people have been nothing but complimentary of the videos on Lumigrate.com. 

I'm really hoping that MANY will watch his food allergies video here, as Dr. Lepisto's MD sidekick at the IMC, Scott Rollins (also seen on Lumigrate) has returned in late 2009 from a conference about integrative medicine and very fired up about the new information about food allergies and autoimmune disorders (and think of OA and fibromyalgia as having aspects that are autoimmune perhaps).  For $20 and foregoing of some foods, people's health issues could be resolved.  I know for me personally, I'm wishing I'd continued to eliminate the foods I had blood tested as IgG allergic to (which is different than IgE and causes much confusion) because I think the big relapse I had with my health was partly due to rotating foods back in.  (It's only been recently the progressive thinking has shifted to say not to rotate things back in, as I understand it.)  A good place to start for people who might not be sure about the commitment of money is to download his FREE video on Full Barrel Syndrome.  It includes 'food' and toxins and many aspects of foods and in my opinion, if a person watches it when they're not distracted and can sense what is being communicated, they could be able to have an internal doctor inside of them saying what might need to be changed in their 'barrel' for better health or health maintenance.  (Link below for a blog on Lumigrate to help people feel more comfortable with how to download -- and trust me, it's something I didn't think I could do and it is really easy -- the website does the hard part for you.  And so as long as I've invested in these things, I really would like to see people utilizing the information). 

It's very good to see so much interest in foods as medicine.  Dr Oz today had a good segment about Alzheimers, except that I think there are a lot of middle aged women out there tonight who think they have Alzheimers and don't realize it's maybe hormone-related.  "Fibro Fog" which is part of adrenal fatigue (see previous blogs) can also cause much of what they were discussing.  Luckily he gave a website for people to go and fill out a test to see if it's Alzheimer's or not.  I'm looking forward to doing that, except I forgot where I put the remote to the DVR. 

Just kidding.... but it is time for me to get along and find some nutritious, delicious foods.  And Dr. Lepisto actually got through a seminar without saying the word 'kale' .. his favorite nutritious food ... but in case anyone is interested, his recipe for cooking it is in the Forum / Nutrition / Recipes section of the website. 

Link to Natural Grocers to check out what brands they carry (just as an idea of what brands you have locally to chose from OR you can order from their online service). www.naturalgrocers.com/grocery_bulk_foods-c-1.html

Link to The IMC where Christopher Lepisto and Audrey Barrett practice: www.imcwc.com

Blog about how to download a video ... (and the videos are on the Videos tab on the toolbar)

www.lumigrate.com/blog/how-get-video-lumigratecom-documentation-comes-easy

Happy Learning, and please leave comments below too!  I'm re-motivated about food and food allergies and even stocked up on supplements when I was at Natural Grocers.  (You'll see there are also supplements on the Products tab of Lumigrate but that is as a service to people everywhere to have a route to purchase the supplements that the provider experts in the video seminars carry at their clinic.)