Trick or Treat
We always have the power of choice, and it's time to choose whether to trick ourselves or treat ourselves.
I'm talking about CANDY.
But I'm also talking about inflammation.
You guys saw the emails I sent a few weeks ago sharing about how sugar directly damages our gut microbiome and disrupts our neurotransmitters, causing mental and physical health issues. It's also linked to chronic and systemic inflammation- something that every medical and health professional, no matter who funds them, cannot deny is a BIG problem today.
It’s one thing to say we understand that inflammation is a primary and universal component in all chronic disease, particularly metabolic diseases.
It’s another thing entirely to apply that knowledge to our daily lives and recognize that we are part of the ripple effect in the pond by how we manage and support our daily wellness.
We know that the current food-industry (at least here in the US) is pumping out products in mass that contain excess amounts of color agents, texturizers, and flavor enhancers, most of which are toxic for human consumption. Literally- they use petroleum derived components, not to mention the list of known carcinogens.
We know that major food companies actually HIRE flavor technicians to make foods irresistible to the human taste buds. Their science is based on our dopamine response to make us continue seeking that sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy, creamy, whatever satisfaction, over and over.
We know that ALL of these products and the ingredients they’re made of CAUSE acute and chronic inflammatory responses in the body. This isn't even a question anymore, it's simply fact.
In plain English: we are causing inflammation in our bodies when we consume anything that was made in a factory. This includes bread, crackers, snack packs, bars, pasta, condiments and more…not just the candy in the cutesy Halloween bowl that sits on our counter top.
But we continue to buy this stuff?
We continue to eat this stuff?
We continue to feed our kids this stuff and send it into school?
When we make behavioral choices that don’t align with our understanding and beliefs, we create a psychological experience called cognitive dissonance.
Cognitive dissonance means we are off course with ourselves.
It means that either our beliefs are inaccurate or that our behavior doesn’t match our beliefs. In either case, it’s like that airplane that takes off one degree off from it’s proposed course and after 12 hours is in Africa instead of the expected destination of Italy!
The more you are out of alignment with yourself, the further from yourself you become, over time.
The space between the “acting-you” and the “real-you” becomes the space that all things pathological lie. Those things could be anxiety and depression, or they could be substance use, other unhealthy coping mechanisms, or they could indeed be physical illness.
Ok, so, what’s the big deal about being in cognitive dissonance? Well, in this particular case;
We’re giving our beloved bodies toxic ingredients that WILL contribute to systemic inflammation. Systemic, meaning the inflammation will travel all over as the body tries to deal with the dumpster fire you just chewed up and swallowed. It’ll be in your intestines, belly, bloodstream, glands, organs, and yes, your brain. So that creates a pretty physical problem there all by itself, right? We know that chronic inflammation is linked to heart disease, cancer and digestive disorders (like Crohn's and IBS) autoimmune disorders (like Hashimoto's), and more.
Whether you only have inflammatory foods here and there or are starting to realize you eat them daily, you may experience any of the following symptoms:
bloat
digestive irregularity in either direction
headaches
moodiness and irritability
depression
cloudy thinking, confusion
anxiety, physical and mental
obsessions and compulsions
high blood sugar, insulin resistance, diabetes
gluten sensitivity, celiac disease
skin conditions, eczema, psoriasis, rash, dryness, etc
brittle nails and hair, hair loss
and fill in the blank with any other unpleasant physical symptom you may personally deal with
Yes, inflammation can cause all of that, and more.
I’m not being “extra” when I say that chronic, unresolved inflammation in the body WILL lead to a chronic health condition, like cancer. But don’t be fooled, that’s actually not the worst that can happen.
Many of the mental health issues we deal with as a culture are directly linked to both inflammation AND cognitive dissonance.
Mental health cannot be extracted from physical health, and vice versa. Understanding cognitive dissonances gives us some power and problem solving ability impact ALL OF THE ABOVE. 👆
The goal is to decrease the space identified in the cognitive dissonance and get back into integrity with our authentic self. There’s a lot of therapy in that sentence…so, sticking with the context of today’s email, we can keep it simple: What can you do that will begin to close the gap between what you know and what you do?
Choose to purchase and consume foods that promote wellness and balance internally, instead of foods that promote inflammation. See how this aligns with what we know?!? Even the most mainstream media recognizes chronic inflammation as a pathology. We can keep pretending like it doesn't matter, or we can start making choices that align with truth. What do those choices look like?
Well, let’s start with Halloween. You still have time to order or find treats and candy that are made with real ingredients. I’m not going to tell you that we “should” over consume sugar using any holiday as an excuse. But, I am going to tell you that if you’re going to consume candy or hand it out, consider a healthier, more loving option. This will cause less of a problematic impact on the bodies it lands in and it will put YOU into alignment with what you KNOW, which will have profound benefits to your own physical and mental health.
