Food is Medicine!
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Odds are at one point or another you have either asked someone or researched some of the most ubiquitous questions for athletes & laymen: “Which supplements should I take?… What foods should I eat/avoid?… Is taking a multi-vitamin worth it?... What is a good whey protein shake to take?... What should I eat to gain/lose weight?”
The answers are as related as peanut butter and jelly and have everything to do with your own unique physiology vs. marketing, opinions or talking heads (not to be confused with the band). The initial answer starts off the SAME for EVERYBODY, yet the detailed answers you’re searching for are highly individualized to you.
The road to your health, be it weight-loss, maximizing athletic performance, promoting health, warding off disease, or just living so long you make your social security contributions back, starts with a complete food allergy blood panel. The panel should include testing both IgE and IgG antibodies. IgE measures the immediate reactions & IgG measures the delayed (i.e., hours to days) reactions.
How else do you really know what works for you & what works against you?
Say the following picture was part of your food panel report:
Now answer the following questions:
1. What is the best source of protein for you?
a. whey protein
b. eggs
c. beef
d. halibut
e. all the above
f. c & d
2. When eating out, what is the best side dish for you?
a. pasta
b. whole wheat bread & olive oil
c. white rice
d. yogurt
e. whatever tickles your taste buds
3. What nutrient may you need to supplement if you follow the blood panel results?
a. calcium
b. fish oil
c. vitamin D
d. glucosamine/chondroitan sulfate
e. whatever GNC or vitacost.com has a special on
f. a & c
4. Which food(s) are most likely to cause weight gain & adversely affect your health?
a. cod
b. yogurt
c. veggie omelet
d. bagel w/ sunflower seed butter
e. b, c, & d
f. I don’t care, I hope I die before I get old (apologies to The Who)
Please put down your pencils… the answers are: f, c, d, & f respectively.
Imagine the immediate & down-stream impact this information has on your life? Food is (or at least should be) medicine. Perseverate on this: Food is medicine, yet what happens if I take medication prescribed for someone else? In other words, would you swallow pills prescribed for your Aunt Betty’s IBS to help with your headaches? Of course not, yet how many of us eat the wrong foods unwittingly because we think: “it’s suppose to be good for me?”
Have you ever wondered why your urine was neon yellow or why your bowel movement was anything but a floating brown log?
The effects of eating what you should & supplementing what you don’t get but need are compounded over time, just like the money you’ll save on needless supplements & meals, health-care costs, internet specials, etc.
The road to a sound mind in a sound body starts with knowing thyself. Ask your physician for a complete food allergy blood panel & be prepared to stand your ground & explain why you want it. An orthopedic doctor once shared with me some frustration in getting their physician to order this test… took two tries & a pledge to go somewhere else for it.
Take-Home:
• You’re just guessing what you should be eating or supplementing with until you get a complete food allergy blood panel procedure which includes both IgE & IgG4.
• Your health & well-being, be it athletic performance, absence of disease, weight-loss, weight-gain (e.g., the “Hard-Gainer”;), longevity, or just putting your best foot forward everyday will maximize with the “right foods & supplements.”
“Investing in yourself is the best thing you can do… you’ll get back ten-fold.”
~Warren Buffett