From Jackie with love

Would you buy dead batteries?

By Jackie Rainford Corcoran Explore Big Sky Health Columnist

You wouldn’t spend $7 on a pack of dead batteries to put in your headlamp before going on a camping trip. But think about how many times we spend $7 on “dead food” to fuel our bodies.

Dead food is processed, packaged and contains artificial ingredients that aren’t food at all. It causes harmful inflammation, disrupts digestion and compromises the immune system.

Consider the standard American lunch: a sweetened or diet drink; a sandwich made with starchy bread, processed lunchmeat, cheese and condiments; and a side of salty chips. This meal comprises about one-third of the calories we need for the day and they’re all from dead food.

Some symptoms associated with eating dead food include low energy, poor sleep, constipation or diarrhea, brain fog, moodiness, weight gain, achy or stiff joints, cravings, a compromised immune system, headaches, bloating or gas, and a low sex drive.

If you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms, ask yourself if the food and drink you consume regularly is energizing or depleting.

Have you ever felt intoxicated by a heavy meal, salty chips or sweets? If so, your body was in a toxic or poisoned state, which means your life force was being sucked out by what you ate or drank.

Why do we eat dead foods?The brain’s reward centers are activated when we ingest specific foods or combinations of fat, salt and sugar – think chocolate chip cookies – which release hormones that signal pleasure. This feels good in the short term and the impulse is to eat more to continue the “high.” But the body is not meant to use these highly refined foods as fuel.

Why does the brain seem to like these foods if they’re bad for us? We have to eat. The brain is hardwired to be excited by food – real food that sustains life. We are meant to light up when we find a wild strawberry growing from the earth. Take that natural sugar, process and condense it, add butter, salt, flour, eggs and chocolate chips and our brain is bewitched. Enter food addictions, cravings and disease. It’s too much of a good thing.

What is life-enhancing food? Clean drinking water, organic fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, and fresh organic meat and eggs are just a few examples. For a more extensive list, visit “The World’s Healthiest Foods” website whfoods.org. Their criteria for selecting foods are: they are the most nutrient-dense, whole, familiar, readily available, affordable and they taste good. The website also provides free, simple and delicious recipes.

You are a powerful life force that has a lot to offer this world. Life is short enough. Why shorten it further and dampen this incredible experience by usurping your own energy with dead food? The next time you eat, ask yourself, “Is this going to make me feel like a zippy sports car or an old jalopy abandoned on the side of the road?” Being prepared with healthy food will keep you from spending $7 on dead batteries.

Jackie Rainford Corcoran is an IIN Certified Holistic Health Coach, a public speaker and health activist. Contact her today for a complimentary 30-minute health consultation: jackie@thetahealth.com.