Hey… it’s 12.12.12! Anyway, I’ve decided to create a new category of posts just for journaling. This is going to be a train-of-thought type of read that hopefully some of you will find instructive.

I’ve been reading a whole stack of books again… always. The genre is not new, but continuing and refreshed. There are always new nuances to learn on all topics and it’s wonderful to watch an evolution occurring right before our eyes.

Here is a list of the books I’m wending my way through:

– The Fat Switch by Richard J. Johnson, M.D.
– Gut and Psychology Syndrome by Natasha Campbell-McBride, M.D.
– The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates & Linda Schatz

The genre of these books has to do with diet and understanding mechanisms of health and weight maintenance. It’s time for me to figure this one out for myself — in the laboratory of my own body.

I came upon The Fat Switch through Dr. Joseph Mercola‘s website. If you aren’t familiar with Dr. Mercola, I suggest you visit his website. He writes extensively on all sorts of natural health topics. And the thing I really like about him is that not only does he make recommendations based on his knowledge and experience as a medical doctor, he also makes them based on his own personal experience. I’ve recently enjoyed watching his videos on Peak 8 interval training and women’s weight training using kettlebells which I love.

Dr. Richard Johnson feels that one reason why many humans are obese today is that we have lost the ability to regulate our weight through turning off what he calls The Fat Switch. He comes to this conclusion partly through his observations of animals and their ability to sequester weight (fat) under varying circumstances like bears in hibernation, male penguins who have to sit on their eggs until their wife arrives back from a food fetch, and hummingbirds who drink copious amounts of nectar (sugar) and as a result have very fat livers. The good news is that our habits of couch sitting and eating fast food is not the ONLY reason for our current state. Small comfort in that! but some for sure. Some of the keys to controlling the fat switch: get a blood test, maintain a normal balance of carbohydrates, protein and fat, reduce fructose containing sugars, high glycemic foods and umami (beer, lobster, shrimp, shellfish) foods. The history is fascinating, and his premise compelling.

I’ve had the Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) book on my shelf for some time. I resurrected it off the shelf recently after a conversation with a friend about some of my current concerns. The byline of the book is: Natural treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, ADD, Dyslexia, ADHD, Depression and Schizophrenia — the ‘Psychology’ part of the equation. The GAPS diet has found great success in helping children with these health issues which is a wonderful wonderful thing. The author, Natasha Campbell-McBride is an MD with MMedSci (neurology) and MMedSci (nutrition). She states that the book evolved over a period of three years of working with hundreds of children in her clinic. Through her clinical work she made the connection between many of the psychological problems the children experienced,  and the ecology of their gut. Her solution is the GAPS diet. It’s interesting. My friend who was on the diet for a full year, found it very helpful for her issues and confidently recommended it to me.

The Body Ecology Diet is another book I bought some time ago, leafed through, and shelved. Now it’s packed away in the deep darks of our storage unit so I purchased another copy at my favorite natural foods grocery, Mountain Valley Foods in Kalispell, Montana and began studying it. My colon hydrotherapy person, Peggy Small, at Aquasoothe, swears by the B.E.D. and has been practicing and recommending it for some time. She and her husband Larry provided me with some great insights into the diet, its premise and practical application. B.E.D. talks about the problem of candidiasis — overgrowth of yeast. It relates health issues such as chronic fatigue syndrome, cancer, AIDS, food allergies, frequent digestive problems, skin rashes, constipation, PMS, headaches, fatigue, depression, poor memory, sensitivity to odors, and a host of other conditions, to the pervasiveness of candida in the body.  The diet is the tool Ms. Gates uses to help people of all ages clear symptoms and come to a balance in their body systems that is the state of health.

I like The Body Ecology Diet. Of these two books and the diets they espouse, B.E.D. most resonates with me. And this is the point of this path of inquiry — what resonates, and then, what works? I am not averse to taking on something ‘hard’ to achieve a goal. I may eventually be forced to undertake something of that sort, but maybe not. In this process I’m learning a great deal and I certainly hope I will find success and a greater balance in my own life.

I welcome your comments!

~ Anais
 
 

Categories: Book Reviews, Journal