I haven’t written about nutrition in many months. I haven’t kept up with the trends and rarely discuss nutrition at all.

But today I read a compelling study by a cardiologist about fatigue, plaque in the arteries, and energy boosting foods which contain polyphenols, something I know a bit about. This hit home.

I have not been able to walk or exercise for the better part of the last six months. I have a nasty inflammatory illness which has fractured my femur, and it is taking a very long time to heal. I was told to stay off my feet and I didn’t realize that meant to stay off my feet 😊

Despite being a prisoner in my own home, not eating terribly well, and not being able to be outside and exercise - something I have counted on for wellness my entire life - I have noticed that there are days where I feel extremely well. Days when my energy is consistent and even throughout the day. Days where my mind feels rather positive, despite my condition….

So, I started tracking what I was eating.

You guessed it. Berries. Orchards of berries.Blueberries, strawberries, cherries. And then so many other fruits I really could start an orchard in my belly.

And I am feeling unbelievably well!

Polyphenols, available in berries, keep our energy consistent, boost our immunity, keep our blood flowing and our arteries open, and keep us well in so many other ways I invite you to read the available studies yourself.

Now:

The days I didn’t feel as well were the days I ate the deadly nightshade veggies, those which contain lectins: tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes.

These vegetables, though gorgeous and delicious right now, grow at night. The emit a deadly poison which many of us react to. If you suffer from any inflammation at all, these vegetables activate that inflammation: joint pain, swelling, bloating, arthritis. There are other problems, as well. Again, I invite you to do your own research. It is out there.

But more importantly, I invite you to use your own body as a petri dish. What makes you feel well? What makes you feel poorly?

Please, oh pleases, oh please, avoid any fads or trends. Please avoid supplements. These make your urine expensive. Some work, but most are just congestive and costly.

I have a client who was taking wheatgrass, until I suggested she stop taking these absurdly expensive shots at Jamba Juice. I showed her a diagram of our digestive system. I explained that, to digest and metabolize a grass, we would have to have four stomachs, like cows. But more importantly, I explained that DOGS EAT GRASS IN ORDER TO VOMIT. GRASS IS DOGGIE IPECHAC. It is toxic to the human digestive system. Woof.

Don’t buy into these ridiculous fads. They drain energy, not boost energy.

You know what to do because you know how you feel. You know not to eat sugar. You know to limit caffeine. You know to spend about 10-15 minutes in sunlight for your pineal gland (top of your head) and to allow the sun to touch your forearms and other exposed parts of your body because this is the only way Vitamin D can be made (the hormone – the real vitamin D). And you know, you absolutely know, that if something in your life isn’t “right,” like a relationship, or a job, you must look at it, face it, fix it. Because no matter what you eat, if something like this is off, nothing you put in your body will synthesize or metabolize as life affirming.

Love, Gopita