Whole New You by Tia Mowry - The Big Three Concepts

Whole New You by Tia Mowry - The Big Three Concepts

You Are Whole ● Inflammation Is A Thing ● You Are Not Alone

 In the intro of Tia Mowry's book she discusses her own food journey and what led her to the discoveries that she discusses in the book. I'm not going to go into detail about her story. You will have to read the book for that. My goal is to go over some of the concepts discussed in the book that may not be well known, let you know that you are not alone in this journey, try some of the strategies suggested, and share my thoughts on a couple of the recipes provided in the book. So here we go....

The first concept Tia discusses is that your body is whole, as in it is complete, and it works perfectly the way it was designed. Everything in my body, in your body, is connected. That concept is something we need to let sink in. Everything in our body is connected. 

You probably learned the song just like I did when you we're a kid...

The hip bone's connected to the back bone

The back bone's connected to the neck bone,

The neck bone's connected to the head bone,

Now shake dem skeleton bones!

Not only are our bones connected, but our veins, muscles, etcetera are all connected within our bodies. Somehow as we grow older we forget that it is all connected. What we eat not only dictates how we feel but it nourishes the tissues, muscles, and bones in our body. Tia compared our bodies to a symphony. If one person in that symphony is playing all the wrong notes, you as an audience member will notice that something is off, but you may not be able to determine where the problem is occurring. The conductor of the symphony has three options. The conductor can ignore the issue, try to patch the issue, or confront the issue at its source. The same is true for our bodies. If something is not functioning properly in our bodies we can ignore the issue, try to cover it up with temporary medicine, or find the source of the issue and resolve using medication if necessary, but preferably resolve in a natural and sustainable way.

The next concept is that inflammation is real and sometimes necessary. It is necessary in when it comes to injury and infection. Inflammation gives your immune system a signal to repair and heal any and all damaged tissue in the body. If you don't have an injury or infection then you should not have inflammation.  It is a problem when you have unnecessary inflammation in your body.

On Red Table Talk Will and Jada Smith had a doctor, Mark Hyman of Cleveland Clinic, take a look at their health habits and discuss ways to improve.What Dr. Hyman has to say is very interesting and includes a lot about gut health and inflammation. Click the Link below to watch the video.

The third and final concept is You Are Not Alone. You are not alone not only refers to you not being the only person on a health journey, but refers to what is already going on in your body to help you achieve great health. There is good or healthy bacteria in your body. This bacteria is called microbiome (mai-kruh-bai-owm). Microbiome is essential to our immune system and digestion. The lack of microbiomes in the body can lead to food allergies, leaky gut, and more.

Leaky gut is tiny holes found in the smaller intestine. These tiny holes allow bacteria, indigestible food, and viruses to flow through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. Leaky gut also affects our immune system. About 70% of our immune system is located in our gut and on the wall of our gut. If our gut is not functioning correctly then our immune system can not properly protect us.

Leaky gut can cause a variety of health issues

• Bloating
• Digestive Issues
• Diarrhea
• Food sensitivity
• Fatigue
• Skin problems

This is just a few of the issues it can cause. If you exhibit any of these symptoms and want to find out if you have leaky gut please make an appointment with your primary care physician. 

*I am not a doctor and cannot provide medical advice. I am just sharing information I have found.

Sources:

Mowry, Tia (2017). Whole New You: How Real Food Transforms Your Life, for a Heathier, More Gorgeous You. Ballantine Books. Penguin Random House

Hyman, Dr. Mark. How Good Gut Health Can Boost Your Immune System. ecowatch.com