One size does not fit all - finding your personal nutritional plan

“Good fats are good for your body” - we hear and read this statement all the time.

Walnuts, MTC oil, and extra-virgin olive oil are all shown to be great fats for a healthy nutrition plan. [1] But how do you know these fats are good for YOUR body?

We hear a lot of times from AAOSH attendees, that they have run the gamut of yoyo dieting with no luck, and they’d like some answers to what is best. I can only share what I have found through constant research and trial-and-error for myself. Hopefully this will get you thinking about a different, more personalized approach.

I have been struggling with inflammation and chronic full-body soreness for years, and after many different attempts at eating those “good for you foods,” it still persisted. It then became my quest over the last year to get that resolved. There is a constant burgage of diets claiming to be the best, and while many support healthy nutritional habits and gut heath, not all foods that are healthy (I learned) may be healthy for YOU. It finally took eliminating the things I ate the most, to figure out the culprit of my inflammation.

I started eating avocados (even though I didn’t really like them) because they are a “good oil” and “gut friendly,” not to mention the other myriad of other health benefits we are constantly told they have. A few weeks after my avocado induction, I started feeling a soreness all over my body, almost akin to chronic fatigue. At that point, I didn’t attribute it to any specific foods, so I decided to get some blood tests for food allergies and find out why my body felt sore all the time. And there it was! While avocados may be great for the masses, they absolutely were not great for me. Once I stopped them, my pain and inflammation decreased - a lot.

Then I started eliminating even more foods from my diet - tomatoes, bananas, eggs, coffee, and wine – things I was eating (or drinking) a lot of, on a regular basis. To my surprise, the soreness went away even more, and I felt so much better. And the real bonus? I even lost those extra pounds I couldn’t before! Since heredity plays such a large role in our bodies, I shared this news with my daughter (she eats avocados by the dozens and was also experiencing full body chronic soreness). Once she eliminated those foods from her diet, she felt an amazing improvement in her body as well.

Why can avocados, wine, coffee, etc. make you feel so bad? It is because they contain histamines. Histamine is an organic nitrogenous compound involved in local immune responses, providing regulating physiological function in the gut, and acting as neurotransmitters for the brain, spinal cord, and uterus. Histamines are involved in inflammatory response and have a central role as a mediator of itching. Histamines, for many, are not a good thing.

My take away is this - Even if food is labeled “healthy” and can potentially do fabulous things for your body, it may not work that way with YOUR body. So proceed with caution, but start incorporating everything you read into your own personal nutritional plans, so you will get the most out of the foods that react well with your body. I would also suggest having a blood test done that focuses on your specific food sensitivities, and IGA and IGG allergy testing for other sensitivities. At the very least you will hopefully feel better, have more energy, be taking the right supplements, and finally be eating the right foods that make your body run at its utmost performance. And you’ll lose weight!

As Executive Director for AAOSH it is my goal at every Scientific Session to serve the healthiest, most phytonutrient foods the venues can prepare for our attendees. I do this by researching recipes throughout the year and select those that best fit this blueprint. Our venue chefs love the challenge of getting a chance to work outside the box - some of our recipes have even become part of the hotel’s menus, which makes me feel like I had a role in educating others about eating healthy!

I’m sure many of you are aware we now have a recipe book on AAOSH.org, featuring some of the recipes we have had at the Scientific Sessions. I will keep adding to this recipe book as years progress, so please check it out and enjoy healthy eating that fits YOUR body!

References

[1] Moody, Liz. “THESE Are The 3 Best Types Of Fat For Weight Loss, According To Functional Docs.” Mindbodygreen, Mindbodygreen, 17 Jan. 2019, www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/best-types-of-fats-for-weight-loss.

About the Author

Bobbie DelSasso, RDH graduated from Marquette University College of Dentistry in 1979 with a Bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene and worked 25 years in a Periodontal Practice she managed. A lecturer, writer, speaker, past event coordinator for a Seattle Study Club and executive coach to dentists, Bobbie has developed a passion for total health she shares with her commitment to AAOSH. She is a founding member and founding Fellow of AAOSH, member of ISDHS, Speaking Consulting Network past member and acting Executive Director of AAOSH for the past 8years.