I was recently confronted with the diagnoses of an autoimmune disease, so at I approached the reading and subsequent reviewing of Eating Ourselves Sick by Louise Stephen with a lot of interest.
Louise, a former corporate strategy consultant was diagnosed with a life-threatening autoimmune disease at the very young age of thirty-three. She was eventually the recipient of a very successful kidney transplant and was provoked by her own health journey to investigate the path and process of autoimmune disease in our society.
What follows is a well researched, expertly written investigation of why our society in the last hundred years or so has so dramatically witnessed a cataclysmic downward spiral of our health. She critically examines why we have got so fat and sick, and how the sickness industry has become a major corporate player in our world where profit margins outweigh ethics and environmental concerns nearly every time.
Have we blamed our genetics, and is our programmed DNA going to result in the diseases our parents had or is it our environment and toxic processed food which is the culprit? Should Big Pharma and Big Food be more thoroughly investigated and held accountable or is our government just turning a blind eye, leaving to future generations a landslide of sick, obese and chronically ill human beings to be drugged and fed into an early grave?
There has been much written in recent years about the sugar overload in our world. This deadly white poison which is so addictive was rooted in the slave trade and although initially the prerogative of only the rich white elite, subsequently became a massive part of the everyday diet – infiltrating itself into everything from infant formula to savoury foods. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is just one of the ways this white crystal has become part of every food we consume, from the eleven teaspoons in a can of Coke to the more surprising amounts in our tomato sauce and everyday food.
Seed oils too have become toxic and laden with potential health destroying elements. But whatever is cheap and easily resourced seems to suit the big companies with quick profit and an already addicted consumer base. Louise goes on to discuss the way that wheat (or more particularly gluten) has also become something which now can make us sick. I myself have found that gluten is not good for my body.
Most of us have heard of the many fad diets that have been around for years. We have probably all tried a few of them, with little or only temporary success. Many so called wonder diets have had the backing of faulty medical data, with a food pyramid tenuously balanced on a base of grains with vegetable as an optional extra. Low fat was touted as being the best, but at the cost of being compensated with sugar or artificial flavours.
It has only been through the recent rise of the wellness industry where people are questioning the medications that they are one and seeking an alternative. Doctors are no longer regarded as Gods, and many unwell consumers are asking questions, and finding that consuming plant food can make us well, while pharmaceuticals (in many cases necessary) do little to make or keep us well.
It is through the rise of many Social media entrepreneurs and wellness gurus that many sick people are seeking alternative ways of mending their health. There is a vast amount of information out there, and not all of it is crazy; most is well substantiated, annotated and backed by examples and testimonials.
For example, Mind, body green, Wellness Mama and Gluten Free Girl are just three websites with blogs, Facebook pages and Instagram accounts retelling their tips and methods of finding and maintaining wellness. For many of these, there is no financial incentive, only the joy of sharing what has worked for them. Personally, I have found a huge amount of information on our microbial gut health, and how the disruption of this has probably exacerbated my own health condition.
Louise concludes with her own summary of what can help to make and keep us well:
What I really love and admire about this wonderful book is the depth of research and information Louise has provided. She emphasises that it is NOT a diet book, but Eating Ourselves Sick is what I would call a necessary book. It is a wake-up call. For us, for our children and our children’s children. Information empowers, and being empowered means we, the consumer and the patient can be more aware of what we are doing to our bodies and our health. This is a must read book for all of us.
Eating Ourselves Sick by Louise Stephen is available now from Dymocks. Click here to learn more.