(This is a guest post by Matt Stone of 180 Degree Health. Check out his Diet Recovery E-book here, or a consultation here.)
Are you eating enough omega 3 fatty acids? Making sure to sprout and ferment all your grains? You only use sea salt right? Grassfed or grainfed? Do you know the antioxidant score of your chocolate? Surely you’re making an effort to get more fat soluble vitamins. Have you tried supplementing with glutathione? One tablespoon of cod liver oil per day or two? Virgin or expeller pressed coconut oil? Hope you’re not using a centrifugal juicer – kills the enzymes you know. Are you avoiding sugar, starch, or both? Certainly you’re not daring to consume a dairy product that has been, dare I say, HEATED!!!
When I spoke at the 2011 Wise Traditions Conference, I likened all of these things to fighting a forest fire with an eye dropper. It’s not that these things don’t have validity. They do. But there is such a tidal wave of health information, most of it being promoted with a religious fervor (Cacaolellujah?), that people are drowning in minutiae and completely oblivious to what really matters when it comes to significantly improving and preserving their health.
Two phrases I repeat frequently are:
- It’s not what you eat, it’s what your body does with what you eat.
- Most people focus too much on what they are eating, and too little on how their body works.
Let me explain…
Let’s say you urinate 20 times per day, it’s crystal clear every time, and you are suffering from a number of problems that typically coincide with frequent urination – such as headaches, low energy, freezing cold hands and feet, anxiety and/or irritability, insomnia (particularly between 2-4am), poor libido, heart palpitations, coordination problems, and so forth. This may sound foreign to someone who doesn’t fit this profile, but you would be surprised at just how many people feel they are getting a psychic reading when they hear me list off those conditions.
These are some of the symptoms of having low grade hyponatremia, or low salt levels. This is an extremely destructive condition that impairs the function of just about everything in the body. With low salt levels, hardly anything works correctly. If you suffer from this very prevalent condition (the lower your metabolic rate, the higher your chances of having it because the body wastes salt when metabolic rate is reduced), the top priority from a health perspective is correcting it. The rest is just “details.”
In other words, you can eat the most organic, puritanical, made-from-scratch, chemical-free diet on the planet and not improve any of those conditions. You might even make them worse, especially if someone told you that water was really good for you, that salt and carbs were bad, and that green juices were the key to good health. You don’t have to search very far to find someone singing the high praises of those health ideas.
The irony is that the condition of hyponatremia, while worsened by pure water, nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables, and carbohydrate restriction, can be fixed quite easily at any fine McDonald’s establishment, assuming, of course, that you get burgers, fries, ice cream, and soft drinks and avoid the salads, smoothies, and sugar-free beverages.
I know this hurts to hear. It might even make you angry that I used the most dreaded of all McWords in the health dictionary. But it is absolutely 100% true. If it challenges your personal dietary religion, imagine how hard it was for me to come to this realization after starting a health website and writing a book vilifying processed junk foods, only to later discover that my perfect adherence to wholesome foods was causing me health problems made better by pizza and fast food. Pretty much had an identity crisis over it while scrambling to figure out why that was.
I’m not saying you have to go eat at McDonald’s to fix your problems. Probably not too smart. All you really need is calorie-dense, highly-digestible food with lots of salt, sugar, starch, and saturated fat and a low water content to improve the condition – and all the conditions that stem from it. You can do this at home with quality, less processed, chemical and additive-free fare. But those food qualities are a distant priority compared to getting what you really need to fix the condition. That’s what I’m saying and the point of this whole article – get your priorities straight.
Some top priorities that should take precedence over the fine details of nutrition are:
- Being able to sleep deeply for 8 or more hours per night, uninterrupted
- Having daily bowel movements that are formed and require little to no straining to expel
- Getting your body temperature to 98.6 degrees F, and hands and feet warm all day
The list goes on. Of course improving your diet and lifestyle habits translate to changes in these and other areas. But I encounter far too many people that are deathly afraid to eat salt that isn’t sea salt, or sugar that is refined, or meat that isn’t grassfed and organic. None of those are prerequisites for achieving dramatic improvements in some of the main areas listed above. Keeping your body working correctly is far more of an asset in long-lasting health, true vitality, and degenerative disease prevention than having blind faith in various dietary philosophies.
While this concept may still seem vague and abstract, hopefully this does get you thinking, and experimenting more freely, unencumbered by fear and the narrow perspectives perpetrated upon you by various health “authorities” out there. Odds are that the very things that make so much sense in your mind are the very practices that are holding you back from reaching substantial health improvement.
Make sense? Want to know more? Start by reading Diet Recovery, and find out how to work with your body to get more energy, better health, and even weight loss. And all without minutiae.
This post is a part of Pennywise Platter, Full Plate Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Fight Back Friday, Fresh Bites Friday, Weekend Gourmet, Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, The Mommy Club, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.
Great post, Matt. I have read diet recovery and think it has a lot of great things in it. I really do believe we need to focus on our top health priorities rather than sticking to some isolated “check list” of what we “should” and “shouldn’t” be doing… especially if that list ignores what our own body needs.
I’ve been pretty good about not going nutso about any particular diet dogma. I eat a lot (with lots of salt because I know it’s an issue of mine), cut back on water intake, etc. Any thought on how to go about getting the sleep, particularly with a young (16 month) old child who still wakes up in the night and gets up far too early? Between her and my husbands work schedule (he doesn’t get home until 10:30 P.M.) I’m feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle.
Great post, Matt. I have read diet recovery and think it has a lot of great things in it. I really do believe we need to focus on our top health priorities rather than sticking to some isolated “check list” of what we “should” and “shouldn’t” be doing… especially if that list ignores what our own body needs.
I’ve been pretty good about not going nutso about any particular diet dogma. I eat a lot (with lots of salt because I know it’s an issue of mine), cut back on water intake, etc. Any thought on how to go about getting the sleep, particularly with a young (16 month) old child who still wakes up in the night and gets up far too early? Between her and my husbands work schedule (he doesn’t get home until 10:30 P.M.) I’m feel like I’m fighting an uphill battle.
Wonderful post! I too struggle with sleep due to my 14 mo that still gets up in the night and nurses full time and is an early riser.
I also struggle with the water thing. When I drink less water I feel so thirsty and digestion gets even slower than it already is. How do I get over that hurdle? Is it related to the foods I’m eating? I do eat a lot of salt. I LOVE salt. But I know I’m very mineral deficient (working on getting a good supplement soon). I’ve had an overactive bladder for as long as I can remember…that led to anxiety and OCD. Could drinking a lot less improve my bladder issues and constipation? Could you give a sample of daily menu?
I stopped food restricting in Jan. and RARRFed for a while. But I’m still struggling.
Wonderful post! I too struggle with sleep due to my 14 mo that still gets up in the night and nurses full time and is an early riser.
I also struggle with the water thing. When I drink less water I feel so thirsty and digestion gets even slower than it already is. How do I get over that hurdle? Is it related to the foods I’m eating? I do eat a lot of salt. I LOVE salt. But I know I’m very mineral deficient (working on getting a good supplement soon). I’ve had an overactive bladder for as long as I can remember…that led to anxiety and OCD. Could drinking a lot less improve my bladder issues and constipation? Could you give a sample of daily menu?
I stopped food restricting in Jan. and RARRFed for a while. But I’m still struggling.
Great post
I have recovered body temps from 96.1 to 97.7 in a matter of a few months – I am still up in the night with little ones and only get an uninterrupted night of sleep 1 or 2 times per week if that. I did stop exercising because I noticed how crappy my body temps and energy felt with it. I chase around the little ones enough to count as exercise I figure! I LOVE salt and in the last month have really cut back on too much water and have seen improvements in hormones related to pms, libido, and again body temps. I would LOVE to improve enough to get off thyroid meds – I seem to be stuck at just below 98 degrees – do you recommend RARRF again or just keep doing what I’m doing – I know my stress is *better* but not great with 2 babies 3 years and 1 year and being up in the night still….
Great post
I have recovered body temps from 96.1 to 97.7 in a matter of a few months – I am still up in the night with little ones and only get an uninterrupted night of sleep 1 or 2 times per week if that. I did stop exercising because I noticed how crappy my body temps and energy felt with it. I chase around the little ones enough to count as exercise I figure! I LOVE salt and in the last month have really cut back on too much water and have seen improvements in hormones related to pms, libido, and again body temps. I would LOVE to improve enough to get off thyroid meds – I seem to be stuck at just below 98 degrees – do you recommend RARRF again or just keep doing what I’m doing – I know my stress is *better* but not great with 2 babies 3 years and 1 year and being up in the night still….
“calorie-dense, highly-digestible food with lots of salt, sugar, starch, and saturated fat and a low water content ” Could you please give examples of what falls under this category? I know ice cream is a good food to eat. But what else?
Good question. Ice cream is good, but also pastries, pies, and such (both sweet and savory). I also like hash browns, bananas, pancakes, waffles and such.
Thanks. I can’t eat bananas or potatoes…two of my worst offenders for major constipation. Especially bananas…so sad
Maybe I’ll have to start digging into more ice cream again 
A couple months ago when I was doing a very restricted paleo diet, my bowel movements improved greatly, but if I ever ate any moderate amount of starch, my constipation would always act up.
I stayed away from starchy foods like rice, bananas, and potatoes for such a long time because I thought starch=constipation. That was a symptomatic treatment though.
When I started doing RRARF and eating loads of starches and eating enough calories every day, at first my digestion slowed down tremendously. Then a funny thing happened. I had diarrhea for the better part of two weeks, despite upping my starch intake greatly.
With the increased nutrients and food intake, my metabolic rate went up and thus my transit time went up effectively eliminating the constipation I got when I ate starchy foods. Now they’re like my best friend.
I’m sure I could’ve spared you some of the details, but my point is that don’t discount these foods just yet until you’ve got your metabolic rate (temps, heart rate, etc.) up to speed. You could be avoiding foods without needing to.
Hope that was relevant to your situation
Oh, I forgot to mention that my digestion eventually normalized after the two week bout with diarrhea, lol. This comment column is really thin! Haha
Thanks for sharing! I often wonder if I eat a large amount of starch instead of just trying little bits if it would actually be better. I wonder if they contain nutrients my body is lacking, so it holds on tight when I eat them. But if I ate enough it wouldn’t have to do that. But I haven’t been brave enough to try yet
I have pretty bad OCD related to my digestion. So a couple weeks of things being bad would probably send me over the edge. And I have 2 small children I need to take care of…I can’t be a basket case right now 
Maybe some day I’ll be brave enough to try it, though. Thanks again! I love to hear stories like yours.
“calorie-dense, highly-digestible food with lots of salt, sugar, starch, and saturated fat and a low water content ” Could you please give examples of what falls under this category? I know ice cream is a good food to eat. But what else?
Good question. Ice cream is good, but also pastries, pies, and such (both sweet and savory). I also like hash browns, bananas, pancakes, waffles and such.
Thanks. I can’t eat bananas or potatoes…two of my worst offenders for major constipation. Especially bananas…so sad
Maybe I’ll have to start digging into more ice cream again 
A couple months ago when I was doing a very restricted paleo diet, my bowel movements improved greatly, but if I ever ate any moderate amount of starch, my constipation would always act up.
I stayed away from starchy foods like rice, bananas, and potatoes for such a long time because I thought starch=constipation. That was a symptomatic treatment though.
When I started doing RRARF and eating loads of starches and eating enough calories every day, at first my digestion slowed down tremendously. Then a funny thing happened. I had diarrhea for the better part of two weeks, despite upping my starch intake greatly.
With the increased nutrients and food intake, my metabolic rate went up and thus my transit time went up effectively eliminating the constipation I got when I ate starchy foods. Now they’re like my best friend.
I’m sure I could’ve spared you some of the details, but my point is that don’t discount these foods just yet until you’ve got your metabolic rate (temps, heart rate, etc.) up to speed. You could be avoiding foods without needing to.
Hope that was relevant to your situation
Oh, I forgot to mention that my digestion eventually normalized after the two week bout with diarrhea, lol. This comment column is really thin! Haha
Thanks for sharing! I often wonder if I eat a large amount of starch instead of just trying little bits if it would actually be better. I wonder if they contain nutrients my body is lacking, so it holds on tight when I eat them. But if I ate enough it wouldn’t have to do that. But I haven’t been brave enough to try yet
I have pretty bad OCD related to my digestion. So a couple weeks of things being bad would probably send me over the edge. And I have 2 small children I need to take care of…I can’t be a basket case right now 
Maybe some day I’ll be brave enough to try it, though. Thanks again! I love to hear stories like yours.
Uncommon ‘common sense’ at its finest.
Uncommon ‘common sense’ at its finest.
This is the best advice for people who are struggling with a chronic illness or the so called “adrenal fatigue”. The problem is that most people choose to remain ignorant and the complete garbage that usually comes out of the media really adds to the issue.
This is the best advice for people who are struggling with a chronic illness or the so called “adrenal fatigue”. The problem is that most people choose to remain ignorant and the complete garbage that usually comes out of the media really adds to the issue.
Thank you, once again, Matt for speaking with such profound common sense. Keep up the good work!:-)
Thank you, once again, Matt for speaking with such profound common sense. Keep up the good work!:-)
Kendahl,
Do you think Matt will answer any of these questions? Will there be any other guest posts from him answering more questions?
He’s out of town this weekend, but will probably come here and weigh in when he has time. We also have a Q&A set up for this week
Awesome! Thanks, Kendahl. Looking forward to hearing more.
Kendahl,
Do you think Matt will answer any of these questions? Will there be any other guest posts from him answering more questions?
He’s out of town this weekend, but will probably come here and weigh in when he has time. We also have a Q&A set up for this week
Awesome! Thanks, Kendahl. Looking forward to hearing more.
So basically, just eat more salt? Is iodized or non-iodized best?
Use real sea salt: http://www.ournourishingroots.com/salt-and-spices
So basically, just eat more salt? Is iodized or non-iodized best?
Use real sea salt: http://www.ournourishingroots.com/salt-and-spices
Pingback: Rehabilitative Rest and Agressive Re-feading | Unmistakably Food
Pingback: Rehabilitative Rest and Agressive Re-feading | Unmistakably Food
I am definitely finding myself drawn to this posts and others from Matt Stone but the “sugar, grains” is bad dogma is so deeply ingrained in me. I have been trying to gain healthy weight for years, using all types of healthy diets, but without sugar and grains, I find it impossible. So I live with this impossible catch-22. I eat healthy and stay underweight or I eat “unhealthy” and fear that I am doing damage to my body. I am the most frustrated with the fact that so many health authorities vilify starches, sugar, etc but I have yet to hear of any of these same health practitioners address those of us who want to gain weight.
Eat the sugar and starch!!! When you fear food so much it just makes you sicker…no matter what you eat. Relax and eat what sounds good. You’ll learn what works best for you (not what some diet tells you is best) and find balance. I was underweight as well. When I started eating grains and sugar again (after GAPS) I put on 10 lbs…and I needed to. Now my weight is stable and I eat grains and sugar in moderation. I don’t go overboard, but I also don’t restrict. I eat what my body craves.
I am definitely finding myself drawn to this posts and others from Matt Stone but the “sugar, grains” is bad dogma is so deeply ingrained in me. I have been trying to gain healthy weight for years, using all types of healthy diets, but without sugar and grains, I find it impossible. So I live with this impossible catch-22. I eat healthy and stay underweight or I eat “unhealthy” and fear that I am doing damage to my body. I am the most frustrated with the fact that so many health authorities vilify starches, sugar, etc but I have yet to hear of any of these same health practitioners address those of us who want to gain weight.
Eat the sugar and starch!!! When you fear food so much it just makes you sicker…no matter what you eat. Relax and eat what sounds good. You’ll learn what works best for you (not what some diet tells you is best) and find balance. I was underweight as well. When I started eating grains and sugar again (after GAPS) I put on 10 lbs…and I needed to. Now my weight is stable and I eat grains and sugar in moderation. I don’t go overboard, but I also don’t restrict. I eat what my body craves.
Pingback: How can I get healthier? Five essential steps.
Pingback: How can I get healthier? Five essential steps.
Hi Kendahl,
I really liked what Matt said in this post about eating what your body needs and not getting hung up on the details. I was thinking about reading his book but I’m not sure if it applies to me. I am obese (160# 5’8″) and feel like I have the metabolism of a rock. However, I don’t diet. Well, I did a long time ago when I was body building 6 days a week and eating clean low cal small meals 6x a day – and felt amazing.
Of all the symptoms Matt talks about I experience low energy, palpitations and headaches. I’ve always been an overeater, consume plenty of salt, sugar & starches and have no desire to go back to the bodybuilding way of eating. Do you think his book would benefit me?
Thanks much!
Rhonda
Yes, I still think it would. Especially if you have low temps. But even then, the idea of the whole thing is to get your metabolism burning at a faster and hotter level. If you have low metabolism, then Diet Recovery helps. Really. You could also ask Matt himself here (there’s a sliding scale option there). Matt has been very instrumental in helping me tweak small things in my approach to heal my metabolism. Let me know what you find out!
Thanks for that link. What an awesome guy! There aren’t too many folks that can pay $100 per hour and it shows his true commitment to helping people by offering the sliding scale. I love him already!
Hi Kendahl,
I really liked what Matt said in this post about eating what your body needs and not getting hung up on the details. I was thinking about reading his book but I’m not sure if it applies to me. I am obese (160# 5’8″) and feel like I have the metabolism of a rock. However, I don’t diet. Well, I did a long time ago when I was body building 6 days a week and eating clean low cal small meals 6x a day – and felt amazing.
Of all the symptoms Matt talks about I experience low energy, palpitations and headaches. I’ve always been an overeater, consume plenty of salt, sugar & starches and have no desire to go back to the bodybuilding way of eating. Do you think his book would benefit me?
Thanks much!
Rhonda
Yes, I still think it would. Especially if you have low temps. But even then, the idea of the whole thing is to get your metabolism burning at a faster and hotter level. If you have low metabolism, then Diet Recovery helps. Really. You could also ask Matt himself here (there’s a sliding scale option there). Matt has been very instrumental in helping me tweak small things in my approach to heal my metabolism. Let me know what you find out!
Thanks for that link. What an awesome guy! There aren’t too many folks that can pay $100 per hour and it shows his true commitment to helping people by offering the sliding scale. I love him already!
great info! a really well researched article and good info for everyone. any advice for healthy living should be well taken and followed.
Pingback: Reference Articles « The Pantry Book
Pingback: Rehabilitative Rest and Agressive Re-feeding » Unmistakably Food
Pingback: Health Articles « The Pantry Book