The Age Disrupting Foundation: Nutrition

Los Angeles, California

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.“ – Hippocrates

Today officially begins my series “Be the Ultimate Age Disruptor” as I show you my secrets from my ongoing investigation into the most natural ways to turn back the clock and take care of your health. I’m fortunate to have inherited youthful genes but that’s countered by some very difficult chronic  health issues; and both have helped fuel my drive to find ways to stay youthful and balanced.  My current state of fitness is a result of a lot of hard work and research concerning taking care of my health and well being in the most holistic way possible. I’ve personally tried just about everything out there and now I’m spilling the beans!

In our society, there is a continual fascination with a youthful appearance and a pressure to maintain it. I have nothing against trying to stay young looking, but this will not be my main focus. Yes, we will explore some ways to look younger, but our goal here is to feel vibrant, healthy, and energetic. With age inevitably comes wisdom…at least, we hope! It also comes with some added pounds, a few wrinkles, some grey hair,  menopause, a decreased libido, hormonal changes, insomnia, low energy, health challenges, and so much more that can make us feel … well, old! I’ve spent decades studying holistic healing, energy medicine, meditation, and spirituality and its all helped me immensely. It’s not necessarily for everybody, but if you have an open mind and like adventure, come along for the ride! I am now unashamedly 56, and finding ways to defy gravity and disrupt the aging process, has become a personal mission! I love sharing my secrets and today we begin with the ultimate foundation and that’s nutrition.

Let’s face it, our age group grew up without a foundation of healthy nutrition. We were clueless. Back in the day when I was growing up, there weren’t things such as Farmer’s Markets and organic foods, and yoga and meditation were virtually non existent unless you were a Beatle. Common in my household were things like TV Dinners or chipped beef on toast (or as Dad’s would say, Shit on a Shingle). The nightly salad was a bowl of iceberg lettuce, completely devoid of nutrients, slathered with thousand island dressing loaded with zillions of fat calories and piles of sugar, with some Bacon Bits (what was in those things?!) on top. Now, everywhere you turn, there’s a new diet or nutrition plan as well as a lot of confusion. I’m going to share what I’ve learned and what works for me, yet I’m always hesitant to give advice of any kind. If you want to be a true Age Disruptor, the number one most important rule is to develop a healthy intuition combined with a high level of awareness and discernment about what your body is telling you.

Are you struggling with that additional weight that’s creeping up or an sneaky fatigue that feels relentless? Do you look in the mirror and not identify with the person looking back at you? Maybe you’re just curious or maybe you’ve decided it’s time to take action and do something about it. Well, today’s your day as I begin to share what I’ve learned and what lights my fire although I strongly encourage you to see yourself as the ultimate arbiter or decision maker.

I’d like to disclose two things. The first is that I do represent an advanced superfood nutrition company. This post is not about that as, there are many ways of providing healthy nutrients for you body and mind, and there are quite a few reputable companies that can help you with this. However, if you’d like to know more about how and why I use my company’s products and the difference they’ve made in my health, you can visit another page on my site here.

The second thing that it’s critical to disclose is that I cannot help you with your own internal discipline. Self discipline and a desire to change your programming is the single most important input that will determine if you will be successful at improving your nutrition and becoming more vital and healthy. I do not care what diet or nutrition system you choose for your well being. No Discipline, no Desire, no Will … no results. It’s that simple.

Even if you choose not to read a single other word in this post, please re-read the preceding paragraph. It is by far, the most significant insight that you can take with you from this article!

A few years ago, and for various reasons, my life had become a hodgepodge of physical disease and emotional trauma. It was a stew of Lyme Disease, PTSD, Hashimoto’s Disease (Thyroid), Anxiety, Insomnia, Depression, and relentless fatigue. My health and fitness spiraled down to where walking was impossible unaided and death was right around the corner. I was taking perhaps 100 supplement pills/capsules a day and giving myself 6 shots into my abdomen daily. This was all incredibly expensive. The truth is, that even if something had worked, I would have had no clue as to what it was. I needed to find a different way that made sense scientifically and could be tracked. That way was Functional Nutrition.

So, what is Functional Nutrition and why is it so important? Functional Medicine approaches the body from the perspective of treating the root cause of disease; Functional Nutrition looks at the foundational way that food affects your body on the cellular level. It’s a clinical way of looking at nutrition by analyzing your blood work and looking for the root cause of nutritional imbalances created from your diet. It’s a more holistic way of eliminating the need for many medications with side effects. Food is much more than calories, in fact there are millions of molecules of ingredients in every bite of food that you eat! These molecules come into your body, affect how your cells behave and how you feel. We also all have very different physiology’s and genetic predispositions, and functional nutrition takes all of this into account while looking at the big picture to balance your body’s needs.

“Oh Ok. Great, Cat! Thanks for the tip. But where do I begin?!” I began by seeking out a qualified Functional Nutritionist in my area. By finding a qualified Functional Nutritionist to create a baseline of your body’s balance, you can effectively analyze if what you are doing is making a difference on a deeper level. My personal nutritionist is Leona West. She is available for phone sessions as well, although she is located in Los Angeles. She worked under the tutelage of a well known MD with a solid reputation for uncovering thyroid disorders and treating them naturally. She’s ruthless when it comes to searching for answers. She’s a nutritional detective and follows up every call with a thorough analysis complete with diet recommendations, supplement suggestions as well as tests and therapies. I’m currently entering the world of menopause and Leona is there helping me find my way around hot flashes and insomnia. A typical session begins with bringing in your latest blood work from your physical. Oftentimes, Leona will recommend some additional tests that aren’t your “typical” tests covered in a western medicine physical. She always goes as deep as possible to get a complete picture of your cellular health. She will go over everything in extensive detail over the phone and will send you everything in a follow up email. She doesn’t believe in selling the supplements she recommends as she never wants to have any conflict of interest. I have immense respect for this type of practitioner as I’ve been sold everything under the sun with promises that usually never panned out.

Is a Functional Nutritionist a requirement for improved nutrition and health? No. Has it worked for me? Yes it has! It’s also helped me learn to see my body and health as a biofeedback machine for what I am eating. It takes time and effort to learn to listen to your body. But once you do, it becomes easier to adjust. For instance, at my last session with Leona a few weeks ago, I told her that I was not feeling great and felt it was due to being underweight even though I was eating like a horse every day! She went over my blood work, considered the issues with menopause, and suggested a cut back in my thyroid meds. Since then I have gained about 6 pounds and look and feel much better!

My life and my health has changed dramatically in the last couple of years! I have done everything holistically and naturally, without any fillers or surgeries. I’ll be sharing all the facets to my healthy lifestyle in a series of upcoming posts. From what I hunt for at the local Farmer’s Market, to the whole food supplements I add to my diet such as healthy fats and oils, as well as the things I make at home such as fresh ginger and turmeric tea with raw honey to reduce inflammation while boosting the immune system. I use herbs such as Nettles to make a tea that I simmer and then strain to load my body naturally with minerals. I love whole foods loaded with digestive enzymes such as raw kefir and raw sauerkraut. I’ll be sharing my favorite kitchen appliances that make a healthy lifestyle a breeze as almost no one has time to create healthy, homemade meals that take hours to prepare any longer. It’s all about the freshest, live ingredients prepared in the least complicated way. A healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, if it is, you’re more likely to fail.

Keep it simple and fresh and listen to your body for the greatest feedback. Where most people fail is in taking control of their unhealthy behaviors and patterns. We all have them. The number one step to eliminating these and effecting significant change is being real with yourself. When it comes to your health, it’s imperative to be honest. What are my weak areas and where do I need help? The next step is making a commitment no matter what and not turning back. Oh yes, and that commitment…it’s to yourself and no one else. When it comes to your health, it’s personal journey. You know best how you feel.

I’ll be sharing lots more information with you as we go deeper into things like detoxification and what causes inflammation. I’ll share everything that I’ve learned as well as things I’m bound to learn along the way. I’ll be investigating the latest ways to turn back the clock on every level and we can turn back time together. If you’re serious about becoming an Age Disruptor, you must start from the inside out. Real, lasting change begins internally with a healthy nutritional foundation.