FOOD as the Foundation for Preventing Inflammation

The FUTURE of medicine, and our overall health & well-being, is shifting towards what is called “functional medicine.” The practice of functional medicine refers specifically to a medical specialty that focuses on the PREVENTION and treatment of chronic disease, using FOOD as the foundation.

Not only does food provide us with energy, but food is INFORMATION, and it has the power to heal or harm your immune system. When you consume food, our cells are actually being IMPRINTED with the information about that specific food, and RESPONDING accordingly. When you eat healthy foods, our cells work properly. When you eat UNHEALTHY food, it results in POOR cellular function that can cause DAMAGE to the body, such as inflammation. The chemicals, additives and toxins in unhealthy foods actually ALTER your cells' function, influencing how they BEHAVE. This is called “nutrigenomics," or “nutrigenetics,” and it focus on the effect of food on our genetic expression and cell function.

Food is much more than CALORIES and calories are NOT all created equally. Therefore, it is EXTREMELY important to look at food molecules and nutrients in terms of their FUNCTION on a cellular level, as our immune cells are highly susceptible and sensitive to dietary compounds. You have to know what you are eating, as there are SO MANY compounds and molecules in each and every food. If you don’t know what you are putting into your body, you have no way of knowing what it is doing to your health.

On a basic level, our immune system is a complex network of cells and proteins that work to DEFEND your body from INVADERS of any kind. These invaders can be microbes like bacteria, yeast, parasites, and viruses, or toxins. Fundamentally, anything that looks FOREIGN, including food. The immune system is divided into the INNATE immune system, which is our first line of defense and ALWAYS ready to go, and the ADAPTIVE immune system, our second layer of defense that is primed by the innate immune system, needs TIME (days or even weeks) to respond and actually holds a memory. The innate immune system is made up of physical barriers in our skin and mucus membranes, with the most notable being the intestinal lining. This is the MOST important barrier for protecting against and preventing food sensitivities. When this barrier is compromised it can lead to “leaky-gut syndrome,” or “increased intestinal permeability.” The adaptive immune system, on the other hand, is comprised of antibody producing cells and cytotoxic killer cells, which serve as a “hand-to-hand” combat mechanism, but also create a lot of INFLAMMATION in the process.

When we experience inflammation, we are really experiencing the effect of the release of chemicals and proteins from immune and other cells. The role of these chemicals and proteins is to defend the body and attack the foreigner, BUT this process, unfortunately, irritates and can cause damage to tissue. Ideally, this activity is supposed to be brief, turning “on” and then “off” again when the danger is over, HOWEVER, when it is utilized frequently the body, it stays “on” for extended periods of time, resulting in CHRONIC inflammation.

Chronic inflammation effects ALL cells in your body. It can lead to local symptoms such as pain in the muscles (fibromyalgia) and joints (arthritis), as well as systemic inflammation and symptoms of brain fog, fatigue, bloating, etc. By using functional medicine and looking to food we can find the SOURCE of the symptoms and work to remove it.

ALL food has protein, even vegetables, and proteins are made up of amino acid sequences. It is up to the immune cells to READ the amino acid sequences on the surface of every cell, microbe or compound as it enters the immune system, and then DETERMINE if it recognizes it as “self” vs. “not self.” If it is determined to be “self,” then the body knows not to attack and is able to assimilate and break down the molecule; if it is determined to be “not self,” then the immune system reacts accordingly to destroy the intruder and prevent it from attacking the body.

When food triggers the release of these inflammatory molecules and antibodies, causing inflammation, there are two common immune system REACTIONS that can take place as a result: food allergy or food sensitivity. Oftentimes, we get these two responses confused or use them interchangeably, when in reality, they are quite different. A food ALLERGY is a very SPECIFIC immune response that can be measured by a conventional allergy doctor. With a food allergy there are OBVIOUS symptoms such as irritation, tongue swelling, hives, rash, sniffles, or even anaphylaxis. A food SENSITIVITY, in contrast, means that you feel better when you don’t each a certain food, and worse when you do. By nature, it is less severe and results in a WIDE variety of symptoms, ranging anywhere from gas, bloating, constipation, systemic inflammation, puffiness, brain fog, fatigue, headaches, and skin rashes, to arthritis, fibromyalgia, and other symptoms.

Ultimately, food has a DIRECT impact on our gene expression and cellular function, and it is up to us to take OWNERSHIP of our health and the NOURISHMENT we provide for our bodies. Food is the HEART of our well-being and can be used as a TOOL for preventing chronic disease, now and in the years to come. Each of us has our own bio-individual needs and our bodies WILL respond differently to certain foods. It is CRUCIAL that we pay attention to these responses and listen to the signals we receive if we want to become MASTERS of our health and longevity. Food IS the foundation.

For more information on HOW to know if you have a food sensitivity, and what you can can do to REPAIR your gut, check back next week for a new post FULL of the deets.

Xx,

Leah Kutsch

P.S. Keeping IIN Touch