The title of this post is what I used to think. My reasoning looked like this:
My body has been specifically designed to care for itself. Barring the introduction of foreign pathogens, my body is a complete ecosystem of self-sustaining organic functions and processes. When nourished with food, given adequate rest, and provided with reasonable levels of activity, it has within itself the ability to properly regulate its functions and maintain proper health. If basic “health class” practices are utilized, then supplements are completely unnecessary.
This reasoning makes sense. Except for the simple fact that it didn’t work.
With obesity running in my family, I have always been self-conscious of the need to eat “healthy.” Rochelle and I habitually incorporate nutritious foods into our meals. Sure, we have potato chips and pop and cookies occasionally, but those are happy splurges, not staples of our diet. We cook from scratch and hardly ever eat out.
We’ve also always enjoyed being outside and engaging in “active” hobbies like hiking, camping, gardening, hunting, etc. We’re not triathletes or anything, but we’re not sedentary either. And we’ve always put a priority on a good night’s rest: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise,” and all that.
And yet, amid all those very reasonable life-style choices, we were experiencing chronically bad health. I was struggling with insomnia and constant fatigue. I was feeling bloated and lethargic all the time. I was slowly putting on weight that I couldn’t seem to shake off. Rochelle was dealing with anxiety and exhaustion. We were both NOT thriving.
So, I started re-evaluating my outlook on nutrition. Here’s a few things that I came to understand:1
- There are specific types of bacteria in the GI tract that are responsible for regulating TONS of bodily functions and hormone distributions. The beneficial bacteria in your gut microbiome are ESSENTIAL to your body being able to care for itself.
2. Most food (even “healthy” food) that is consumed nowadays contains dyes and preservatives in them. These additives are DESIGNED to stave off bacterial growth (to prevent the food from spoiling). These chemicals CONTINUE to inhibit bacterial growth as they pass through your gut.
3. Antibiotics and antiseptics2 are both being overused in modern society, greatly hampering good gut health.
4. Added sugars are in almost EVERYTHING, not to mention carbs (that immediately get converted into sugar by your body). In nature, sugar is a rare commodity, but in modern times it’s an obscenely standard ingredient.
5. Harmful gut-dwelling bacteria & yeast THRIVE on sugars and carbs, which leads to detrimental yeast overgrowth, which causes inflammation in the bowels and inefficient digestion/bowel function.
Add to all of that the simple fact that some of our bodies are just genetically predisposed to certain dysfunctional anomalies,3 and you’re left with a pretty rough picture. If you were to try to combat all these regular assaults on your gut microbiome through strictly conventional means, it would require SEVERE dietary restrictions for a VERY long time. AND it would be super expensive, because fresh organic ingredients are brutal to a family budget!
“Normal nutrition” can’t compete with the abnormal daily assault that is leveled against it by the typical modern life. Don’t get me wrong, I love modern amenities and conveniences, but it’s worth noting that those happy advancements are not without their collateral consequences.
All that information (and a bit more) has brought me to my NEW outlook on nutrition:
Because my system is enduring a regular onslaught of out-of-the-ordinary detrimental additives and unnatural ratios of certain nutrients (sugar, dairy, and carbs, in particular), an intentional rebuttal of GOOD supplements is necessary to restore balance to my body’s ecosystem. THEN my body will be able to adequately perform the self-sustaining functions for which it was designed.
And, unlike my previously held nutritional worldview, THIS one is actually supported by my lived experience!
Since I have started taking my Plexus supplements and probiotics on a regular basis, my health has been absolutely revolutionized!4 My energy levels are AMAZING, I’m losing weight, and my sleep is improving. I feel like my body is finally able to function the way it was MEANT to!
Maybe in a perfect world, high-quality nutritional supplements would be superfluous, but that’s not the world we’re living in. In THIS world we need dietary supplements to get our bodies to where they were meant to be, and Plexus has some AMAZING supplements!
[For those who would like to know more about some of the different nutritional supplements Plexus has available, or for those looking for more information about improving gut health, please connect with me on Facebook!]
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