I want you to read the title of this post out loud in the most snarky, sarcastic voice Now, I know I can’t hear you, but it really helps you prepare to read this post.
Back in 2007 I was lucky enough to be able to take a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Africa. It was an eye-opening, life changing experience.
I’ll have to write another blog about the complete experience, however today I’d like to make a comparison with just one of those eye opening events.
My husband and I embarked on this work trip to Africa together. The person who helped coordinate the trip set us up for a tour around the city of Dar es Salaam. Upon completion of the tour, the tour guide asked for payment.
Ever since arriving in Africa we had had various money issues. The hotel didn’t have internet access to take payment by credit card. The traveler’s checks we brought could only be cashed in one location in the whole city. There was a lot of fraud of USA legal tender cash, so older bills were not accepted. Only newer currency that had particular security measures were considered legal, and since we didn’t realize that before we left the USA, we had a lot of money that could not be used. We hadn’t even been able to get to a bank to convert our currency to the local currency yet. We would need to resort to cash advances from an ATM within the hotel, with no way of knowing what lending rate we would get.
So here we were at the end of our tour, not realizing how much money we had committed ourselves to, but of course we wanted to pay for services rendered.
Scared of the consequences of going to the ATM, we told the tour guide that we only had American money on us to pay her. She then said, exasperated, the phrase my husband and I still joke about to this day.
“What is American money to ME?”
We were stopped in our tracks. Stunned. Confused now, at what our options possibly could be – she was waiting there to be paid.
And then we realized American money, the slang we so frequently used, to someone in Africa could mean Canadian or Mexican or even a South American currency. My husband pulled out the bill and showed her and she said “Oh USD!” (meaning US dollar… Who would have known?).
I see the phrase “inflammatory foods” nonchalantly thrown around. Have you noticed how all of the lists of inflammatory foods have different foods included?
“Just cut out inflammatory foods!’
“Oh don’t you know that (whatever food you had just listed) is inflammatory?“
And especially that second sentence I can almost read the disdain in people’s voices as they write it….
So, say right back to them with as much sarcasm and disdain:
“What’s inflammatory foods to ME?“
What should it mean to us???
Let’s throw out the notion that a food is inflammatory to everyone. All these various eating plans that people come up with are made for the masses. They eliminate the most likely culprits. So when a particular eating plan works for you, it just happens that they cut out those foods that are inflammatory for you. The people who are making money off of these plans are counting on the majority. As long as the plan works for some of the people they are coaching, they are able to continue making money.
However I found with lipedema we’re not like the rest of the population. The lovely lipedema ladies that I work with, tend to have very unique food sensitivities. And typically very long lists of sensitivities.
I’m going to use dairy as an example. If you have a long list of intolerances various fruits and vegetables, seeds and nuts, you’re already cutting out so many foods from your diet. So if you do not react to dairy, if you’re not lactose intolerant, if dairy does not inflame you, is there a reason to cut dairy from your life?
I don’t believe there is. Yet when you sign up for various eating plans, they’re cutting out foods that are inflammatory to the majority, but maybe are not inflammatory to you.
I know it’s not easy customizing an eating plan just for yourself. I know it’s not easy cooking every meal. I don’t like this hand that we’ve been dealt either. Some days I want to throw in the towel as well.
But then I remember our bodies are simply asking us to listen. They’re telling us what foods they find nourishing and what foods are inflammatory. In one sense, lipedema is our body crying out for help. Shouldn’t we come to our body’s aid?
So the general statement of inflammatory foods…. Someone else’s list likely WILL NOT be your list. But your list? Ya, that list is pretty important.
That’s what inflammatory foods should mean to YOU.
