Paula DeFreitas

HEALING TRAUMA THOUGH NUTRITIONShould we consider today, dealing with trauma through nutrition?The current landscape of living, working, not working, studying, contemplating, playing and having fun, certainly has gone through an earthquake so to speak.  Covid 19 or any virus that can disrupt our overall health deserves more than just a vaccine.  What does that look like for you?Trauma induces stress, anxiety and inflammation on various levels for each of us.  Our gut, our brain and our body end up on the front lines of this disaster.  Eating within a diet that creates trauma-healing recipes can take our impulses and cravings away from the comfort foods we are drawn to during these times.  Those processed foods loaded with pesticides, sugar and words we typically can’t pronounce, but made to look so appealing by manufacturers, lasting forever on store shelves and in our pantries, are easily within reach when we shop.  We also seem to think that they’re less expensive.   The cost often ends up putting weight on us during those trying times, create some foggy thinking (we’re bored and isolated) and contribute to multiple chronic diseases.This healing diet of largely organic, whole-food, plant-based, high-fiber diet is most beneficial in making you feel more relaxed and energized within a short period of time. Also, if you can decrease alcohol consumption and definitely eliminate tobacco, along with those sugar infused, HFC drinks and processed foods that are usually part of your regular diet, you’ll likely have quicker results!So, let’s look at the cost because the pocketbooks most impacted by this type of disruption, is most likely affected much more incrementally than others.  But hey, none of us is totally immune as we’re finding out almost daily.  Just about every grocery store in a relatively major city has some kind of organic section today.  Yes, organic is more expensive.  Here’s what we can do when making choices about what is a priority in our lives right now.   When shopping, at least avoid the “dirty dozen” and feel relatively safer with all other fruits and vegetables that are non-organic.  Shop local and get to know your farmers at the markets if you can.   Even if they are not producing organic produce, ask them what farming practices they are using.  Most have stopped spraying and choose other methods.   Farmers cannot always pay the fees required to be classified organic, but they follow the methods.  Support them.  They often are less expensive than what you find in stores and their produce lasts longer (fresher) than products shipped to those stores.  Get to know those farmers.  They need our support as well.  It helps them to not cut corners or use pesticides when they know that their customers are interested and supportive of what they do.  Where would we be without them?