Food for Thought

If an unhealthy diet sparks an assortment of aches and pains and fatigue, maybe it’s time to ask if what you’re eating is what’s eating you.

Of course, the amount of food you consume is only part of the issue. Your health is directly related to the quality of food you eat.

With so many farmers markets and health food stores throughout Lake County, it shouldn’t be difficult to fill your kitchen with organic fruits and vegetables from local growers. And local produce is often more affordable than foodstuffs stocked by local grocery stores.

Don’t live near a farmer’s market? Perhaps someone you work with does. Why not ask around. Eating healthier could become a company cause with employees purchasing fresh fruits and vegatables in bulk if someone is willing to take orders and do the purchasing.

With research and planning, you’ll be able to find filtered or purified water and steroid- and antibiotic-free free-range chicken, turkey, beef and wild fish. While that seems like a healthy grocery list, make sure you stay on course to hurdle the mental barriers prevent some people from changing their eating habits.

Veronica Rickard knows first-hand.

With only minor variations, the records and network technician with the city of Mount Dora began her workday with either a Chik-Fil-A spicy chicken biscuit breakfast or a McDonald’s Sausage McGriddle — each accompanied by a large sweet tea. Lunches rotated between pulled pork, cheeseburgers, more chicken sandwiches, baked beans and fries — with a large sweet tea. Wrapping up the day, her dinner plate was filled with barbecue ribs, steak, lobster, crab or pork chops. To balance the meal with a vegetable, she added coleslaw. And had a large sweet tea.

Rickard came to accept that her meals came with a side order of aching joints, sluggishness, muscle cramps, migraines, acid reflux, sinus infections, bronchitis, brain fogs, asthma attacks and recurring allergies.

“Oh, I knew it was bad, but I always ate like that,” she said. “McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Subway, Arby’s, Golden Corral — you name it, I was there.”

The warning signs were there, as well, as early as 2005, she recalled. But Rickard didn’t correlate her symptoms to her diet until January 2012 when she was diagnosed with celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people. In part to her diet, the illness reached a critical juncture. Made aware of the link between what she ate and how she felt, she initiated a lifestyle change that now revolves around gluten-free meals. Gone from her diet is anything made with wheat, barley or rye. Also absent are fast foods.

“For breakfast, I’ll cut up nine or 10 strawberries or mixed berries into yogurt,” Rickard said. “For lunch, I may have a hamburger without the bun and take out the lettuce and tomato to substitute for a salad. For dinner, I’ll have a chicken breast or shrimp and veggies.”

Goodbye Gluten

With the change in diet came a change in health. Since January 2012, Rickard has lost more than 40 pounds, given up all medications and no longer is troubled by aching joints, sluggishness, muscle cramps, acid reflux, sinus infections, bronchitis, brain fogs, asthma attacks and recurring allergies. Migraines now are infrequent.

“Ever since I went gluten-free, life has become life again,” she said.

But gluten-free foods cost more than fast food, you may say. That’s true — if you don’t count the increased medical expenses you may eventually pay for decades of eating processed food.

Besides, there are ways to mitigate the increased costs of eating healthy.

Wittman says the payoff of healthy eating can be both physical and financial.

“When couples want to lose weight, I suggest that they split their meals,” he said. “You really don’t need to eat all of the food you order, and you’ll be surprised how quickly each of you can lose about eight to 10 pounds. Then put that money away and save it for something you want. I ran into a couple I had counseled years earlier, and not only did they still look great, by splitting meals they had saved about $2,700 that went toward a trip to Italy.”

Going Organic

Hugh Kent, of King Grove Organic Farm in Eustis, pointed out that to feed the general population, large-scale growers apply preservatives, pesticides, herbicides and synthetic fertilizers that flow from the crops to the food chain. Alternatively, organically grown and raised produce, fish, fowl and beef comply with strict USDA limits that adhere to its National Organic Program. Produce grown naturally and without artificial ingredients, chemicals and poisons leads to foods packed with what Kent refers to as ‘nutrient density.’

“What we’ve come to value in foods — their appearance, shelf-life and their ability to be shipped long distances — may make the product look good, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best food for you,” he said. “Organics are totally different from what we are used to eating, but whether it’s blueberries or broccoli, studies show that the nutrient content of organics is far superior.”

Concerned by the price? Kent thinks the cost-to-benefit ratio strongly weighs in favor of organics.

“There are tremendous costs in maintaining an organic farm, so of course it’s way more expensive to grow this way,” he explained. “You’ll see that reflected in the cost of the product. But my take is that you should try it. Recognize the nutritional value and just pay an extra dollar or two for organic products. If you introduce one fruit or vegetable to your diet at a time, you’ll realize you like it because our bodies know what is good for us.”

Let’s Make a Meal

Step into the Health Basket in Mount Dora, and you will find a mini-market akin to a superstore. Packed into the sleek shop is a range of organic produce as well as fresh salads and smoothies along with natural, organic and gluten-free products. These include juices, cookies, ice cream and popsicles, beauty products, toothpaste and body scrubs. There are canisters of raw beans and nuts, soups, a variety of vegetable juices, wild honey, candy bars, cereals, energy snacks, energy drinks, yogurt, eggs and bags of all-natural chips with names like ‘Brussel Bytes’ and ‘Kale Krunch.’

Ask Samantha Murray, of the Health Basket, why people should shift from the ease of comfort foods to the healthy eating lifestyle, and she has a short answer: heart disease.

Over time, the fattening foods, preservatives, processed sugars and trans-fats (called a “cholesterol double whammy” by the Mayo Clinic), gum up your body the same way cheap fuel and unchanged engine oil gum up your car’s engine. Over time, this can lead to heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death in America.

Murray agrees with Kent that when you adapt to healthy foods, you don’t need to go cold turkey. Or cold tofu.

“Make it a lifestyle change rather than a diet,” she suggested. “Start small and work your way into it. Learn to enjoy fruits and vegetables and whole foods — foods that you make from scratch. It doesn’t have to be three meals a day, seven days a week, but try to make at least one meal a day a healthy meal and you’ll start to see how good it makes you feel.”

It has been said that the best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago. The next best time is today.

The same can be said of the switch to healthy eating.