Eating Healthy

The benefits of eating a healthy raw food diet are limitless with mountains of articles and websites dedicated to  touting the reasons why you should “eat green”.  From weight loss to immune system and performance enhancement, the experts teach us that eating fresh fruits and vegetables should be a priority in our daily diets.  And I agree.

But what about this risks?  This weekend I got to experience first hand the risk of eating a healthy “green” diet.

Fresh spinach

I personally love the convenience of packaged fresh lettuce with that reassuring “pre-washed and ready to eat” label.  Every week I buy bags of Kale, baby spinach, spring and other lettuce with this disclaimer.  I use Kale and spinach in my morning green smoothies.  And a tossed mixed salad of some sort is a staple at every dinner, usually topped with anything from diced radishes and cucumbers to apples and walnuts.

This weekend after wrapping up a morning of filming I made myself a “goddess” salad with fresh baby spinach lettuce, purple cabbage, shredded carrots and garbanzo beans tossed in a Tahini dressing.  You could almost see the haughty sage-green aura surrounding me as I devoured my healthy lunch.

That is until about nine hours later when I’m lying next to my toilet feeling like a member of that infamous family in Russian that poisoned each other for their inheritance.  There I was- Betrayed.  Poisoned.

Now I can say this from first hand experience as a mother of four.  I would rather give birth to triplets than go through the excruciating pain of being poisoned by food.

A Remedy?

Unfortunately, this isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to food poisoning.  I’ve taken more than one trip to the Emergency Room after some restaurant decided they wanted to try to kill me.  Years ago, after consuming bad spring rolls from my local Thai restaurant I ended up at the hospital wishing someone would just shoot me to put me out of my misery.

But what treatment does Western medicine have to offer us?  Not that Nevada is at the cutting edge of medicine, but the only medical treatment you receive for food poisoning here is some type of pain medicine and intravenous fluids to replace lost electrolytes.  Treatment for listeria is usually treated with an intravenous antibiotic.

In hindsight I probably should have gone to the hospital this time because I’m positive that listeria was the source of my recent poisoning.  However, over the past few years I’ve become accustomed to treating food-borne bacteria myself with Oil of Oregano.  Just a few drops of the oil from this potent herb will leave your mouth burning while it travels through the intestine extinguishing every microbe in its path.  Typically, this treatment works within minutes.

I first read about Oil of Oregano in a book titled “The Cure is in The Cupboard” by Dr. Cass Ingram.  You see, when poisonous bacteria from food is left to travel through our system and we simply “wait out” and treat the symptoms only, the long-term effects of such poisoning can include immune system suppression and food allergies.  That’s why I figure that killing the microbes on contact is the best choice for my long-term health.  I carry a bottle of Oreganol with me when I travel, especially internationally.  Whenever I feel the effects of food poisoning I immediately take a dose mixed with an ounce of water, Gatorade or juice and then follow up with doses over the next 2-3 days even though I may feel perfectly healthy.

Oreganol $39.99 on sale for $24.99

This weekend it took many doses of Oreganol before I thought I was going to live.  That’s how I knew this was no ordinary food bacteria.  And, after doing some research online I discovered that traces of listeria have been found recently in packaged spinach lettuce.  If it wasn’t for my cynicism and numerous bad experiences with our local health care system I probably would have- and should have- went to the hospital for treatment.

A Silver Lining

There should be a universal law that makes mothers exempt from being ill.  While my children had the day of from school Friday for “Nevada Day”, my promises of a fun-filled day at Springs Preserve and preparing for Halloween went down the toilet- literally; and lost work productivity has me playing “catch up” this coming week.

They say “everything happens for a reason”.  With two days of lost work, four unhappy children and a messy house, I’m still searching for a reason.

If I had to find that “silver lining” I would say that the seven pounds I shed would be it.  In fact, I think I may be wearing my “skinny jeans” this week (insert cheers).  In the future, though, I would rather give tribute to diet and exercise for my weight loss rather than to being poisoned.