For years, the pervading premise was that genes determined our well-being and long-term health. If our family had a history of diabetes, that was our expected fate. If our mother’s side of the family had a history of breast cancer, we worried ourselves sick, waiting for that dreaded diagnosis.
Science and the medical world were dictating our future. “It’s genetic” was a common response when faced with a medical challenge. We felt like sitting ducks, not able to change the outcome of a trend of family illnesses.
However, interviewing Dr. Bruce Lipton, author of the renowned book “The Biology of Belief” sheds light on the new found understanding: we are not a victim of our genes, but a product of our environment.
Forty-eight years ago, Dr. Lipton ran a fascinating experiment that changed the way he viewed genetic tendencies. He cloned a stem cell (creating cells that are genetically identical) in a petri dish (a transparent dish used to culture microorganisms) and after one week, that single cell divided into 50,000 genetically identical cells. He divided those identical cells into 3 different petri dishes but changed the medium culture, or environment, in each dish. Would the outcome be the same?
Here were the stunning results: in the first petri dish, the cells formed muscle cells; in the second, bone cells and in the third, fat cells. What controlled the fate of these identical cells? It was the environment in which they existed that determined their fate.
What does that mean for the human body? Where once we thought that genetics would completely determine our future health or illnesses, now it has been proven that only 1% of illness is due to our genetics: whereas 99% of our health is determined by our environment.
What is Dr. Lipton talking about when he refers to environment? He is referring to your internal environment: the health and balance of the gut, organs, glands, bones and blood and/or what supports or breaks down that environment.
Internal environment disrupters can include where you live (old home full of mold, new home made with toxic materials) and what kinds of chemical or environmental toxicity to which you were exposed from conception to the present. It also includes diet, many of which are specific to your family history: diets rich in sugars, gluten, dairy, or soda, candy and canned or fast food.
Also affecting your internal environment can be heavy metal exposure (see more here: part one, part two and part three), including how many silver amalgam fillings you, your mother, grandmother and great grandmother had, the emotional tenor of the household (happy, sad, fearful, abusive) and your current state of mind.
If identical twins were raised in two separate environments, their health outcomes would most probably be different. Let’s say one was raised in a family that was happy, balanced, and chemical-free and had a perfectly balanced and healthy diet. The other was in a family that was chaotic, abusive, and chemical laden, and ate a junk food diet. Their environments were radically different. The potential for the second twin in the toxic environment to develop a critical illness is so much more probable.
The environment in which we live presently and lived from childhood can radically affect the way our genes express themselves. The study of epigenetics proves that bad gene expression can result from multiple environment triggers: whether chemical, emotional or physical.
But Dr. Lipton goes many steps further. In, “The Biology of Belief”, he concludes that our bad thoughts have the ability to create inflammation and our good thoughts can reduce inflammation. In fact, our brain is the chemist: it creates the chemistry of our blood. When we are in love, we release oxytocin and dopamine (“feel good” neurotransmitters) that create a feeling of immense well-being and stability.
Conversely, when we have angry, worried thoughts that create fear and anger, those stress chemicals cause inflammation. It shuts down the growth of cells: in other words, fear and anger kills cells. Cells only see the picture you have in your mind; they don’t have the ability to see the real world. So the chemistry of the blood changes with the pictures in your head. As it views this image, the brain creates certain neurochemicals consistent with it, thus turning it into biology.
If the mind misinterprets the world, our cells don’t know it is not true and fear shuts down all cellular protection. And in this state of fear and anger, when we have an infection, our cells can’t protect themselves and stress shuts down our immune system in order to conserve energy. Every day, as we bath ourselves in stress, it systematically shuts down our protective forces.
This concept was illustrated by one of my docs. Many years ago, she had a history of ulcerative colitis. Over a two-year period, she was able to heal it with natural methods. However, ten years later, when her child was 2 years old, she found her old gut symptoms returning. She panicked. What had changed? Her eating habits remained the same: very healthy and balanced. But because of building stress, her thoughts were focused on impending illness. She was caught up in lots of negative thinking about her intestinal track.
At the time she picked up a book that encouraged positive health outcomes. For the next 60 days, she didn’t allow any negative thoughts about her gut symptoms to prevail. Any time she found herself repeating a well used phrase, “This is a pain in the butt!” she corrected her thinking. When she heard herself repeating over and over again that her gut was hurting and inflamed, she corrected herself, saying that her intestines were symptom free, healthy and in balance.
After 2 weeks, she started seeing that her symptoms were slowly diminishing and by the end of 2 months, her symptoms were completely gone. The only thing she changed was her constant negative thoughts concerning her gut symptoms. Dr. Lipton says that it is dangerous to define yourself as diseased because again, a release of certain chemicals will shut down your immune system. the power of our thoughts is amazing!
How are thought patterns formed? In the first seven years of our life, we are forming both our world and personal views. We watch our parents and their beliefs get recorded in our brain.
Parents are our coaches. Statements like “you are not loveable” or “you are not good enough,” even said as a knee jerk reaction, may end up defining our lives. Most parents do their best, but sometimes their statements get permanently imbedded in our subconscious mind. And, ultimately, this programming can run our lives.
However, we do not have to be the victim of that programming, no matter how intense the statements or circumstances. But we must work on re-programming those negative thought patterns if we are to live a happy and healthy life.
There are two parts to the mind: the conscious and subconscious. The conscious mind is your creative nature: the “you” that exists on a daily basis. It holds your wishes and desires. It can think about the past and into the future, going back and forth, not bound by time.
The subconscious mind sees no past or future, but only programs: in other words, it is the habit of the mind. Everything we learn is a program, whether good or bad. It exists only in the present and it is on autopilot: you push the button and it plays.
Ninety five percent of the day, your thinking actually exists in the subconscious mind. So we are not actually driving our thoughts, but they are on autopilot, and expressing our programming. In actuality, we might be expressing our parent’s behavior. How many times have we stopped, hearing ourselves repeat the same phrases our mom or dad used when we are correcting our children? And when someone makes a comment, “You are just like your father” and our father was not a positive influence, we blow up. How can that be true? We have done everything to be different, and yet we can’t see that previous programming during our formative years continues to express itself.
How can we change that programming? When you talk to yourself out loud, saying, “I am not going to eat that piece of cake”, consider this: your subconscious is running the show and it is not listening. And has that declaration changed your behavior? Perhaps not, as we continue to shove the cake in our mouth over and over again. Or when we read a self-help book, our conscious mind says YES! But was change permanent? Remember that our subconscious mind can’t learn by creativity. It can only learn by self-hypnosis.
One great way to begin re-programming is to make contact with the delta waves in the brain right as we drift off to sleep. Dr. Lipton provides many resources on his website that you can download and play before bed. It is important to play recordings for at least 15 minutes so the words can enter deeply into your subconscious mind. Of course, repetition is very important too.
It is important to look at your struggles and find out which beliefs don’t support you. You can either use one of Dr. Lipton’s downloads, or record your own. You can create one with a health goal in mind, or make positive declarative statements about your beliefs and life.
When repeated, it is possible to change your programming. In fact, when done properly, it’s been shown that you can change a behavior in 5-8 minutes. And when combined with my Cellular Healing diet, and my Multi-Therapeutic Approach to cellular health, over time, your internal environment can change. As your thoughts change, inflammation goes down, good genes are expressed and your world changes. You are not a victim of your genes, but a victor of your environment.
Clean eating doesn’t have to be complicated. This article will highlight the fundamentals of what it means to eat clean and provide you with all the resources you need to implement it into your life. It includes a meal plan as well as a grocery shopping list full of non-toxic foods so that eating well and nourishing your body can become second nature.
You are what you eat, and you are what your food eats. Food is literally the building blocks of our human body. It informs our cells and plays a huge part in determining how our genes express themselves. Eating ‘clean’ is a concept that revolves around nourishment so that the body can thrive. It avoids all foods that are considered toxic and that create more harm (inflammation) than good.
The benefits of eating healthy are profound because the opposite diet places a large burden on our organs and bodily systems. Although the human body self-detoxifies, it only has the ability to do so in relation to an ancestral lifestyle. Our ancestors ate real, whole, wild foods and had no modern-day toxin exposure. Their lifestyles were at one with nature. Today we experience a vastly different world, in which our bodies are assaulted with environmental, emotional, and chemical stressors all day, every day. Eating clean removes a constant stream of stress so that your body has the ability to actually use the nutrients to heal and thrive.
Although some people may feel fine on their current unhealthy diet, there are two reasons to switch to a clean eating plan. First of all, you can always feel better. The majority of mainstream Americans have settled for a sub-optimal state of health. People consider their brain fog, poor digestion, and aches and pains as a normal part of life. Secondly, a poor diet may not be impacting you too much now– but it will catch up to you eventually. The toxins found in an unhealthy diet start to stockpile in the body, and although it may take 10, 20, or 30 years… eventually, the body starts to break down. Dealing with chronic health issues and autoimmune disorders later in your life is not ideal and can absolutely be prevented and even reversed by implementing a healthy lifestyle today.
Clean eating doesn’t have to be boring nor will you have to sacrifice the enjoyment of food. These recipes are tried and tested in the Pompa family! Me, my wife, and our kids take great pleasure in nourishing ourselves with clean foods that taste great. These recipes are simple, contain no nasty ingredients, and will give your body the nutritional foundation it needs to thrive.
Each individual grocery list and links to the full recipes can be found below, but this is a general list of all the ingredients you will need to cook this clean eating meal plan for the week. Always opt for organic foods when possible, to avoid any added toxins like heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, and GMOs. Animal products are particularly important to invest in; opt for high quality organic and pasture raised products. The beef should be grass fed and grass finished.
Note that many of these recipes contain multiple servings, so if you’re cooking for one person, be mindful that you will have leftovers.
Creamy coconut yogurt is delicious and full of probiotics, a great way to give your body easy to digest and probiotic-rich fats first thing in the morning. The collagen and gelatin add protein, and the berries and pollen are delicious, nutritious, and low-glycemic. A great way to keep you satiated for a busy day!
This salad is full of flavor and the fats will keep you full without giving you a mid-day food coma. This easy salad is light, but if you’re ravenous by lunch you could consider adding a can of anchovies or some shredded chicken to your salad.
Is there anything better than perfectly cooked salmon with crispy skin? This dinner is delicious and ready in literally minutes.
This oat-free porridge is packed with healthy fats and will fill you up without weighing you down with grains. The combination of spices and coconut give this coco-NOatmeal an ayurvedic flavor that will nourish your soul and make your taste buds happy too!
A big bowl of fresh veggies, nuts, avocado, and fermented greens to supercharge your afternoon with easy-to-digest vibrantly alive foods! This salad can easily be made ahead of time, simply add the avocado in just before eating.
Yes, chicken wings can be a health food! These pasture-raised chicken wings are oven baked with healthy fats and packed with polyphenol-rich spices and herbs. You won’t believe how good they are and we actually prefer these wings to the deep fried kind in my family!
Having these muffins on hand is a perfect grab-and-go breakfast for busy families. You could also consider making these on a Sunday evening and having them ready for breakfast/ snacks throughout the week. Without any grains, they are packed with veggies, good fats, and the kids don’t have to know!
Everybody loves chicken noodle soup! This noodle-free version uses zucchini noodles instead of pasta and so you can have a large bowl (or two) without any lethargy or blood glucose spike. The kids love this one!
This veggie dish is so delicious. Cooked in bone broth, this spiced cauliflower will quickly become a family favorite. If you’re hungry for more, you could pair it with some roasted chicken.
This dish is fun to make, and to eat! Baked egg in avocado provides your body with tonnes of satiating fats, vitamins, and minerals. You can top it with any of your favorites, we like some crumbled bacon, feta, and fresh chives.
It might sound like an odd combination, but avocado and grapefruit are a match made in heaven. This salad is especially delicious when the weather outside is hot!
Liver is one of the most nutritionally dense foods on the planet, but many people stray away from buying it because they don’t know how to cook it. By using onions and plenty of spices, the powerful flavor of the liver becomes very tasty and almost sweet. Enjoy!
Getting in this many veggies at breakfast is a definite win! Paired with eggs and optionally beef and feta, this vegetable frittata is nourishing and oh so delicious.
This recipe is great especially if you're all out of meat in the fridge! By keeping a few cans of wild sockeye salmon in your pantry, you can easily whip up these tasty salmon cakes in minutes!
This warming soup is great after a long day, especially if it’s a little chily outside. If pumpkin is in season, you can also steam pumpkin and then pureée it with a hand blender instead of using canned pureé. This recipe can also be tweaked to feature any of your favorite root vegetable(s).
Coconut chia seed pudding can be prepared the night before and left in the fridge, making it the perfect breakfast before a busy day! Whether you’re heading out the door or plan on spending your Saturday morning lazing around, it’s nice to have a ready-made, delicious and nutritious breakfast waiting for you!
The combination of chicken, sweet potato, and kale make this soup perfectly balanced and very satisfying. Having bone broth as the base makes this soup extra nutritionally dense! You can swap in or add any other green and could use beef or lamb instead of chicken to switch things up.
A delicious lamb dinner is a favorite in our household. This recipe is fool-proof! We like to pair it with sweet potato wedges and some oven-roasted broccoli.
Healthy pancakes?! You betcha. These cream cheese filled pancakes tastes just like cheesecake, and are a great way to spend your Sunday morning. All the flavor without any of the nasty ingredients! Win-win.
This bison burger can be made using any of your favourite ground-meat. Chicken burgers, beef burgers, turkey burgers… the possibilities are endless!
Finishing off the week with a simple soup that packs a flavourful punch. This trio is a winner, and becomes oh-so-creamy thanks to the coconut cream.
Take the time at the end of the week to reflect on the past seven days. How do you feel? Nourishing yourself with clean foods is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle, and can help propel you towards making other good decisions regarding your health.
By cleaning up your diet, you are no longer ingesting harmful toxins via your food source. This should be combined with a mindful attitude towards other toxins like those in your beauty care/ body care products, and the products you use in your home. To learn more about how to clean up your lifestyle as a whole, and how to safely and effectively detox, you can visit my YouTube channel as well a DrPompa.com. Take charge of your health today to protect your health and boost your longevity!
Episode 37
Episode 34
Episode 35
Episode 36
Episode 37
Episode 38
Episode 39
Episode 40
