I believe that to be a healthy human…you need to live like one. What does that mean exactly? Well, that’s what this site is all about.
As an anthropologist, I agree with the mismatch theory of health that basically comes down to the fact that we aren’t living as our bodies are designed. An easy example is vitamin D which only occurs naturally in a handful of foods. Humans synthesize vitamin D from exposure to sunlight. Currently, we spend about 93% of our time indoors while low levels of this vital nutrient clinically impact large portions of our population.
I’m originally from western Washington State, a beautiful, lush, green wonderland where it rains a lot. A LOT. A place with frequent cloud cover and little exposure to sunlight which leads to higher rates of Seasonal Affective Disorder, a significant form of depression for which recommended treatment includes light therapy and vitamin D supplements!
It’s interesting to note however, that nature is smarter than us and generally gives us what we need. A simple 3 oz. portion of salmon, a fish commonly found throughout the Pacific Northwest and intrinsic to many of the Native American tribes in the region, contains 447 IU of vitamin D! So…if you are eating the local food such as salmon and mushrooms (which grow wonderfully, wildly and also contain vitamin D), then you are going to get your necessary vitamin D. The peak of their season is early Fall, just in time to stockpile them for the dreary rainy months that follow. Currently, I live in sunny Arizona, where there are zero salmon, but I can just spend 15-20 minutes outside daily and satisfy my vitamin D requirement. (darker skin tones may need more time) There’s a bonus in that our cortisol, a stress hormone, drops measurably after about 20 minutes and our immune response improves with exposure to essential oils found in trees and plants.
On the flip side, if you are spending essentially all your time indoors, and eating like a typical American, consuming, say, Chick Fil A chicken strips, fast food fries, Subway, Taco Bell, or Domino’s, then your “D” is not the vitamin sort…but you are getting “Dimethylpolysiloxane”. This is a synthetic chemical that is used in personal care products, adhesives, and as an anti-foaming agent in food. It’s a type of silicone that is used to make Silly Putty and caulking. Doesn’t sound like food to me. Repeated exposure to dimethylpolysiloxane in mice reduced natural killer cell activity (suppressed immune function).
Still, we wonder why we get sick.
Our bodies are not designed to handle weird, novel, chemicals that shouldn’t be eaten.
Our bodies run fabulously on sunlight, salmon, and mushrooms.
And…if we go fishing, or gathering mushrooms…we get multiple layers of benefits including stress reducing time in nature, appropriate exercise, improved immunity, plus all that glorious vitamin D.
Seems clear to me.
This is just the tip of the iceberg but future posts will be bringing not only the details of where we are mismatched, actionable steps for addressing them, and other bits of fun and interesting topics. I hope you’ll stay tuned!
https://www.freepik.com/free-photos-vectors/background”>Background photo created by valeria_aksakova
Janice Penberth 