Wellness Edition

Individual Gut Health

We are all taught from an early age what “healthy” foods are. “Eat your broccoli,” “all vegetables are good for you,” “red meat is bad for you,” “drink tea instead of coffee,” “dairy will upset your stomach” and so on. The intent here is mostly good and there is much truth to eating a balanced diet with more whole foods and less artificial ingredients, but what we are not taught is that ideal nutrition is unique to each individual. There is not a one size fits all diet that works for everyone. I learned this the hard way for years fighting constant stomach irritation and inflammation throughout my body. I actually didn’t realize the extent of the inflammation I was living with until after I adjusted my diet and suddenly the dark circles under my eyes disappeared, my belly wasn’t bloated all the time and my skin suddenly sprang to life!

Being that, as you know I am into all the latest techy things, I discovered* this interesting startup based here in Bellevue, WA. It’s called Viome. They do a variety of health intelligence tests via mail in DIY kit. I decided to give the Gut Health Intelligence test a try.

Essentially you send in some samples, download the app, and you receive a list of hundreds of foods, personalized to what your very own internal microbiome needs. Not what your high school science teacher or TikTok says you need. What your body really needs more and less of. They are ranked from Superfoods (foods you should eat a lot of), Enjoy, Minimize and Avoid (foods to stay away from).

I was really shocked by the results, although I shouldn’t have been. Foods that showed up on my Avoid list were mostly foods I really don’t like but forced myself to eat because they are considered healthy. Broccoli is at the top of my avoid list and I have always really despised broccoli, so that was quite a pleasant finding! For me (and mind you this is me and everyone will be different) my green light foods include pineapple (my favorite of all fruits!), red meat, lobster, cheese and coffee and several other of my favorite things. My red light foods included a lot of dark greens, bell peppers and almonds which are two things that were always on my shopping list because they are largely considered “healthy.”

So after making some adjustments I can honestly tell you this has been a major life changer for me. There are many other food sensitivity/gut health tests on the market. I highly recommend you check some out and see what feels like it is the right vibe for you.

Remember - You are unique and special. Eat foods that make you feel good. Do things that make you happy. Live your best life according to you.

*To be clear this is not an ad or an endorsement I am just telling you my experience. Take it as you wish. Individual results will vary.

Feed Your Mind with Good Reads

Cloud Cuckoo Land - A dazzling triumph of imagination and interconnected tales of brave souls searching for a better existence amidst epic adversity. I was actually overwhelmed with sadness after finishing this book, I wanted it to continue on forever. A must read.

The Future - This book envisions a world where the earth is hurtling towards fiery destruction, with tech giants playing a significant role in shaping an apocalyptic series of events. Through intertwining storylines and characters, the book explores themes of power, survival, and the impact of technology on society.

In other news…

• The U.S. landed on the moon for the first time in 51 years! Intuitive Machines (a private company) sent an autonomous vehicle named Odysseus aka Odie to deliver cargo for NASA and will help explore the moon’s south polar region where frozen water has been detected in the craters there.

• It’s no Balloon Dog but it is the first authorized artwork on the moon. Jeff Koons, famous for his Balloon Dog sculpture series sent a new work titled “Moon Phases” to the moon, riding safely along with Odie. The artist created a box with 125 small moon-like spheres, each one honoring a famous individual like Helen Keller, David Bowie, Galileo and presumably Miss Cam Fay.

• We were all left dumbfounded last week by Tucker Carlson’s bizarre hype video of Russia wherein he attempts to showcase the merits of living under a murderous dictatorship, which include a cleanly subway and anti-theft grocery store shopping carts. Sorry Tuck, I’m not sold.

• It was a compliment to his interview with Vladimir Putin, who momentarily stepped away from ordering the assassinations of his opponents, so that he could deliver a colorful (albeit false and concerning) revisionist history of the world according to Vlad. We don’t need a link to this buffoonery.

• Just when you think it can’t get any worse, the Alabama Supreme Court has ruled that frozen embryos are considered children. This has prompted fertility clinics to halt IVF treatments due to the now severe legal risks. They didn’t really think this one through did they?

There will be no Turkeys and Angels awarded this week due to an overwhelming supply of Turkeys in the news. We will check the supply chain next week and resume our regularly scheduled proclamations.

Have a wonderfully Wu-Wei weekend everyone! 🥂