Why Can Some People Eat Junk Food Without Getting Sick?

Healing diets like the autoimmune protocol or paleo diet can produce wonderful results, but there is no denying that the transition from the standard American diet is hard. It takes time for our pallets to change, for our cravings to subside, and for our lives to adjust to different routines and customs surrounding food. We do not always accept these challenges with willing hearts, and almost everyone I know has asked themselves the same question at one point or another during this transition, “why can some people eat whatever they want and still be healthy, but I have to eat like this?”

It is totally natural to have this “why me?” feeling from time to time, because on the surface it just doesn’t seem to add up. You’ve just spent an hour at the grocery store searching out rutabagas, coconut flour, and bones for your broth only to get in line to check out behind some 105 pound, fitness magazine model, with her diet soda, sugar free yogurt, and lean cuisine meal and you want to scream. Been there, but here’s the thing you can’t compare how you feel to how someone else looks. You honestly can’t even compare how you feel to how someone else says that they feel. I have close friends who give me a hard time about how many health problems I have but don’t recognize that not menstruating, having diarrhea, being chronically tired, not being able to lose weight or getting colds 5 times a year are all major health problems.

Here are some interesting facts for you:

• 40 million adults in the US ages 18 and older have a diagnosed anxiety disorder (18% of the population) (Source)
• Major depressive disorder is the leading cause of disability in the US for ages 15-44 with the median age of onset at 32 years of age. (Source)
• The number of patients diagnosed with depression increases by apprx. 20% per year (Source)
• States with the highest rates of depression also have the highest rates of obesity, heart disease, stroke, sleep disorders (Source)
• More than 1/3 of adult Americans are considered obese (Source)
• An average adult in the US sleeps for 6 hours per night (Source)
• More than 40% of adults say that they lay awake at light because of stress (Source)
• 83% of people with celiac disease go undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed with other conditions (Source)
• IBS affects 10-15% of the entire population of the US (Source)

So what does all of this mean? It means that most of our population is actually walking around feeling pretty crumby. In fact, I believe that feeling crumby has become so common that it is now just the cultural norm. So, when someone decides that there may be a different way to live and takes steps to achieve that they are seen as having problems, when in reality many of the issues are ones that we all share.

Now, I am not one of those people who believes that just because I can’t eat dairy all dairy is evil. Some people can tolerate raw, grass fed, dairy products just fine, in fact it may even be helpful for them. Many people tolerate eggs, nightshades, and even some grains without issues. But I am here to tell you that no one can tolerate a diet mountain dew and a bowl of easy mac without eventually experiencing some issues. Our bodies were not designed to eat chemicals, plain and simple.

So next time you find yourself in a slump, remember that comparison is the thief of joy. You do not know what is going on inside the lives or guts of anyone else but rest assured that you are on the right track and feel empowered that you valued yourself enough to step away from the pack and realize that feeling crumby is not normal!