Your food and it's impact on your relationships.

As a young child, I often wondered why the "milk man" delivered milk to our house twice a week. As I got older, I realized that milk that has not been pasteurized will start to sour within 7 days. Also, the federal government in 1973 required that all milk shipped via interstate commerce had to be pasteurized. Fast forward 20 years and it's difficult to find any milk or juice in the store that has not gone through this process. Pasteurization is a process that involves heating, spinning liquids at high velocities and a temperature of approx 120 degrees in order to kill all bacteria. This process gives the juice and milk longer shelf life, which increases corporate profits. The problem with pasteurization is the fact that the good microbes necessary for optimum food and nutrient absorption are killed as well. This coupled with the fact that the US is number one in the world in antibiotic consumption. Antibiotics don't discriminate and kills the good bacteria as well. All generations from baby boomers and sooner often made bad food choices, but better quality. Today's generations are making better choices, but the quality has been manipulated to extend shelf life and increase corporate profits. Let me quickly get to my point. I believe that the management of love and money are two of the greater challenges as it relates to maintaining novelty and sustainability in today's paradigm shifting domestic landscape. I am no theologist, but I am fairly certain that the word agriculture is used in the bible in over 34 bible versus. The prefix "Agri" in latin means land or soil. The suffix"Cult" comes from the word cultivate or culture. In summary, we are predisposed to partake in land culture. There is a divine, spiritual, physiological connection to the microbes and bacteria that's association with soil and our body's ability to achieve homeostasis. About (7) years ago something physiologically changed in me and my wife's biochemistry that never happened before. We introduced apple cider vinegar, probiotics, smoothies and an abundance of green leafy vegetables in our diet. We also introduced more fish. We cooked more at home rather than going out. If your food comes in a box, it's probably listed with so much crap that you need to take a pharmacy class to understand what it is. Apple cider vinegar reestablished proper acidity levels in my gut that typically decrease as you age. Probiotics reestablished proper bacterial levels. I went from a 36" suit size to a 34" in less than 30 days. Her driving became much more relaxed. The interesting thing is the fact that I did not lose weight, just a suit size. I also remember having more energy, vigor, virility and vitality. I became a better listener and overall, a better husband. I started to associate this change in my diet and focused my study on the gut's microbiome. As a rule, I never partake in contentious discussions with my wife if she is hungry, tired, or 5 days before that time of the month. I feel that our communication is much more optimized with daily probiotics as well.

The gut has direct influence on maintaining adequate serotonin and dopamine levels which are both neurotransmitters. Many people don't realize that our gut is the body's second brain and biological eco system. It manages and contains over 200 million neurotransmitters. The gut and brain have a synergistic relationship that communicates via the vagus nerve. This neurological highway is like connecting Maine to Florida via I-95. 50% of the body's dopamine, 95% of the serotonin and 70% of our immune system is manufactured and managed in the gut. Your ability to effectively fight a virus such as covid is contained in your digestive track. Dopamine is the body's reward pathway, responsible for motivation and desire. This is the pathway that addiction hijacks when one becomes addicted to drugs, nicotine or alcohol. Serotonin is the other neurotransmitter, but it's role has more to do with one's overall mood, energy and whether you are happy or sad. If you have a family member that suffers from chronic depression chances are, their medication such as prozac and lithium help elevate serotonin levels. Women who truly suffer from PMS actually experience a sudden decrease in serotonin which causes many women to be extremely irascible a few days prior to that time of the month. It's probably not a good idea to talk to your spouse about leaving his sox under the bed as he returned from the sports bar watching the baseball game. Conversely, it's probably not a good idea to talk to your wife about an upcoming business trip that you have to take knowing that she has not had dinner. How you feel, how you treat people, the way you responded to your spouse, co worker, aggressive driving, patience with your kids is directly associated with your gut's microbiome. Our body is designed to remain in constant communication with nature. Recent study showed that kids who took probiotics were happier than the children who did not. Remember, it is not your responsibility to manage what your partner does for you. It's your responsibility to be the best husband, wife, partner and version of yourself you can be. Before you decide to blame others for how you feel, check your gut. See you next week.

Edward Cunningham