When Healing Becomes Identity

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I am standing in another place now.
Not purity.
Not indulgence.
But stewardship.

This is a much harder place to live, because there are no rules to hide behind, and the deconstruction phase can feel as intense as the conversion.

I found that as my personal diet restrictions relaxed, they continued to relax more and more. This is not failure. It is neurobiological repair.

Long-term restriction, combined with moralized food systems, trains the nervous system to live in scarcity vigilance. When safety returns, the system says, “We are allowed now.” And it keeps testing the fence to see if it’s real. It is the body renegotiating trust.

“How do I live with both vitality and joy without becoming enslaved to either?”
This is really a spiritual maturity question more than a nutrition one.

Instead of rigid restrictions, there are Core Healing Practices (non-negotiable):
daily greens, omega-3s, hydration, fiber, and a low inflammatory load.

There can also be Seasonal Therapeutic Phases - short, intentional, time-bound returns to deeper healing, no longer than 7–30 days, with a clear exit plan and with joy still present.

We need a Living Food Culture where pleasure belong - not as daily indulgence, but as daily normalcy.
This includes bread, soup, pasta, dessert, and celebration.

Dr. Fielder, who I studied under, had a philosophy that crossed from medicine into identity. Other protocols risk the same, but I am no longer susceptible in the same way. Now I see the danger in “forever rules.”

The new question for me:
“Is this helping me love my life more?”
If the answer is no, the protocol is no longer medicine.

I feel like I am integrating and becoming the authority my younger self needed. I don’t have all the answers, but I am learning to pay attention. Here are six non-negotiable pillars that find the sweet spot where vitality meets freedom:

1. Plants as the Bulk

At least 50–70% of intake from greens, crucifers, beans, berries, and alliums.
These actively lower inflammation. This is our superpower.

2. Omega-3 Dominance

The anti-inflammatory switch comes from flax oil, chia, ground flax, walnuts, sardines, and salmon. This counterbalances omega-6 overload. Without this, even healthy foods can become inflammatory.

3. Stable Blood Sugar

Inflammation skyrockets with glucose swings. So each day includes fiber, protein (plant or light animal), and fat (olive, flax, avocado). Not low-carb - steady carb.

4. Gut Peace

Avoid chronic triggers that damage the barrier: ultra-processed foods, seed oils, artificial sweeteners, excess alcohol, and constant grazing.
Also include fermented foods, soluble fiber, and resistant starch (potatoes, beans, oats). This keeps endotoxins from leaking into the bloodstream.

5. Low Oxidative Load

Fewer fried foods, fewer charred foods, low processed sugar, and high polyphenols (berries, tea, herbs). This protects mitochondria - your energy factories.

6. Nervous System Safety

Inflammation rises when the body feels threatened. So eat enough, don’t fast compulsively, avoid fear-based rules, and enjoy food socially. This is just as biological as kale.

My personal sweet spot is this:
High raw. Omega-3 rich. Fiber dense. Emotionally safe. Culturally normal.

And it leaves room for French bread, cake, pasta, and celebration.

That’s it.
Not a prison.
Not chaos.
A baseline.

Still Curious. Still Growing, Still Grateful.

by Janis @ Simple Raw and Natural


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