Why What’s for Dinner is More Important than Ever
I promise you I am not the only one out there who is a concerned parent who tried to raise my son the right way. When I say the “right” way, I mean providing my son the kind of environment that will help him become a responsible adult and a contributing member of society. You see, my son has autism and for my wife and I it has been a struggle for many years. It’s been a very personal struggle of mine, and recently I came across an article about Erica and Justin Sonnenburg who are not only concerned parents but also happen to be researchers at Stanford. Now these researchers happen to run their eponymous lab in Stanford’s department of microbiology and immunology. The two researchers have also written a book called “The Good Gut: Taking Control of Your Weight, Your Mood and Your Long-Term Health.” What I love about their story is that like me and my wife they too were searching for answers when it came to their child and like me and my wife they discovered that a family lifestyle/diet has a significant impact on life.
There are now a lot of books on gut health, and I have read a lot of them out there. Like many of those books, I strongly recommend this one as well. I am a strong believer in the fact that if we work on fixing our gut that we may end up seeing a dramatic decrease in mental disorders just like the authors of the book suggest. More and evidence seems to show that how we treat our bodies and what we put in our mouths has a significant impact on our overall health. Processed foods versus produce, eating at restaurants versus eating at home, all have an impact on our diet. Understanding all of this will provide more and more Americans the understanding of what it takes to stay healthy. It’s also why “what’s for dinner” should be a pretty big deal for every family. My goal is to educate the public on how all of these things are impacting all of our lives. It’s important for everyone to understand that we always have a choice in how we manage our health and can stay healthy throughout our lifespan. If you any questions, please do not hesitate to contact my office for an appointment or attend one of our upcoming events on Gut Health to learn more.
Dr. Shah, MD