“You are what you eat” Debunking the #1 nutritional myth with health and wellness expert Dr. Julie Gatza We’ve all heard the adage, “You are what you eat”. Seems like a sensible dietary maxim, right? “Wrong,” says nutritional educator Dr. Julie Gatza, co-founder of the Florida Wellness Institute. The truth is: “You are what you absorb.” Dr. Julie says just because we pile our plates with healthy foods is no reason to assume our body is also going to be healthy unless we can break down those food into micro-nutrient particles that can be absorbed into the circulatory system.” Dr. Julie says many people are unable to properly break down foods they consume for a variety of reasons: It has to be a food in the first place: It has to contain vitamins, minerals, proteins, healthy fats and enzymes. These nutrient building blocks need to be digestible, absorbable and usable in order for the body to benefit from them. Much of the food (I call it Un-Food) does not contain necessary nutrients. A food has to be non-sensitive to the individual: Many people are unaware they may be eating foods that are causing nutrient depletion. The sensitive food causes a negative reaction, which increases depletion and reduces replenishment. This is very common and greatly reduces the ability to make enzymes. · Insufficient production of digestive enzymes: “Aging is the primary reason for lack of enzymes,” says Dr. Julie. “Beyond the age of 21, the production of enzymes begins to wane, and by midlife you have about only one- half of what you need.” Injuries, illnesses, tiredness, being cold, or being in recovery mode also prevent your body from manufacturing digestive enzymes because the body’s focus becomes keeping you alive and well. When you become sick you lose your appetite and your digestive enzyme production halts. That’s Nature’s way of saying, ‘We’re not wasting energy on digestion, we’re only working to heal the body’.” · Improper food preparation: “When you heat food above 119 degrees you destroy all the enzymes in the food, so you have food that’s very difficult to derive nutrients from because it’s been robbed of enzyme content needed to break it down into micro nutrient particles.” says Dr. Julie. · Genetics: There are individuals who are genetically predisposed to having an abundance of digestive enzymes throughout their lives. Provided they make wise food choices, they