A B.C. author finds it hard to swallow that humans are programmed to enjoy a wide array of food, but eating it isn't healthy for you.
Van Clayton Powel chewed on this dilemma and began to do research. He also drew on his career experiences in the medical field. A top-of-the-class psychiatric nurse, a nursing supervisor, a specialist in arenas like addictions treatment and emergency psychiatric assessment, he also travelled to Asia where he spent years training in their medical practices, martial arts and yoga.
Back in Canada, he applied himself first to founding the Runner's Yoga Program and Mind Body Fitness Inc. But while much of this background was focused on the mind and the movement of the body without, he couldn't shake impressions that kept forming about the body within - specifically the food we put into our mortal vessel.
At the same time, Powel was suffering from chronic digestive problems, so his inquiries were partially personal.
"I was surprised to find the solution not in what I ate, but in how I ate - an approach that had been used successfully in Asia for thousands of years, yet fits in perfectly with the latest medical science," he said. "We keep blaming foods for our digestive problem - wheat, dairy, gluten, meat, etc. I'm convinced a huge part of the equation is not the food, but our damaged and ineffective digestive systems. In my case, my digestive problems were so bad I thought I was going to have to survive on a diet of white rice and a few steamed vegetables for the rest of my life. Today I can eat anything I want without a problem, and all my symptoms have disappeared."
Powel put his findings and hypotheses in a book he entitled You Are Not What You Eat. In it he makes clear that he's not talking about congenital allergies to things like peanuts or shellfish, but feels in many cases we can reduce or even eliminate food sensitivities.
"What if foods like gluten and wheat are not the problem? What if the problem is a damaged and weak digestive system, and you can fix it by changing how you eat, rather than what you eat?," he said.
Powel will be in Prince George to delve into the book with the local audience, in person. He will be at Art Space tonight at 7 p.m. for a free public discussion, with copies of the book available for purchase.
