The Rabbit Effect

Here we go again. Corona is back in full swing and we are back to restrictions. De ja vu.

Many people are saying that this may be a new reality that we just need to learn to accept for a while.

As I mentioned last week – I believe in being proactive. On focusing on what we can control.

In remaining as resilient, strong, and healthy as we can.

One important way to remain healthy is to eat appropriately. To nourish our bodies with foods that create health and to refrain from eating foods that can lower immunity.

Here are some guidelines for an immune boosting diet :

• Drink 2-3 L of water daily
• Cut down on sugar, white flour, and processed foods
• Focus on fresh fruits and vegetables &
• Eat all the different colors to vary the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants in your body
• Eat whole proteins like eggs, fish, chicken and beef 
• Focus on healthy fats like olive oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil and butter
• Add in fermented foods like sauerkraut, lacto-fermented vegetables, kombucha 
• Try to create set meal times together as a family in a relaxed environment 

And while I thoroughly believe in the power of simple, nourishing foods in creating health I have come to realize that our narrative and the social context that we live in are often equally as important as our food choices in maintaining a healthy body and  a resilient immune system.

It’s not only about what you eat – it’s about how your body processes that food.

Enter in the rabbit effect.

In 1978 Dr Robert Nerem and his team of researchers designed an experiment to clarify the relationship between diet and heart health. They fed nearly genetically identical rabbits the same high-fat diet. At the end of the study, they expected all the rabbits to have equal poor measures of health. Only they didn’t.

One group of rabbits had significantly better—60% better—health outcomes than the others. There was no explanation for the difference. 

Then Dr. Nerem noticed that the healthier rabbits were all tended to by the same kind and caring young researcher. She frequently held the rabbits, talked to them, and played with them. In other words, she gave them kindness. 

The team repeated the experiment with tightly controlled conditions and got the same startling results:

Rabbits who experienced loving kindness had an improved biological response.

Though their diets were identical, the rabbits who were loved, touched and fed had lower cholesterol  levels than their counterparts. The rabbits who were in the more loving environment could metabolize the stress of the poor diet better.

This discovery has huge ramifications for understanding health and for implementing change.

But for now – I believe that it is crucial for us to internalize this message during these trying times. Creating an environment of loving kindness for ourselves, our families, and our community can go a long way in helping create health and resilience.