Health Tips – Issue 8

When Food is not Food:

Acclaimed author and journalist Michael Pollan argues that what most Americans are consuming today is not food but “edible food-like substances.” His latest book is called In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.

In an interview, Pollan discusses nutrition, food science and the current American diet. According to Pollan: “We’ve known this for a hundred years, that if you eat this Western diet ... lots of processed food, lots of refined grain and pure sugar, lots of red meat and processed meats, very little whole grains, very little fresh fruits and vegetables ... about 80 percent of heart disease, at least as much Type II diabetes, 33 to 40 percent of cancers all come out of eating that way, and we know this.”
Joi says: If we want health, real HEALTH, the only way to get it is by returning to the basics, in other words, by eating closer to nature.
Knowing this, why do we not all act on what we know?
For one thing, there’s a lot of confusing information out there.
So many ads, so many articles, and commercials focusing on individual nutrients, i.e. vitamin C, E, folic acid, omega 3, etc, that many of us forget these are only a part of the picture, the whole picture, (read HEALTH, here) lies in eating the whole foods these “pieces” of health are found in. In other words, eat the whole orange, not a capsule of vitamin C; eat walnuts, or flax to get your Omega 3 oil, don’t get it in a capsule.
We have forgotten that there are so many other benefits from eating the whole food. Each whole food is full of thousands of health promoting, disease fighting components, put there (I believe), by our Creator who knew what our needs were, and provided us an easy source to get them.
We’re all in a hurry today, we want instant gratification, and fast food has become the national norm, where we run through a drive through, or at best get home and ‘prepare’ dinner by throwing something ‘prepared’ by some manufacturer into the microwave. These foods are the main reason why our nation is in the mist of a major Health Crisis. The very foods we eat on a daily basis are bankrupting our health.
At some point many people suddenly become aware, at the very least, of the weight they have gained, although most do not recognize that it’s the foods they eat every day that is the cause. Many will focus on the soda, or the candy bars, and not understand that it’s really ALL of the foods they eat that has caused the weight gain. So what do most of us do next? We get on some unhealthy “Lose thirty pounds in thirty days” DIET, (pay attention to the first three letters in that word!). What happens when we do that?
At first we lose some essential ‘water’ (convincing ourselves that it’s fat), and then we find ourselves on a ‘plateau’, as our body goes into ‘starvation mode” believing we are trying to kill it, so it (the body) slows down some systems, metabolism being one of the first, and even stops others in order to conserve energy, (fuel) that is necessary for the systems that we cannot do without, i.e. brain function, respiration, and heart beat.
What’s next? Well, eventually we give it all up and go back to the same old, same old, re-gaining not just the ‘weight’ we lost, but a few more pounds as well, since now our metabolism is functioning at ‘starvation’ level.
What can we do, what should we do to regain, build and maintain our health, and I’m talking about Health, not just for the short term, but Health for the long term?
Here it is, plain and simple: The fastest way to optimal health is through choosing a diet of whole foods, and embracing a healthy lifestyle
The best way to recapture your health, and yes, your naturally healthy body weight is included in this, is by focusing on WHOLE foods, foods that have not been processed in any way that alters them from their original state. The very best food of course, is food that has been raised or grown as nature intended; no chemicals, (fertilizer or otherwise), no additives, no pesticides, no antibiotics.
Here’s something to think about: If you make the changes you need to make, beginning where you are of course, and building on that beginning foundation, until you are doing what you need to do to promote your health…can you envision your life as you will live it, how you will feel, how you will look, in five years?…in ten?....how about twenty?
And if you do nothing, maintain the status quo? Where will you be, how will you feel, what will you look like in five years…ten…or twenty?
REMEMBER: Whole foods give you much more than just the sum of their individual nutrients. Every fruit, every vegetable, all the grains, etc., all have thousands of plant chemicals that work together synergistically, (when eaten in their natural state), building optimum health NOW and FOR YOUR FUTURE.
Be good to yourself, you’re worth it! Joi XO
For more information go to: www.JoiLin4Health.com
Contact me at: JoiLin@JoiLin4Health.com