Say NO to Diet. Eat Right!

Health, especially in people nearing the second half of their life, improves greatly if you lose a few unwanted pounds. In some instances, you can actually reverse or even cure disease or chronic illness through weight reduction and improved eating. The body is a miraculous machine; unfortunately, most people treat their cars better than they do their bodies. Nobody would ever think of putting disease fuel into a car that requires unleaded gas, yet we put all kinds of unhealthful foods into our bodies every day

Diseases Are Created
So often we think of disease as an unfortunate condition that we “catch” much in the same way that we catch colds or airborne viruses. But that’s not true. Diseases like Type 2 diabetes are created and manufactured inside us. What we eat has a direct affect on how our body reacts, how it stores fat and how it wards off ills. Sugar grows cancer. Eating sweets or sugar-producing foods can provide the chemical makeup some bodies respond to and encourage cancer growth. Likewise, minimizing these foods can help ward off cancer, diabetes and many other diseases.

People have reactions to certain types of foods that are not related to the chemicals or fats those foods contain, either. Food allergies, intolerances and sensitivities are three separate food reactions that may be very dangerous to your health, can affect weight loss or weight maintenance efforts, and may even cause death. Indigestion, nausea, skin rashes, and sinus congestion can all be indications of food allergies. Your inability to lose weight when you know you are doing everything right is another indication that sensitivities may be present. Even reactions to non-caloric items like onion or artificial sweeteners may cause your body to retain unwanted fat by metabolically slowing down. Simple food sensitivity tests can be performed by a family doctor. This test is highly recommended to help determine which foods should be avoided or, at least, minimized if you have any reason to believe that this may be an issue for you.

Know Your Body
If we listen, our body will usually tell us just about everything we need to know in order to nutritionally fortify it properly. When you learn more about your body and how you feel, good health and longevity is much more achievable. Drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water daily will help you stay hydrated and flush fats & toxins from your body at the same time.

We are what we eat. It’s amazing how often we forget that. To assume that there is no connection between the food we eat and the health we enjoy is nonsensical. Today, 89% of the calories in a “Standard American Diet” come from fat and starchy carbohydrates. These statistics can logically be attributed to the food industry’s focus on marketing fast and easy carbohydrate food and snack items to the public. This is a formula for disaster and it has occurred with a vengeance. Is it no wonder that, as a result, our population is:

• Sicker than ever
• Experiencing an epidemic of heart disease, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, cancer, ADD, autism, and auto-immune disease in YOUNG people
• Spending almost as much as the military budget on health care • More obese and overweight than ever (66% of Americans)
• Living a longer percentage of life afflicted with more disease

Chemical Invaders Maintaining a healthy weight and fighting disease is not about discipline and willpower. It’s about eliminating deficiencies, balancing hormones and nutritionally preparing your body, every day, to be efficient. But, where do you start?

Simply eating the right food isn’t enough if your body doesn’t properly absorb the nutrients that food contains. So many people are overweight AND malnourished at the same time. Prescription drugs and herbal remedies often fight each other and leach important vitamins and minerals out of the body. More supplementation is not always better if you don’t know how much of a specific nutrient your body needs. Taking too much of something can cause toxicity, and a whole host of other problems. Even over-the-counter items can be dangerous if they are taken in excess or with other products that contain ingredients that do not mix well.

Government statistics indicate that you, as an average American, are consuming approximately twenty pounds of chemicals and food additives each year and as much as forty pounds if fast, frozen or convenience foods are a regular part of your diet. Your metabolic problems, hormone conditions, diseases and aging are all caused by cumulative : free-radical damage. Wouldn’t you like to fight these chemical invaders?

Many food additives can cause your body to misidentify foods and process them through the system inefficiently. Your immune system is greatly challenged because it cannot detoxify these elements from the foods you are eating fast enough. Many of these foreign chemicals slip through and float directly into your bloodstream as if you have a virus or other kind of bacteria in your system. Therefore, eat fresh fruits, vegetables and meats whenever possible and avoid anything th at comes in a package, box, wrapper or can. If a food remains as nature intended, rather than manipulated in some processed way, it will be a lot safer and healthier to eat.

Better Quality of Life
Good health isn’t an accident. It takes work. Sometimes, it takes discipline. Nobody gets bitten by the “cancer bug” or is hit by the “diabetes virus.” These are not germs that fly around and infect the unlucky. They are diseases and conditions that we perpetuate by allowing them into our bodies in the form of chemicals and hydrogenated fats or oils, oftentimes hidden in our food. Fight back! Eat right, take your vitamins and exercise. Even walking ten minutes a day will keep you healthier and improve your quality of life.

We are all biochemically different and there is no “one size fits all” solution to health challenges. Be patient and seek the information you need in order to address your weight and improve your health. It is certainly worth the effort.