THE FOOD AFFECT
Delightful or Spiteful As with all people from all communities in this country we tend to take our food eating “very seriously,” and unfortunately, in many cases negligently. Sure there are those who are never able to get enough food to the table or mouth(s) on a daily and regular basis such as the poor and the homeless, but for the most part the great majority of us in the U.S. eat way too much food, way too often and of the wrong type (too much fat, salt, sugar, grease and calories). Until recently, the United States held the record for being the most overweight population on the planet. According to researchers, the new “Heavy Weight Champ” is Australia. This statistic really does not sit well with me when you realize that there are only a little more than 21 million people living in Australia to date, compared to our whopping 300 million mouths here in the United States. Nonetheless, the moral of the story is, no matter what our position is on the “heavy weight food chain” we still eat far too much and it’s killing us taste-fully and with a vengeance (don’t even get me started on sodas and booze). When you consider that eight out of the ten leading causes of death in the U.S. are diet related: 1. Heart disease, 2. Cancer, 3. Pulmonary, 4. Pneumonia/influenza, 5. Diabetes, 6. Kidney failure, 7. Liver disease, and 8. Alzheimer’s; 9 and 10 are car accidents and suicide.
Our food choices and eating habits are destroying our physiques, self-esteem and overall health at an alarming rate despite how good it tastes or how good it makes us feel. Because of how much and what we eat, more than half of the U.S. population is dangerously overweight. Again, this is because we take in far too much unhealthy food and are not as active as we could be (and yes some people are big-boned and may have a glandular problem!). Sugar intake, since the early 1800s, increased from twelve pounds a year per person to about 180 pounds a year today. As a barometer of how much we consume daily, consider the amount of food we waste or throw away each day. One nationally known fast food restaurant chain has more than 8,500 stores in the U.S. and generates 300 pounds of waste per store daily. This number can be easily multiplied by 130,000 other fast food restaurants. These numbers do not include numerous high-end sit-down restaurants. What do we do to end this delicious health-destroying ride? Simple, we decide to “Do Better” starting now. Begin by taking an honest look and inventory of how and what you eat, followed by the question, am I truly hungry right now or am I just wanting to eat. Then make a conscious choice to take appropriate action in eating and thinking better about your food choices beginning with breakfast.
A FEW COMMON REASONS FOR OVEREATING- Stress, which promotes the production of fat producing hormones (i.e., cortisol).
- Missing meals and finding yourself ravenous throughout the day.
- Easy access and availability to unhealthy packaged and convenience foods.
- Being bored or emotionally unfulfilled.
- Being afflicted with a parasite or an eating disorder.
- Family tradition or upbringing.
- Glandular disorder such as diabetes or hypothyroidism, etc.
A FEW AVENUES OF ACTION:∙ Embark on a regular exercise routine 4 to 5 days a week.
∙ Avoid empty calorie junk and highly refined foods.
∙ Join a food watch group or club (or form your own).
∙ Start to read about health and fitness.
∙ Get family members involved in a new diet direction.
∙ Find a good nutritionist or health care practitioner.
∙ Practice meditation and/or yoga.
∙ Begin to frequent natural food stores and attend health seminars.
For more in-depth information about weight loss and healthy eating, please see the list of references below.References:Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary....F. A. Davis Company
Fast Food Nation..........................Mitchell Sperlock
Surgeon General’s Report......United States Government
Sugar Blues.............................William Duffy
Caffeine Blues...........Steven Cherniski, M.S.
Wallace B. Sconiers, Ph.D., Hom, CN
For more information and to schedule an
appointment with Dr. Wallace,
please call (661) 729-4533.
Services & Fees: www.drwallacesconiers.net
NUTRITION & CANCER
