Obesity…3 things you should know...

Obesity. It’s real. It’s deadly. It’s here. Recently I was asked to be part of a panel discussion on obesity. There were interesting facts and first-hand experience shared. You can take a look at it here. It’s sometimes difficult to discuss obesity because of the implication that “I’m a bad person/parent” and because there is so much emotion and guilt attached to the food we eat. In today’s newsletter we are going beyond guilt and emotion and will look at three things: facts; mindset; and action. Obesity Facts:

More than one-third of American adults are obese. One in three Medicare dollars is spent on diabetes
Almost 70% of adults are overweight and 40% of kids are overweight
Diabesity is the underlying cause of most heart disease, cancer, and premature death in the world. “Diabesity” a term Dr. Mark Hyman uses to describe the continuum of health problems ranging from mild insulin resistance and overweight, to obesity and diabetes.
These conditions are 100% preventable and reversible with nutrition and lifestyle modifications. It is caused by the 152 pounds of sugar and the 146 pounds of flour a year eaten on average by every American - that is a toxic drug dose of diabetes causing food. ~ Dr. Mark Hyman
Sugar and flour are the biggest causes of liver damage in America - fatty liver disease, which affects 90 million Americans, including little kids that need liver transplants by the time they are teenagers

Food Facts: Unknowingly Americans are addicts; addicted to the refined carbohydrate containing foods. They stimulate the same kind of dopamine release that are seen with nicotine and cocaine. These hyper-palatable foods send a signal to the brain that bypasses the normal neuro-regulation of appetite or the normal “off switch”. With no off switch we want more and more. As brain imaging shows, there is a really addictive nature to these “foods”. It is very disconcerting at the least. Foods are engineered to make you want more. Is this making you sit up in your chair (or better yet, stand taller at your stand-up desk)? It. Should. What you should know about processed foods:

There are 11 differences between real and fake food
Processed foods are engineered to remove “good” things (i.e fiber) and add “bad” things (i.e. food additives, nitrates, and SUGAR)
Fiber is missing in processed foods
Fiber is important for gut bacteria and the micro biome
Food without fiber - everything is absorbed right away in the intestine going straight to the liver which can lead to chronic disease
Food with fiber - acts as a gel or barrier so the nutrients get absorbed later
Sugar is added to processed foods
As we learned above, this one-two combo messes with our brain chemistry leading us to consume more

Mindset:

Think of yourself and your family as healthy
What does a healthy person consume?
What actions result in being healthy?
Eat and drink to nourish the body

Action: Reduce consumption:

Soda both regular and diet soda
Sports energy drinks i.e. Gatorade, Monster, etc.
Processed foods i.e. Pop tarts, sugar cereals, bagels, crackers, pretzels, Lean Cuisine, Hamburger Helper, Healthy Choice, Lunchables, deli meats, etc.
Artificial sweeteners (they are more addictive and thousands of times sweeter than regular sugar)

Increase consumption:

Filtered water
Real food
Greens and vegetables
Fish and chicken
Nuts and seeds
Fruits
Beans
Real food will help to reset your hijacked taste buds and biochemistry

Take aways:

Current path of consuming sugary drinks and processed foods is leading Americans to become sick
Food and drinks are engineered to override our brain chemistry to make you consume more and more
These health conditions are 100% reversible with proper nutrition and lifestyle modifications

Resources to explore: