| How Processed Food Consumption Has Led to the Obesity Epidemic |
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| Obesity - Obesity 2006 |
| Written by Frank Mangano |
| Tuesday, 01 August 2006 02:21 |
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Fifty-three. Does this number ring a bell? That’s the number of hot dogs (including the bun) Takeru Kobyashi devoured on the Fourth of July to win the annual Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. And if this weren’t disgusting enough, he did it in 12 minutes flat! Now, most of us would never think of getting involved in a competitive eating contest, but Kobyashi’s “performance” of consuming 16,532 calories in a time faster than what it takes to boil water is a microcosm of where our society’s eating habits are today. According to many different health-related web sites and news outlets, 90 percent of the money we spend on food goes toward processed foods like hot dogs, cookies, white breads and candy. Ninety percent! How can that number be so high? Several studies have been done on when the junk food trend started to take hold in the country. One of these studies compared three different food consumption surveys of the typical American diet over the past 25 years. The research, led by Dr. Samara Joy Neilsen of the University of North Carolina, indicated that in every age group, more Americans are eating non-nutritious, “on-the-go” snacks than “sit down” meals compared to the late 1970s. And even when families do sit down for a meal, it’s usually at restaurants that serve fast food fare like pizza, hamburgers and buckets of fried chicken. (In the 19-year-old to 39-year-old age bracket, restaurant-locality eating doubled between 1977 and 1996.) In a related study, this one done by Dr. Ashima Kant of the City University of New York, research revealed that our poor eating habits are being passed down to the younger generation. Her study showed that energy dense, nutrient poor foods make up 30 percent of American children’s daily energy intake, with sugary sodas and salty snacks replacing low-fat milk and wholesome fruits and vegetables. Is it no wonder that obesity has become the leading cause of preventable death in the country, while scientists feverishly work on a vaccine to prevent it? Instead of waiting for a vaccine to cure our eating-habit ills, a personal commitment to eat healthfully can be a vaccine in and of itself, simply by eating the things that nature intended for us. As Jay “The Juiceman” Kordich would say, it’s time to “go to life” and eat real food rather than “food products.” And thanks to the help of goanimal.com, here is a partial list of some things you can use when choosing between “food” and “food products”: Real Food · Spoils quickly · Authentically flavorful · Naturally grown · Requires preparation Product Masquerading as Food · Convenient · Artificially flavored · Has an unlimited shelf-life · Instant results We tend to think of the advancement of technology as a good thing. But in the world of nutrition, technology and food are like oil and water: they don’t mix. Hydrogenation and the institution of high fructose corn syrup has saved the food industry billions of dollars, but it’s cost the country $102 billion in direct health care costs to treat obesity (according to The Lewin Group), approximately 12 percent of the U.S. national health care budget (according to the Worldwatch Institute). The only way to change these numbers is by getting active and consuming nature’s best, not processed food companies’ worst. If you currently live a sedentary lifestyle, I highly suggest you get moving as soon as humanly possible! Upon approval from your healthcare practitioner, preferably a Naturopath who is an advocate of alternative medicine, start with 30 minutes of slow to moderate walking most days of the week, eventually building your way up to a minimum of 45 minutes of brisk walking each and everyday. Stop eating these poisonous processed foods and start consuming organic whole foods and a whole food supplement, which consists of spirulina, chlorella, blueberry powder and spinach powder. A high quality whole food supplement is essential to make sure you’re properly nourishing your body. I highly recommend the Perfect Food® Super Greens formula by www.gardenoflife.com. It has more greens per serving than other leading green food formulas and one serving is equivalent to 140 grams of fresh grass juice. As always, I don’t receive kickbacks from any supplement company. Based on my research, this formula is one of the best whole food supplements available and I personally consume this on a daily basis to provide my body with the real nutrition it requires. The real story here is to get plenty of exercise and replace processed foods with real whole foods such as organic fruits, vegetables and plenty of whole grains. These are the foods that will help you reach optimal health. Here’s a special F-R-E-E 38 page report titled, “The Best Natural Ways to Lower Your Blood Pressure, Reduce Your Waistline and Take Back Your Health:”
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