A shocking statement was made at a recent nutritional
conference, and I have to agree with the sentiment:
“The Taliban couldn’t have done a better
job at attacking and undermining the health of the American people if they had
designed the typical American diet themselves!”
We are a country of the over-fed and undernourished. We
don’t have to look too far to see the disastrous effects of fast food,
processed food, chemicals, preservatives, and additives on the health of our
nation. We as a people are plagued with the diseases of unhealthy lifestyle
habits.
Heart disease, diabetes, cancer, depression, stress and
anxiety are on the rise and now affecting our children at younger and younger
ages. “No child left behind” is not working. Children are not only being left
behind in school with foggy brains from bad nutrition, but also on the
playground, where they are unable to skip, jump, cartwheel and feel the joy of
moving due to dragging around their undernourished and over-burdened bodies.
The numbers and statics support this. But I feel this
problem needs to be addressed on a personal level and not just as a statistic
that happens to other people.
Each one of us is affected by unhealthy lifestyle habits.
Our parents, family members, friends, spouses, children, colleagues, and
neighbors are all at risk of having or developing diseases of unhealthy life
choices, as are we ourselves. It is time that we look at and work on this
problem as a community. We can become a
support system to help move each other into making better food choices,
becoming more active, mentally focused, relaxed, and satisfied with life.
Connect Offline
One of the first steps towards a healthier life is to start
having home cooked meals with the people we love. Turn off the TV, cell phone,
and computer and prepare a meal together with fresh produce bought from the
local farmers market. Cook and eat together, talk about your day, and really
listen to one another. We are in need of smiles, hugs, connections, and
understanding from our families and friends. Mealtime is the perfect time to
connect!
When raising our daughter it was so important to have
wholesome home cooked meals when we sat down and ate together as a family. We somehow found time to cook even though we
were over-worked, high-pressured New Yorkers. This brought sanity and precious
family time into our lives each evening. And our daughter, now 23, has a
healthy relationship with food, a very active life (she biked 4,000 miles
across the county this summer) and an understanding of taking care of her
health on all levels.
Take Responsibility
We can’t expect the health care system or the government to
protect us as citizens from our bad behavior. Our ”health” system is about
disease management, not about prevention. By the time a disease is detected and
diagnosed it has been lurking in the body for many years. The pharmaceutical
industry is growing richer by the day responding the symptoms of the
deteriorating health of the American people.
It’s time to stop blaming these industries and make a
commitment to be actively responsible for our own healthy choices. We need to
tune in to ourselves and self-correct before needing medication for disease
created by our own unhealthy eating habits, addictions, lack of physical
movement, and excessive stress.
In Chinese Medicine we say “don’t wait to build the well
until you are thirsty!!!” It’s all about
prevention. We are all creatures of habit, so therefore it’s best to develop
good ones.
As an acupuncturist for the past ten years, and a personal
trainer and nutritional counselor for the twenty years prior, I have been
working with patients towards becoming responsible for their own health. The
patients that really improve their lives make long term commitments to
improving their health--not a starting a fad diet, or creating shortsighted
goals. Real change takes work and
dedication.
The Future
Think of a time in the future where there are no longer
aisle in the grocery store where soda, chips, and processed packaged food are
sold, and fast food restaurants do not line our highways and shopping
malls. When we stop buying these types
of foods there will be change within the food industry. As they say, money
talks.
We can become better citizens by making a personal
commitment to our own health and encouraging all our family and friends to do
so as well.
We can encourage our communities to embrace sustainable
fishing, local produce, organic farming, and treating our farm animals with
respect by spending our money with businesses that follow these practices.
It starts with each
of us making a personal commitment to cultivating healthy life habits so we can
be vital, active, and vibrant in our lives.
Be the best you by:
•
Eating home cooked meals
•
Being active on a daily basis (walk, skip, play)
•
Supporting your local farmers
•
Not buying foods in a box or a bag too often
•
Having news-free days
•
Taking nature breaks
•
Finding passion in your life
• Reducing stress by finding a daily meditation,
yoga, or relaxation practice
•
Taking a healthy eating cooking class
•
Supporting restaurants that are “farm to table”
•
Eating breakfast that supports a healthy brain
•
Being thankful for all that you have
American needs vital, clear thinking, healthy citizens! BE
ONE!
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