Today science has verified something we have intuitively known for years - good food is a major factor in good health. In hundreds of research studies on cancer and heart disease, scientists have studied groups of people with similar lifestyles with similar genetic backgrounds. They divided the study subjects into two groups - one consisting of people eating high nutrient foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, and the other habitually eating saturated fats with few fruits, vegetables, and grains. What they continually find is a lower incidence of cancer and heart disease in those who follow a healthy diet of copious amounts of varied vegetables and fruits, along with whole grains and legumes.
With this information available to us, it only makes sense, if we want to be healthy and heart disease and cancer-free, that we eat a healthy diet on a regular basis. Oh, if only it were that easy.
We all know today that life situations get in the way sometimes of our eating healthy, but for purposes of this article, I am only going to discuss food and its preparation. Emotional eating is a topic for another day.
So what is it that makes eating healthy so difficult? I’m going to list a number of factors and why I think these matter:
1. Lack of planning: There is no one I know who won’t grab just about anything put in front of them if they are extremely hungry and have no good choices available. When you get into this situation, the choices in the convenience store or the vending machine are virtually all poor ones. If you’re lucky, you may find a convenience store that sells bananas, but that is rare. Make sure you leave home each day with a plan that ensures you will have enough good food to eat before you get home.
2. Sugar addiction: Yes, it’s an addiction that afflicts many of us. The answer to this is to read labels on everything you buy and have appealing non-sugary foods available. (I don’t mean sugar substitutes - they are worse than plain old sugar.)
3. Misleading labels: Regulations on labeling in the food industry are extremely loose. For instance, the term “natural” as defined by the USDA, applies only to meat and poultry products, yet it appears on countless packaged products: cereal bars, chips, cookies, etc. One product that draws in many consumers states, “35 percent of the daily value of fiber, approved by Bestlife, and Naturally Flavored” in bold print on its box. A deeper look at its ingredients on its sidebar shows shellac and hydrogenated oils as components of this particular cereal bar. You can see how misleading manufacturers can be.
4. Lack of exposure to good foods: Perhaps with your career or lifestyle you’ve just never had an opportunity to learn what good foods are and how to prepare them. You may have grown up on fast food and are ready to change, but don’t quite know how. Because your body is so resilient, the effect of unhealthy foods may not impact health until late thirties or early forties, but there is no time like the present to improve your food and your health. Simple consistent steps are key.
If you can relate to some of these factors, consider for a moment what you might do to make some changes. Do you need to plan better? Do you need help in understanding how to purchase and prepare healthy foods? Do you feel hooked on sugar or caffeine and want to switch to a way of eating that gives you lasting energy?
Once you identify the challenges that are specific to you, and how they may be impacting your health, you will be ready to set some goals. Seek support in whatever way you need to accomplish your goal of healthy eating. Make a plan today.
Peg Doyle is a Holistic Health Counselor in Westwood. She may be reached at 508-359-6804 or at www.wellnessandyou.com.
