Eating for Health.

There’s a hidden sickness at large in the world today that is afflicting many of us and which is causing our bodies to deteriorate at a much faster rate than Nature ever intended...
...And it’s getting worse year on year.
It’s a problem that affects the young and the old alike and makes no distinction between the rich or the poor... and yet it receives NO publicity and NO government awareness campaigns with high profile celebrities.
Diagnosis rates in hospitals for this sickness have soared 44 per cent over the past 5 years, and yet the shocking truth is that most of us are walking around not even aware that we’re affected... until later on in life when it begins to manifest itself in a string of chronic and degenerative health problems – ranging from Alzheimer’s, arthritis, heart disease and even cancer. 
But by then it’s too late to do anything about it...
  
So, what is this insidious, invisible epidemic that’s sweeping the nation? Malnutrition.  Yep, you read it right. Many of us are suffering from malnutrition. For most of us that means that our bodies are starved of the essential vitamins and nutrients that fuel our ‘engines’ and all our moving parts. 

“But how can this be when there is so much food available to us? Surely the problem is that we’re eating TOO MUCH food? After all, aren’t we going through an obesity epidemic?”

This is exactly right – which makes the situation all the more serious. Not only are we MALNOURISHED, but 75 per cent of the population is clinically OBESE... and that’s a double-whammy time bomb just waiting to explode.
We’re literally eating ourselves sick with the WRONG kind of food which is high in additives, salt, sugar and trans-fats – and low in the essential nutrients that are essential for the body to function properly.
And we’ve been doing so for the last 50 years at least - which means that a whole generation has grown up not knowing any better!
We are all bombarded with adverts for so-called healthy food products, but how many of us read what's on the label or ever think to question the claims?  How many of us actually know whether these products are delivering any nutritional value whatsoever?
For example, every day we're told that eating cereal products will lower our cholesterol and prevent heart disease - but how many of us realize that these products are crammed with high levels of salt and sugar and contain virtually no nutrients whatsoever? You are better off eating the card board that it came in.
One fact alone was enough to make me avoid margarine for life and anything else that is hydrogenated (this means hydrogen is added, changing the molecular structure of the substance). Margarine is just ONE MOLECULE away from being PLASTIC....
Why not try this for yourself: purchase a tub of margarine and leave it in your garage or shaded area.
Within a couple of days you will note a couple of things: no flies, not even those pesky fruit flies will go near it (that should tell you something) ...
It does not rot or smell differently.. because it has no nutritional value, nothing will grow on it...even those teeny weeny microorganisms will not find a home to grow.

Why? Because it is nearly plastic. Would you melt your Tupperware and spread that on your toast?
DO NOT EAT MARGARINE!!!!!

 The problem stems from the fact that:
• We eat too much processed foods.
• We’re eating less home-cooked food and more convenience food.
• We’re eating more take out food than ever before
• We’re eating later in the day which means we don’t digest our food properly
• We skip meals or grab a sandwich on the run
. . . and that’s just storing up trouble for the future.
The problem is that even if you THINK you’re eating a healthy diet, your body may still be deficient in vital vitamins or minerals that, if allowed to go uncorrected over months, years even decades, can lead to a whole host of degenerative heath problems
.

Here's just a few startling facts for you: 

·         Avocados, for example, are a powerful Super Food renowned for their cholesterol-lowering properties and ability to maintain cardiovascular health. What is more, according to the latest research findings from Dr Steven M. D’Ambrosio and his associates at Ohio State University, in the US, it appears that phytochemicals extracted from the popular Haas avocado are able to destroy oral cancer cells as well as prevent pre-cancerous cells from developing into cancer.

·         Two tablespoons of CHIA seeds contain more fibre than a serving of the constipation remedy Metamucil and delivers 3,050mg of omega-3s – that’s the equivalent of more than five flax oil capsules, or ten fish oil capsules. With its high content of chlorogenic and caffeic acid as well, this recently discovered this superfood also aids glucose metabolism and weight control among its huge list of other super health-boosting benefits. 

·         Eat your bananas! The fact that bananas are an excellent source of vitamin B6 and vitamin C, dietary fibre, manganese and potassium is just the start of what you need to know about them. Potassium, for example, is necessary for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function so a banana a day can help to prevent high blood pressure and protect against atherosclerosis.

·         In addition, research indicates that the potassium found in bananas may do wonders for our bone strength by counteracting the increased urinary calcium loss caused by a high-salt diet. Bananas have also long been recognized for their antacid effects that protect against stomach ulcers and ulcer damage. PLUS, the Tryptophan found in bananas has the additional benefit of being a natural mood enhancer so can help if you suffer from PMT or depression. 

·         The humble apple is perhaps the greatest Super Food of them all. A compound it contains called procyanidin B-2 has been found to play a key role in inhibiting age-related problems, preventing wrinkles and promoting hair growth. French researchers have found that a flavanoid called phloridzin, which is found only in apples, may protect post-menopausal women from osteoporosis and may also increase bone density. Numerous studies have also shown that eating apples can help prevent many different kinds of cancer, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure and weight gain!

·         Dr. Ben Kim says eating 2 apples a day will help with weight loss.  http://drbenkim.com/welcome-message.html

How many of us do not live in fear of illness, decline and early death, wincing at the thought of cancer or heart attacks or coping with Alzheimer’s? 

Then surely adding a banana to our breakfast, an avocado to our Tuesday lunch and a portion of kale and oily fish once a week is a ‘no brainer’ in order to avoid all three. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that 85 per cent of adult cancers are entirely avoidable and, of these, around half are related to nutritional deficiencies in the Western diet. A recent government report showed how nearly 70,000 premature deaths could be prevented each year by simply improving the UK's diet.
Another study carried out by Brigham Young University professor Steven Aldana, published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, March, 2005, found that a combination of 30 minutes of cardio exercise a day along with a switch to a healthier diet dropped the participants’ health risks for diabetes, cancer, and heart disease dramatically in just 6 weeks. 

Let us all be mindful when we choose our food for the day. Planning our lunches that we take to work or making food on Sunday in preparation for the week goes a long way to being healthier.

Walking is great exercise and with a few sprints added in for the cardio and you will help keep the blood flowing rather than stagnating.

Choose your food wisely. More to come on this topic.

Healthy life.

Suzanne