Chronic disease...A food born illness
In wise words of Dr. Mark Hyman, it all starts with food. I challenge you to start thinking about what TYPE of food you put in your body and not the QUANTITY of food you are consuming. Your body is an extraordinary vessel that carries you throughout life and uses the food we eat to make energy. But how are processed “food-like substances,” imitation meats, candy, oils, cured meats, and fried foods even remotely nourishing? Not only are we depriving our body of the raw materials it needs to create energy, but we are creating an environment of chronic inflammation and imbalances that overtime, manifest in chronic disease progression. Once we, as a society, realize that unhealthy bodies are starving for MICROnutrients as opposed to calories and MACROnutrients, we will see a dramatic shift in public health. Forget carbs, fats, and proteins; calories in and calories out. We are not robots. Real food is living and it nourishes and heals the body. It is abundant in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, and essential fats. First and foremost, it is handcrafted from NATURE. You can’t have a living body if you’re not putting life into it! The type of doctors that the American Medical Association is pumping out revolves around ACUTE based medicine (trauma, life saving surgery, etc) and does not equip doctors with the ability to combat the CHRONIC disease epidemic we currently face. If we are to even make a dent in tackling this epidemic, there needs to be a drastic change in the medical curriculum to emphasizes the importance of prevention, healthy lifestyle, and the power of food. WE need to take the initiation to educate ourself so that WE can take OUR health back. We are equipped with the sole responsibility to nourish or poison our bodies every time we put something to our mouths... According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the top 7 leading causes of death in the world are non-communicable, chronic-based diseases. Infectious diseases like tuberculosis, pneumonia, and typhoid fever, which used to be the leading causes of death back in the early 1900’s, are nowhere near as prevalent as cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes today. A study done by researchers at John Hopkins University estimates that 250K Americans die each year from medical errors, under the direct guidance of a physician. These range from surgical implications, to mix ups with correct dosages/types of drugs, and poor judgement. This statistics is not even reported in the CDC’s “leading causes of death” and would rank 3rd in the United States behind heart disease and cancer...think about that.
One thing that can be agreed upon by all health practitioners is that you can't eat enough vegetables, and we need a lot more of them daily. I'm not going to tell you what to eat and what not to...that's your own prerogative. I'm here to educate you so that YOU can make smarter, healthier, and more nourishing decisions around food based on what’s right for YOU.
