Options and Choices

Ok I’ve heard a radio advertisement several times now and it’s really getting on my nerves. Goes something like this…”Are you overweight, have Type 2 diabetes or heart disease and can’t get Life Insurance? Call us because we can make sure that even if you’re chubby and unhealthy you can get Life Insurance”

Really?? This is the answer to our health problems? Stock up on Life Insurance because, buddy, you’re going to need it sooner rather than later…..don’t worry about getting healthier, just call us and we’ll make sure that when you die prematurely your family will be taken care of. What really angers me is that this message probably appeals to a certain percentage of the population that don't see any light at the end of their tunnels.

I get it that change isn’t easy…it isn’t. But to think you have no options other than to buy more Life Insurance is brutal. Throwing out the processed junk food in your pantry isn’t that hard. NOT eating at the fast-food drive thru three times a day isn’t a stretch either. Filling your grocery cart with REAL food like fresh vegetables and fruits takes a bit of getting used to but it’s doable. Making the choice that everything you put in your mouth will have nutritional “value” takes practice but becomes easy after a while. Those are all alternatives to just shelling out some money for more life insurance. And the best part…..you’ll actually start to FEEL better and add years to your life. Don’t let some advertisement reinforce your sense of failure. It’s never too late to make positive changes and they don’t cost you a DIME! Ya, we’re all going to die someday and maybe having that Life Insurance is a great idea but don’t get sucked into thinking that’s the ONLY option left for you.

Life is nothing more than choices – we make them everyday – some are easy, some are hard, some are good choices while others are ones we regret but, guess what? Tomorrow you’ll get up and do it all over again. You can CHOOSE to be that chubby, unhealthy schmuck (his words) the radio announcer is trying to sell Life Insurance to OR you can take control of the life you have while you’re on this side of the dirt and maybe, just maybe, it will all turn out to be so much better than that guy on the radio led you to believe.

And that, my friends, is my "Food for Thought" today. Thanks for letting me rant.

Yours in Health & Happiness.


Mary-Lou


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Choices

We are faced with, and make, choices everyday.  What to wear?  Which movie to watch?  What to do today?  What to eat?  And we make those choices based on something - how we're feeling at the time or if we need something like warm clothes because it's cold outside or if we need to go to work because we need a paycheque or food because we're hungry.
When it comes to our health I think we make choices based on a variety of things but one of the the most important things we should have to help make those choices is good information.  We are constantly bombarded with conflicting information from various sources. 
To make the best decision when it comes to our health one should, first of all, list to our intuition.  Most of us intuitively know when something about our health has changed.  Maybe we've gained extra weight; we're getting headaches when we never did before; we wake up feeling "puffy" or not rested.  These are all indicators that something is going on that is affecting our overall health.
For many of us, the first thing we do is look for relief at the drugstore - that "quick fix" - but this is where it's most important to take a step back and learn a bit more. 

What I've found while studying for my Holistic nutrition course is that one should pay close attention to what you're eating on a daily and weekly basis.  A good way to do this is with a Food Diary/Journal where you write down every single thing you put in your mouth (food AND drink) on a daily basis and do it for a minimum of 7 days.  This is such a good way to see what kind of nutrition you're putting into your body and to determine if you're getting all of the nutritional tools your body needs to function or if, on the other hand, you're eating a lot of "non-food" items that could actually be putting your overall health at risk and, perhaps, that is what's giving you symptoms.   Once you've identified potential problems in how you're eating you can start to omit those things and, quite often, your "symptoms" will go away without you having to go to the drugstore at all! 

Once we're educated about what we're putting into our bodies it's much easier to make good choices.  At times we will still choose to eat the wrong things but at least we know what the results might be and the next time we might not make the same choice.   
Here are a couple of things you can add to your "knowledge file" that might help you make good choices:  Soft drinks of any kind are NOT food and they have NO nutritional value not to mention the overdose of sugar in them that could cause you to become diabetic.  Diet soft drinks are WORSE because they contain aspartame - don't be fooled into thinking that "diet" soft drinks are doing you ANY good - they're actually poisoning you.  "Refined" foods really have no nutritional value ie.  refined sugar and flour.  So steer clear of them.  One more thing - when grocery shopping try and stay away from the "middle" aisles or, if you do make a lot of your purchases there, make note of what kinds of "food" is actually there.  Pretty much all processed and packaged food is found in the middle aisles.  The fresh produce and meats are normally found around the perimeter of the store.  Try to make 80-90% of your shopping choices there and stay away from the middle!  Your health will be better off.

If anyone wants more information about doing a Food Diary or help analyzing what a Food Diary is indicating, let me know.  I also have to complete several Case Studies for my course and would gladly to an overall Health Assessment on you if you're interested.

Until next time, stay healthy and make good choices :)

Mary-Lou

I'm reposting this blog from last August because I think it's a good reminder how we shouldn't take what we're eating for granted. Just being more aware of what exactly we're putting in our bodies is the first step to a healthier life.
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One of the biggest contributors to our poor state of health these days is sugar. That’s not to say our bodies don’t need sugar – they do, just as we need salt, fats, carbs, proteins, minerals and vitamins. The key is to get all of this in a BALANCE that is best for how our body functions.
Studies show that the average North American intake of refined sugar is somewhere between 15 tsps (60 g) and 25 tsps (100 g) a DAY or 120 lbs a year! Keep in mind that is only sugar we get from processed and fast foods. It doesn’t include naturally-occurring sugars from wholesome foods . To maintain good health we should try and stay under about 40 grams of refined sugar intake per day. Less than that is even better. And don't make the mistake that many people do by thinking that artificial sweetners are better for you because they absolutely ARE NOT unless they are from a naturally-occurring source like stevia, xylitol or agave.
Too much sugar in our bloodstream or sugar overload can cause sinus congestion, frequent colds, migraines, asthma, backaches, hypoglycemia, sleepiness, bloating, immune system dysfunction, indigestion, loss of short-term memory, water retention and yeast infections, to name a few. And if that isn’t enough, sugar is empty calories meaning it has absolutely no nutrient value. None of us would knowingly eat 120 lbs of extra sugar a year, would we? I don't think so. The problem is we don’t realize that a lot of what we’re eating has high amounts of sugar. It’s time we found out.
I bring up this topic because since I’ve learned this I’ve started reading food labels to keep track of how much extra sugar I’m getting each day and it has astounded me! I’m not one who craves sweets and I’m trying to eat healthier these days but I am blown away by how much sugar I’m getting from foods I never would have suspected. Let me give you some examples:
- Honey Nut Cheerios: 9 g/serving
- Flavored yogurt: approx 10 g/100 grams *depending on brand and flavor
- Whole kernel corn, canned,: 5 g/ 1/3 cup
- Tomato soup: 13 g/1/2 cup
- Quaker Instant Oatmeal: 13 g/1 packet
- Ketchup: 4 g/tbsp
- Wheat Thin crackers: 4 g/serving


See how fast seemingly “healthy” food adds up? Now let’s look at an example of what a teenager might eat for, say, breakfast and lunch:


- 1 bowl of Frosted Flakes: 13 g
- ½ c. 1% milk: 6 g.
- Big Mac: 9 g
- Medium Coke: 56 g !!


This kid is already at 84 grams of sugar and it's only lunch time! Is it any wonder today’s kids are overweight, diabetic and being diagnosed with ADHD? As adults let’s set good examples and try to provide children with healthier choices just by being “informed consumers”. Teach kids to read labels and make a game of keeping track of the sugar (and fat and sodium) they might be getting by making certain choices. If we make them more aware at a young age they will, at least, be armed with knowledge to make that choice. As it is now, they assume (as I did) that what we’re feeding them or what they’re choosing to eat must be good for them because, after all, it’s “food”.
Just for the heck of it, track how much sugar you’re eating on an average day. I think you will be surprised. Read the labels of everything, even things that aren’t sweet just to see how many empty calories you might be getting. And if you have some of the symptoms of the health problems previously listed, maybe try to cut back on your sugar intake or ever quit sugar completely for a day or 2 and see if you feel any better. If you notice a difference that might be the clue you need to get on the road to improving your health.

 Mary-Lou
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