Nutrition weighs into nearly every clinical encounter in my daily work as a family physician. I chose many years ago to pursue cause of disease rather than treat symptoms as my traditional training often dictates.
20% of the patients treated in my clinic everyday suffer diabetes.
60% of my patients suffer effects and complications directly related to obesity.
80-90% of my patients suffer illness directly tied to lifestyle and nutritional choices
Daily choices make all the difference. Basic knowledge and awareness of our choices makes a huge difference nutritionally.
I’m going to explore some of the common nutritional misconceptions plague my population base. Do you share any of these habits?
Focused Nutrition:What you need to know!
Sugar Related
- Sugar = Starch, High Fructose Corn Syrup, carbohydrate, or “carb.” You must read labels! If you open a box or package, pretty good chance you’re eating more sugar than necessary
- Common sources include: Bread (all types), Cereal (nearly all types), pastries, pasta, soda, alcohol (This includes BEER), potatoes (White potatoes are the worst)
- Sugar intake IS the primary cause of obesity. YES it’s your genes too, but genes only express what the food dictates.
- Sugar IS the primary cause of the genetic expression we call diabetes.
- Eliminating sugar leads to weight loss and diabetes improvement.
- Eating sugar makes diabetes, obesity, arthritis, migraines, and digestive woes worse.
- Eating sugar changes the beneficial bacteria in your intestines. Bad bacteria lead to poor digestion, vitamin deficiencies, and disease.
- Sugar is addictive (See Research)
Grain Related
- Grain = Wheat, corn, soy, Barley, Rice, Buckwheat, Oats. (There are many others but these are most common–see full list)
- Grain is a form of carbohydrate….remember Carbohydrate = Sugar
- Many grain based foods cause food sensitivities (Like WHEAT)
- Gluten Free means food that has had the common allergen in wheat removed.
- Eating grain daily (Like cereal for breakfast, bread day in and day out) IS NOT HEALTHY
- Consuming GRAIN can cause problems like obesity, diabetes, rheumatism, and degenerative diseases.
- You don’t require grain to survive
- You will have a bowel movement even if you don’t eat grain
Processed Food Related:
- The modern diet is full of foods containing chemicals, pesticides, preservatives, hormones, and additives designed to enhance flavor, maximize consumption, trigger cravings, and even indirectly cause addiction.
- When you eat out you risk consuming foods that contain high amounts of the additives listed above.
- Processed food introduces chemicals and substances never intended inside the human body.
- Hormones in food can change how our normal hormones behave leading to conditions like: Diabetes, Polycystic ovarian syndrome, irregular periods, acne, thyroid disorders, and cancers.
- If the packaged food has more than 3 ingredients or you don’t understand the names…pretty good chance you shouldn’t eat that food.
- Yes, chicken nuggets have silicon in them.
- Diet sodas have no sugar, but they do have artificial sweeteners in them. Aspartame is one such chemical. Research suggests Aspartame is more addicting than crack cocaine in lab animals. It causes carbohydrate (REMEMBER SUGAR) cravings in humans.
- MSG, Aspartame, and artificial dyes all have neurotoxic potential.
Ponder each bullet.
How much more health could small dietary changes make?
How much health could we gain from DEMANDING better nutrition for ourselves?
What if we committed to buying local, organically grown food?
How many medications wouldn’t be needed?
How cool would it be to grow some of our own food–thereby knowing where our food came from?
I’m passionate about the relationship between health and food. I am outraged and saddened by the loss of talent, ability, and vitality caused by people ignoring the fundamental link between health and food.
As always, comments are welcome!