Water in Your Gas Tank

You wouldn’t put water into your car’s gas tank and expect it to run well, so why would you put crappy food into your body and expect to have good health and energy?

I know, I know. Some of the junk food really tastes good. But are you willing to pay the price? Are you willing to be tired all the time? Are you willing to be sick? Are you willing to die for junk food? It’s a funny thing, sometimes you’ll hear people say “That’s so great. It’s to die for.” But have you ever stopped to think about the millions of people that actually do die for food that’s unhealthy for them? The answer is probably “No”. We don’t like to think about things like that. We like to think that we are immune to things like heart disease and diabetes. But the statistics show something different.

In the U.S., the data for 2016 showed:
Cardiovascular diseases claimed 801,000 lives;
Heart disease killed more than 370,000 people;
Stroke killed nearly 129,000 people;
About 795,000 people had a stroke, the leading preventable cause of disability;
About 116,000 of the 750,000 people in the U.S. who had a heart attack died.

According to the Mayo Clinic, “Atherosclerosis is also the most common cause of cardiovascular disease. It can be caused by correctable problems, such as 1) an unhealthy diet, 2) a lack of exercise, 3) being overweight and 4) smoking.” As I did research for this article, over and over again those same 4 factors showed up as causes of heart disease.

Now I’m not going to preach to you about stopping smoking. Many years ago we didn’t know that much about it’s dangers. But now the facts are crystal clear: smoking causes heart disease and cancer as well as other serious health problems. To be honest, at this moment I feel like saying ”Look…if you’re not going to quit smoking, then you’re wasting your time learning about getting healthy through diet, exercise and other methods.” But, after a little thought I realized that if you at least have the interest in changing your diet there is some hope that at some point you’ll decide to quit smoking. I certainly hope it will be sooner than later.

Even excluding issues like heart disease, there are so many other factors that make it worthwhile to eat a healthy diet. Let’s be honest. Life isn’t only about the quantity of life and how long you live, but it’s also about the quality of life. Do you want to just drag yourself through life, only having the energy to barely survive? Or do you want to dance through life, enjoying and relishing every day?

Every week I go to the local Trader Joe’s market and buy a lot of the foods that are part of my healthy diet. One of the guys that works there, who I will call “Tom” is always talking to me about his health and asking for advice. I have helped him with some things, but to be honest, he’s not willing to make the changes needed to have good health. I spoke with him just a few days ago. He looked really tired. When I asked him how he was doing he said “I’m really tired all the time. I can barely drag myself through the day.”

We spoke a few minutes and then he told me what his diet had been for the day: bologna and cheese on Wonder bread for breakfast. A submarine sandwich for lunch (maybe not too bad). Then midafternoon he had some cookies and ice cream. Oh, let’s not forget that he drinks 6 cans of Coke every day. And he wonders why he has no energy. He’s not giving his body the fuel it needs in order to produce solid and long-lasting energy. And the 6 cans of Coke every day give him so much sugar along with caffeine that stresses out is already over-worked adrenals. Unless he is willing to change his diet, things will only get worse. Sorry Tom.

Not All Or Nothing

The good news is that like everything else in my 13-step program, good nutrition is not an all-or-nothing situation.

If removing junk food from your diet entirely seems impossible, just make small changes over time to improve your health. For example, instead of buying crackers made with enriched white flour and partially hydrogenated oils, switch to whole-grain crackers. BTW, don’t be fooled by crackers that show “whole grain”. I saw some Ritz crackers in the store a few days ago that showed “5 GRAMS WHOLE GRAIN”. Underneath that, in tiny print it showed “per 16 gram serving (5 crackers)”. Sounds healthy, right? Well, not exactly. How much fiber would you think they have with all of that whole grain goodness? How about 0? Yep.

Now, according to the American Heart Association, the daily suggested intake of fiber is 25 grams per day on a 2,000-calorie diet for adults. But that varies by age and gender. For example, women under 50 should get 21 to 25 grams per day, while men under 50 should be getting 30 to 38 grams per day.

Consider getting a cracker like ak-mak, which has 4 grams of fiber in 5 crackers, or Wasa brand, both of which are 100% whole grain. Top them with vegan cheese for an afternoon snack.

You see, making changes in small steps can make it almost painless. Let me explain. So, make the changes so tiny at first that you almost don’t notice them. Don’t try to change your whole diet, all at once. Instead, just drink a smoothie each morning. Or just have a glass of water before you eat a meal. Or just replace white rice with brown rice or barley, or replace white flour with whole wheat. When the changes are small like this, they take a lot less effort. Your willpower doesn’t drain, and your life improves in a steady way.

But when you understand how to change habits, you know that even though the changes aren’t visible, it doesn’t mean nothing’s happening. Because on the inside, each time you repeat the tiny, effortless step, you’re adding another thread to a cable. A cable that will soon become an automatic, rock-solid new habit.

And in a month or two, when the changes have become much bigger, and now ARE showing up on the outside, you still don’t notice any real difficulty. Because right along with your behavior, you have changed as well. And the new way…has become your new normal.

So, Consider substituting fruit for the pie you may usually have for dessert or else cut the pie into smaller slices. I love cherry or berry pie, and I occasionally get one at my local Sprouts health food store, where it’s baked fresh every day. But, I get 16 slices or more out of each pie.

Or try having a grain like quinoa or barley instead of mashed white potatoes. Or have sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes.

The Core

To get down to the core, the truth is the more your diet contains unprocessed or minimally processed foods, the healthier you will be. More and more studies these days are proving this.

This means more vegetables, some fruits, and whole grains and beans, as well as nuts and seeds. This may sound really boring, but there are many vegan recipes that are really tasty! Just go to YouTube or search the Internet for “vegan recipes”.

If you want to have a healthy diet, you will likely have to change some of the foods you eat, including possibly some of your favorites. You may find healthy versions of your old favorites. Or, you will find new foods to eat, and some of those may become your new favorites, if you give them a chance. Some changes may not be easy, but the reward will be the way you will feel and feel about yourself when you have lost weight and have the energy you’ve always wanted to have.

You’ll be dropping refined foods that have never been good for your body, regardless of whether they put weight on you or not. You’ll be replacing them with whole foods which you will learn to enjoy. After you have eaten minimally processed foods for a period of time, if you again try to eat a Twinkie, you’ll likely find the taste repulsive.

Sweet and Deadly

Most important in having good nutrition is the elimination of highly-processed foods, especially those with a high sugar content. More and more studies are showing that eating too much sugar is the cause of many diseases. This doesn’t mean you can’t eat anything that has sugar in it, but it means that you need to be aware of how much sugar you eat, and limit it to a reasonable amount, the less, the better. The latest government study suggests no more than 50 grams a day, but I have seen other sources that suggest only 36 or less.

Eliminate all sugary drinks if possible, as well as any diet drinks. By the way, this also includes cutting way back on or eliminating fruit juices. Yes, fruit juices can be “natural”, but in nature you don’t have fruit juices. You have to eat the fruits and as you eat them the sugar is released into your system much more slowly than drinking fruit juice. Also, eliminate as many refined products as you can, such as cookies, cakes, other sweets, candy bars, etc. If you want to see the list of 27 reasons not to eat sugar, check out my “13 Steps to a Great Middle Age” course.

74% More Likely to Die!?

A study of more than 6,000 adults, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, found that people with diets high in animal protein were 74 percent more likely to die before the end of the study than people with diets low in animal protein. The study also found that people with high animal protein diets were four times more likely to die of cancer—the same mortality risk as smoking cigarettes.

Several studies have shown that vegetarians are approximately one-third less likely to die of heart disease, diabetes or stroke. If a pill were shown to make these causes of premature death 33 percent less likely, it would be prescribed by every doctor in the country. Yet there is an even simpler, less expensive solution, one without any negative side effects.

Think about it. “74 percent more likely to die” “four times more likely to die of cancer” Do you want to take those odds because you love the taste of a steak or a chicken leg? Are you willing to die for those tastes? Seriously!?

Time for Change

So, what are you going to do? Say to yourself “My, that’s interesting”, and then go have your burger? It’s time to change your diet and change your life. If not now, when?