September 2009 - “Is what you’re eating, eating you?”

Our American diet is killing us. If you have read magazines or newspapers or listened to the news during the past year, you are aware of the many the dangers associated with the way we eat in this country. The rates for people considered overweight/obese just continue to climb (especially in our children) despite the new fad diets and access to various pills and concoctions.

A few weeks ago, I went to see “Food, Inc.” This movie points out (quite graphically at times) what is happening to us as a nation because of the foods we eat. I will admit that this raised my stress level a few notches since I felt that I had a pretty healthy plan in place. Our dependence on fast food and junk food has made us a nation of overweight, malnourished people. We have to become more aware of what’s really in our food so that we can make better choices for ourselves and our families.

For example, a few years ago we had a foreign exchange student from Germany live with our family. She was very athletic and had been a vegetarian for several years. During her 10 month stay, she gained 35 pounds despite playing sports, walking alot, and eating a vegetarian diet. I was glad that she wasn’t stressed out about it; she had been told to expect to gain up to 50 pounds while here. That’s what other countries think of our lifestyle. She was rather amused by all my books on diets and nutrition and my library of exercise tapes and dvds. She was definitely puzzled by how much time I spent exercising, especially since I didn’t lose much weight.

After she returned to Germany we stayed in touch and she wrote that she was back to her normal weight two months later. She came back to visit us last summer and we were surprised to see how thin she was at her normal weight. Of course I asked her what she did to lose the weight. “Nothing really” was her reply. She simply remained active, walking and riding her bike around town and eating her usual foods. I’m sure the quality of food makes a huge difference in how our bodies respond.

So, if you are curious about improving the quality of your diet and lifestyle, you may want to check out “Food, Inc.” or read “Don’t eat this book” by Morgan Spurlock. I know I’m making changes to buy more organic fresh produce and hormone-free chicken.

Blessings to you,

Jacqui