America today is one of the fattest countries in the world. Some 65% and growing members are considered to be overweight or obese and more join that group every day.
The first thought when diet is mentioned is the need to eat fewer calories than what is burned off. While this is in large part true, dieters neglect the other areas that have an impact on weight gain. Weight gain comes from living a lifestyle that promotes it. Today's junk food of fats, sugars, salt and chemicals play a great part in adding pounds. Today's food lacks the essential nutrients the body needs to maintain health and equilibrium. Chemicals, preservatives, pesticide residues, genetic modification go into the food chain and ultimately you consume those unhealthy chemicals. The result is added weight.
The world is filled with toxins and poisons. If they're not in the food supply, they're in the air you breathe or in that cigarette you smoke. Eventually those toxins build up and the body, in its attempts to restore balance, creates inflammation as a way to deal with those poisons. Unfortunately, most foods are highly acidic and promote the inflammatory response. The body stores the toxins it cannot eliminate in fatty tissue. Since most foods are highly processed and refined, there's a lot more fat to store those toxins.
Losing weight means losing the lifestyle that is making you fat. It means more than eating properly. It means switching to a lifestyle that promotes health instead of creating the inflammation that leads to chronic pain. Those necessary steps should include:
Eat an Anti-Inflammatory Diet: A diet that consists of high fiber natural foods is far healthier than the white flour, sugar, those foods with trans fats, the sodas packed with high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, additives, alcohol and caffeine that is standard fare for many.
Green tea is beneficial as it is loaded with antioxidants that help fight inflammation. Fresh water fish balance out the omega-3 to omega-6 ratio that is out of whack in most diets. Our ancestors ate a diet of equal parts of omega-3 to omega-6, Today's modern diet has a ratio of 30 to 1 in favor of omega-6. Fresh fruit and vegetables are not found on many plates. Meats should come from free range chicken or grass fed cows that haven't been fattened on grain, growth hormones and antibiotics.
The Need to Detoxify: Detoxifying is not a subject your doctor is likely to mention, but in today's polluted environment, getting rid of those poisons is necessary for the healthy functioning of the organs. The pancreas of type one diabetics don't produce needed insulin. What causes the pancreas to fail hasn't been determined, but a wrong diet plays a major part.
Water helps to move toxins out from the body, but few drink enough water. A detoxification program should be required for everyone. The liver, kidneys and gallbladder are the most seriously affected by environmental pollutants. 65% of type 2 diabetics are on dialysis as their kidneys no longer flush out the poisons and glucose out of the body.
The Need to Relax: Getting rid of stress is an important part of maintaining good health. Excessive stress and worry creates an imbalance in brain chemistry. Fear, anxiety, depression and other mental problems do affect the functioning of the body. A worried mind, it's been shown, affects the immune system. A weakened immune system allows bacteria, viruses and germs to find a place to thrive.
Unfortunately, few people know what it means to relax. Most can't get a full night of uninterrupted sleep. Meditation and prayer help to alleviate stress, but many feel too rushed to just sit quietly long enough to get the benefits that meditation and prayer provide.
No weight loss program will ever work unless all the factors that create an overweight condition are addressed. To avoid the high blood pressure and the pains associated with inflammation, changing a lifestyle of bad habits is vital, though few find it hard to do as they've developed a lifestyle guaranteed to bring pain, disease and a shortened life. But changes must be made if you ever hope to avoid the diseases that are the curses of modern day man.
About this Author
Mario Carini lives in Ottawa, Canada. He has had a number of articles published on Helium, Suite 101, Constant Content, EzineArticles, Fortitude and others. He writes mainly in the fields of health, business and self-improvement. In an effort to educate the public on avoiding the drugs that often hurt the health of so many with their side effects, he offers a free ecourse on using supplements and what to look for in supplements before you waste money. You can sign up for the course here: http://marioca1.allinonehealth.com
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