Health Starts From Within

Please forgive the writing in this post. It's not quite as elegant as I would like it to be. When I get on a topic that I'm passionate about, my ideas don't flow very well from mind to paper.

I have been mulling about a wide range of topics regarding overall health for quite a long time; even more so in recent months as Dan is starting to eat solid foods. What I’ve concluded is that your overall health starts from within. Whoa, wait a minute – that isn’t new information. You’re right. Unfortunately, even though that fact is indeed correct, as a society here in the US, we don’t practice healthy lifestyles. We overwhelmingly eat overly processed foods, sit around and watch too much television, use cars to get to places even when it is 100% feasible to walk or ride a bike, and rely too heavily on modern medicine.

Now, don’t get me wrong, modern medicine and cars are a godsend to the human race. It’s when we over use them is when we find ourselves in trouble. Out of the industrialized countries, we spend the most money on healthcare, and yet we are sitting way down around the 27^th nation for overall heath (Link). What is the answer to that problem? Why spend more money on healthcare of course! Uh…wait a minute. We already spend a ton on healthcare. Why must we spend more? The reason is because as a society we want the quick fix. You can’t get the quick fix through proper nutrition and exercise. Companies also can’t generate billions in dollars in profits.

What is a person to do?

First thing is to stop looking at those magazine covers that promise “Lose 5lbs by ---“ and “7 Tricks for a sexier ---.” Those magazines are also plastered with the human figure that is so distorted either through excessive diet and exercise (and sometimes dangerous dehydration to get the desired muscle definition for the photo) and the ever-so-lovely Photoshop. Those pictures along with the headlines only emphasize that your own body is not perfect and that these bodies are the ideal. Your body will never look like those cover models. Why? Because those bodies are theirs and your body is yours. The ideal for your body is not the same as mine. Your exercise and dietary requirements are different from mine.

The second thing to do is to figure out where your food is coming from. Yes, yes…it comes from the grocery store. Oh, and the delivery guy. But where do they get their food? The best tip I ever received is when you go grocery shopping, stick to the outside of the store. There you will find all the fresh produce, meats, cheeses, and other foods that are the least altered from their original state. If you want to go a step further, be cautious about foods that have been altered using genetic modification (through gene splicing – not natural selection), go organic when you can, and try and stay away from factory farm raised meat products.

I recently watched a seminar that was given by Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, on one of his recent books entitled Cooked (Link) In this 20-minute video, he makes an amazing statement that he was given by a person who works in the food industry. The quote is as follows:

"What mattered most about ones health was not necessarily the nutrients, good or bad, that you were consuming or staying away from, or even the calorie counts. But what predicted a healthy diet more than anything else is the fact that it was being cooked by a human being, and not a corporation."

This fact is stunning! Not only has it reenergized my desire to cook more, but to do more cooking from scratch. I’ve already been making my own taco seasoning (Link) and recently I’ve been working on getting pre-made pancake mix put together so all that is needed are the wet ingredients.  We are not long for this Earth so it is imperative that we treat our bodies with respect. Our health begins with how we take care of our bodies. One aspect of that is our food. Treat your body with respect; eat good food.

I have many more ideas in regards to overall health. Once I get my thoughts written down, I’ll make another post. Until then, go out and cook yourself a delicious, healthy, well-rounded meal.