Oct

25

Health care reform must involve healthy choices in our diet and a healthy lifestyle. Diet and exercise. These are choices we must make as individuals, and choices we must make for our children. I could spend pages extolling the need for reform in our food growth and supply chain. But, this is a waste of breath as the only thing that is going to change what is on the grocery shelves and served in food outlets is a change in consumer behavior.

This is capitalism plain and simple. Expect nothing less. The evolution and growth of organic foods and businesses like Whole Foods have happened because of demand in the marketplace. With more demand for healthy foods businesses will change their ways.

I recently watched “Super Size Me” which I have never seen. This movie needs to become ressurected as the rallying cry for a change in your behavior (and mine). The movie synopsis in short: A very healthy young man goes on a McDonalds-only diet for 30-days. Throughout this timeline he has blood work and vitals done. We watch him gain 25 pounds during this time. We see him go from a clincally healthy individual to becoming very sick, putting his life at risk.

This movie came out in 2004 and not much has changed since then. We have largely become a nation of obese and unhealthy people. Our national diet now consists of food high in fat and high in sugar and sodium. Diabetes and heart disease are two of the most prevalent diseases crippling us as a nation and taxing our health care system.

We fail to connect the food and beverages we put in our bodies with the state of our health. No group is guiltier than this than the medical community. If they don’t seem to care, or only pay lip service why should we care? After all, they have medical degree and are the professionals.

For such an advanced society, for such an educated nation, we certainly are a bunch of dumb-asses on this matter. Would you put anything other than gas in your car? 

NO! Why…

The engine would breakdown quickly. Unfortunately the engines in our bodies do not break down so quickly.

We have come to a point where we need to look in the national mirror and realize where we are at. But, the choice for a healthy lifestyle is not up to your Government or up to big business. It is up to you.

 

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