It is tough to admit, but the Standard American Diet (SAD) is killing us all. Heart disease, diabetes, cancer and obesity continue to skyrocket. The biggest dangers in SAD are sugar, damaged fats and toxins. By making a few dietary changes, you can start to heal your body from the inside out.
The latest research suggests that the average American consumes roughly 50 teaspoons of sugar per day. You would be amazed at all of the places you find sugar hiding: pasta sauce, lunch meat, canned soups and condiments. This is on top of the sugar-filled cola, tea, and juice we drink. Let us not forget white flour, which in its simplest form is sugar. All of this time, we have been lead to believe that fat causes heart disease and obesity, but the truth is, carbohydrates are the number one culprit.
Over the past few decades, Americans have continued to buy into the low-fat craze. As the level of fat in our foods has decreased, the rates of obesity have increased. Thus, the Standard American Diet has become one high in carbohydrate content, or sugar, and we are all getting fatter and dying sooner. While it’s true that some fats are bad for your health, it is not correct to lump all fats together. Not all fats are bad; some are actually very beneficial for good health. Some healthy fats to include in your diet are: olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, coconuts, and meats from naturally-raised animals. It is actually damaged fats that are the ones you should look out for. These include vegetable oil, hydrogenated oil, margarine, and canola oil. Did you know that canola oil does not occur in nature? It’s actually a genetic manipulation of rapeseed oil. Just say “no!” to Franken-food!
Let us not forget about all of the toxins contained in our food products, as well. Millions of tons of pesticides are used each year worldwide, most of which have not been tested for safety in humans. Even more alarming is the fact that the same chemicals used to kill pests on our fruits and vegetables are used to fatten livestock. Toxins also come in the form of food additives and preservatives such as MSG, nitrites, flour bleach, growth hormones, and antibiotics. Think about all of the mass-produced chicken and beef for worldwide consumption.
All of the sugar, bad fats, and toxins we put into our bodies ultimately end up adversely affecting our hormones and our body’s ability to burn fat. Essentially, our diets consist of a bunch of empty calories and very little nutrients. Our bodies are confused and think they are starving, causing us to crave more food. In order to get away from the vicious cycle of weight gain, we must retrain our body’s ability to burn fat. The first thing you should do is to start increasing your levels of good fats and get off of the low-fat bandwagon. I challenge you to incorporate more good fats in your diet. Coconut oil, grapeseed oil, first cold pressed extra virgin olive oil, and organic butter from grass-fed cows is available at most local grocery stores and chains. This is one small change you can make toward good health that you will hardly even notice.
Are you up for the challenge?
