Food Fight #8If I'm ever going to get my health back in shape, I must embrace the responsibility of being my own primary healthcare provider. I must become my own fight doctor.
Despite expensive healthcare, umpteen tests, early detection checkups, annual physicals and plenty to eat, a major problem was never diagnosed – malnourishment. As a result, a prescription was never written to see a dietitian for proper nutrition.
I had a separate specialist for practically every part of my body but not one medical professional for the nutritional health every part of my body needs. That would be too much like healthcare.
I'm no longer accepting everything the medical industry tells me as the sum of all possibilities. “We don't know” might be an honest response but when it comes to my health, it is no longer an acceptable answer. There is always a reason why things happen. There is always a cause for good health and bad health. Answers are out there somewhere in nature and even in science itself. I must reengage my thinking to educate myself on these options. I choose to no longer remain limited by experts tied to research who are unable to reach the conclusion that a nutrition checkup should be a basic medical test. At least I am getting frequent privacy notices.
If you hate going to the doctor's office in the first place, repeat after me. I'm going to do everything I can to health myself by making sure I'm always the doctor in my house.
Note: While writing this post, I came across wonderful proof that the necessity for early nutrition monitoring has made it out of the thinking stage in this country. Although this addresses obesity in children, everyone could benefit from this step forward in health plans.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Food Fight 8: The Fight Doctor
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Food Fight 7: I'm Not Fat Trap
Food Fight #7This recent safari towards better physical health began with giving myself a decent fighting chance by using food for its intended purpose - to strengthen every cell in my body. The journey has evolved into many beneficial discoveries. If you've read the other posts in this series and have not taken another step towards better health, perhaps you're on track or perhaps you've fallen into the I'm Not Fat Trap. This trap is self set and supported by dozens of daily social messages. These messages tend to make you feel pretty good about yourself for being anything but fat without getting to the heart of what health is about.
The skinny, slim, little, small, petite and thin aka usually underweight are often caught by this trap. Those neither underweight or overweight are frequently caught by this trap. Finally, those who have gained several pounds aka the slightly overweight sometimes fall into this trap.
Often there is a learned tendency in these three categories to not feel any necessity or urgency for lifestyle changes to improve health. “I'm Not Fat, no need to worry about that.”
Pain, disease,compromised immune systems and the conditions for cancer ain't just caused by too much exterior fat. You still must have a healthy lifestyle to strengthen your body against other ailments. Many of these problems are caused by things that affect all body types. Not looking fat doesn't even guarantee you won't have obesity-related problems. Why? Too much body fat on a non-fat looking body is still dangerous to health. That's right. You can be not fat and fat at the same time. This alone should stop the envy of those who ”can eat anything and never gain weight” because not looking fat doesn't mean having a free pass from health problems.
And another thing. Just because you're not fat doesn't mean you have more muscle than fat. Many of those who think, I'm Not Fat, would be better off by reducing some fat cells and replacing some, if not all, of those fat cells with muscle cells. Muscle weight is good weight.
Here's another warning that has not been sounded often and loudly enough. Just because you're not fat-looking on the outside doesn't mean you're not fat on the inside. Do not think “I'm Not Fat” and then sit back on health. Don't. It's a trap of the false sense of security kind. The simple truth might be, “Yes you probably are fat.” The time is now to hurry up and eat food! The time is now to tone up just the same as the overweight! Obtaining and maintaining physical health always begins with food, activity and you. This should be the focus everyday, not how much you weigh.
Look at body type as your primary barometer and that becomes more dangerous to your physical health than any virus. If you focus on health, the body type you should have will follow. Learn to love yourself as a picture of health.
The skinny, slim, little, small, petite and thin aka usually underweight are often caught by this trap. Those neither underweight or overweight are frequently caught by this trap. Finally, those who have gained several pounds aka the slightly overweight sometimes fall into this trap.
Often there is a learned tendency in these three categories to not feel any necessity or urgency for lifestyle changes to improve health. “I'm Not Fat, no need to worry about that.”
Pain, disease,compromised immune systems and the conditions for cancer ain't just caused by too much exterior fat. You still must have a healthy lifestyle to strengthen your body against other ailments. Many of these problems are caused by things that affect all body types. Not looking fat doesn't even guarantee you won't have obesity-related problems. Why? Too much body fat on a non-fat looking body is still dangerous to health. That's right. You can be not fat and fat at the same time. This alone should stop the envy of those who ”can eat anything and never gain weight” because not looking fat doesn't mean having a free pass from health problems.
And another thing. Just because you're not fat doesn't mean you have more muscle than fat. Many of those who think, I'm Not Fat, would be better off by reducing some fat cells and replacing some, if not all, of those fat cells with muscle cells. Muscle weight is good weight.
Here's another warning that has not been sounded often and loudly enough. Just because you're not fat-looking on the outside doesn't mean you're not fat on the inside. Do not think “I'm Not Fat” and then sit back on health. Don't. It's a trap of the false sense of security kind. The simple truth might be, “Yes you probably are fat.” The time is now to hurry up and eat food! The time is now to tone up just the same as the overweight! Obtaining and maintaining physical health always begins with food, activity and you. This should be the focus everyday, not how much you weigh.
Look at body type as your primary barometer and that becomes more dangerous to your physical health than any virus. If you focus on health, the body type you should have will follow. Learn to love yourself as a picture of health.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Food Fight 6: The Quick Fix
Food Fight #6
Just like a fighter whose hope is in a knockout punch instead of in a disciplined fight, the quick fix mentality is a one shot attempt to overcome a lot of hits to health.
For years I took prescribed pills thinking that was pretty good healthcare. In addition, I kept eating way too much non-food. I made no attempt to change the external habits that created the internal conditions that made the pills necessary. Pills became a quick, easy fix.
Approached improperly, multivitamins can also become a quick fix. I now consume bee pollen, aloe vera gel and multi-nutrient food. My current plan is to not take pills because I'm too early in my recovery and fearful of slipping back into depending on any kind of pill to give me everything I need. I am fearful a multivitamin might give me that same old false sense of security that will ease me back into eating doughnuts, combo meals and drinking sodas. Medicines, shots, medical treatments, medical procedures, vitamins, supplements and fortified foods are not substitutes for eating right every day and being active.
Now that I have a better awareness of my health, I encourage anyone taking any pill for any reason to become doubly focused on eating food. The main reason to take most pills is that the body is already weakened, is being overwhelmed, needs help or can't get enough satisfaction from a healthy diet. Anyone not taking any pills should try to avoid having to by using food as a primary preventative measure.
During most of my grown-up years I sank slowly in quicksands of quick fixes. Despite modern conveniences I was living an inconvenient life entrusting my primary healthcare to an industry rather than myself. I was guilty of killing myself softly. Those days were so sweet with so much available to eat. That's tongue-in-cheek because my malnourished immune system began to act like me and attack me. My immune system began to assist me in the slow suicide I started.
As you can see, quick fix thinking lurks everywhere.
Until recently I was putting everything before healthcare. A quick fix fits perfectly into the busy lifestyle of an adult with a lot of responsibilities. Even though the pills were prescribed by a doctor, I gladly cosigned and did as I was sold. At no point did my immune system get better. I tried drug after drug to see which one would hide my symptoms best. One made me nauseated, one made me hungry a lot and one endangered my liver. These and other side effects meant other parts of my body were being affected that shouldn't be.
A side effect is not something that happens just on the side. A side effect is a direct in-side effect. This is not a minor thing. A side effect is an undesired effect we accept as a tradeoff in order to get the desired effect of taking medicine. When you realize what has to happen at the cellular level for a side effect to occur, you know any side effect is serious and often dangerous to health.
A quick fix usually attempts to fix symptoms. A quick fix is unlikely to be a solution and often causes more problems. Just be careful not to use something that can be helpful as a replacement for daily discipline. Improvement is possible if we are willing to take the time to do it right. The miraculous preventative and curative powers of food happens one bite at a time. Stay fixed on health.
Give me something
To answer my prayer
Hurry, fix it quick
So I can skip healthcare
Just like a fighter whose hope is in a knockout punch instead of in a disciplined fight, the quick fix mentality is a one shot attempt to overcome a lot of hits to health.
For years I took prescribed pills thinking that was pretty good healthcare. In addition, I kept eating way too much non-food. I made no attempt to change the external habits that created the internal conditions that made the pills necessary. Pills became a quick, easy fix.
Approached improperly, multivitamins can also become a quick fix. I now consume bee pollen, aloe vera gel and multi-nutrient food. My current plan is to not take pills because I'm too early in my recovery and fearful of slipping back into depending on any kind of pill to give me everything I need. I am fearful a multivitamin might give me that same old false sense of security that will ease me back into eating doughnuts, combo meals and drinking sodas. Medicines, shots, medical treatments, medical procedures, vitamins, supplements and fortified foods are not substitutes for eating right every day and being active.
Now that I have a better awareness of my health, I encourage anyone taking any pill for any reason to become doubly focused on eating food. The main reason to take most pills is that the body is already weakened, is being overwhelmed, needs help or can't get enough satisfaction from a healthy diet. Anyone not taking any pills should try to avoid having to by using food as a primary preventative measure.
During most of my grown-up years I sank slowly in quicksands of quick fixes. Despite modern conveniences I was living an inconvenient life entrusting my primary healthcare to an industry rather than myself. I was guilty of killing myself softly. Those days were so sweet with so much available to eat. That's tongue-in-cheek because my malnourished immune system began to act like me and attack me. My immune system began to assist me in the slow suicide I started.
Here's a glimpse at inconvenience from a future viewpoint on “The Outer Limits”
Person 1: How long did it take you to get here?
Person 2: 11 microseconds.
Person 1: That's not too bad.
Person 2: It's only 11 million miles! It's supposed to be instantaneous!
Person 1: It used to take 1 minute.
Person 2: How did you stand it?
As you can see, quick fix thinking lurks everywhere.
Until recently I was putting everything before healthcare. A quick fix fits perfectly into the busy lifestyle of an adult with a lot of responsibilities. Even though the pills were prescribed by a doctor, I gladly cosigned and did as I was sold. At no point did my immune system get better. I tried drug after drug to see which one would hide my symptoms best. One made me nauseated, one made me hungry a lot and one endangered my liver. These and other side effects meant other parts of my body were being affected that shouldn't be.
A side effect is not something that happens just on the side. A side effect is a direct in-side effect. This is not a minor thing. A side effect is an undesired effect we accept as a tradeoff in order to get the desired effect of taking medicine. When you realize what has to happen at the cellular level for a side effect to occur, you know any side effect is serious and often dangerous to health.
A quick fix usually attempts to fix symptoms. A quick fix is unlikely to be a solution and often causes more problems. Just be careful not to use something that can be helpful as a replacement for daily discipline. Improvement is possible if we are willing to take the time to do it right. The miraculous preventative and curative powers of food happens one bite at a time. Stay fixed on health.
As I learn to change my lazy ways
I'm less concerned with saving time
looking good and how clothes fit
and more concerned with healthy days
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Food Fight 5: Raw v Cooked Undercard
Food Fight #5
A brief thought was added to this conversation last week. This is the lengthier reply.
I understood the reader to mean “cooking” in the sense of improper cooking. At any rate, it's clear heat can help make some foods edible. Some nutrients can't stand the heat. Others can survive longer. No matter what, too much heat is something to avoid when cooking anything. The more alive plant food is when we eat it, the more alive we will be. This tells me if I am seeking health via nutrition, home gardening will have a great impact. This is not necessarily scientific, it's a spiritual awareness with the natural order.
I am becoming more mindful of not cooking food to death. Improper cooking does lower the nutritional value of food. This improper cooking is not only caused by the amount of heat but the duration. Other things that affect the nutrient content of food whether they are being cooked or not is water, air, temperature and every step from growing to processing to transportation and storage. So even if food in supermarkets is barely alive and contains low nutrition, why kill it the rest of the way by being unaware of the potential consequences of improper cooking?
Yes there are some foods that must be cooked. Beyond those, it takes a lot of faith in man's ability to believe cooking food that can be eaten uncooked brings about equal or greater nutritional value. In general, I do not have that kind of faith in man's ability to trump the Creator on something so critical and basic to life such as nutrients in food. I've read of a small number of exceptions but more often than not, uncooked is better.
A frequent misconception is a meal must involve cooking when actually a meal is simply about preparing food for consumption. A home-prepared meal is what I'm talking about. This perspective partially alleviates the pressure and mystic surrounding meals that involves magnificent recipes, magically combining ingredients, heating devices and a magician's hat. It's a lot simpler to bring together foods for a meal when the items don't have to be cooked together.
Preparing food is instinctual, innate and spiritual. Children will prove this untaught, thus Creator-given, ability by combining things (without cooking) parents have not considered. Parents tend to overteach these instincts out of children the same way they tend to overcook the nutrients out of food.
I see raw food versus cooked food as part of the individual refining process we must work through as we retrain our eating habits. Healthy lifestyle improvements will often require looking further and further into things, not just on the internet but looking within ourselves and to spiritual guidance.
Food preparation decisions should be made on an item by item basis. I will continue to eat raw foods and cooked foods. To cook or not to cook is more like an exhibition fight where the winner has been predetermined. The main question for me is what must I eat or not eat? After that I consider what to cook, how to cook it and what cooked/uncooked balance works best for the health I'm trying to achieve. For some, Natural v Cooked is at the top of the fight card, so read the answer someone else gave.
Better Nutrition. Less worries. Health to all. Life to all.
Previous Posts: Food Fight 1-4
I would like to address the comment made on your last blog, "Food Fight 3 - The Weigh In," where the reader made the following statement:
Most of us accept cooked food as the normal means of supplying the body with nutrients. We do not realize the living cells of our bodies don't take nourishment from dead ingredients found in cooked foods. After eating a complete meal our stomachs are full but we still haven't given the body any nourishment and we are slowly starving the body's cells.
I would like to know what evidence they found to substantiate that remark. Man has been eating cooked food since the beginning of time and I don't think “cooked food” serves to breakdown the body. Yes raw foods are good but that doesn’t mean that cooked foods are not.
Most warm blooded animals have a diet of all raw food yet they still get sick or die from disease. Some foods have to be cooked like rhubarb, kidney beans, fish. Heat brings energy to foods such as these. See Idealism vs. Realism in Raw Foods.
A brief thought was added to this conversation last week. This is the lengthier reply.
I understood the reader to mean “cooking” in the sense of improper cooking. At any rate, it's clear heat can help make some foods edible. Some nutrients can't stand the heat. Others can survive longer. No matter what, too much heat is something to avoid when cooking anything. The more alive plant food is when we eat it, the more alive we will be. This tells me if I am seeking health via nutrition, home gardening will have a great impact. This is not necessarily scientific, it's a spiritual awareness with the natural order.
I am becoming more mindful of not cooking food to death. Improper cooking does lower the nutritional value of food. This improper cooking is not only caused by the amount of heat but the duration. Other things that affect the nutrient content of food whether they are being cooked or not is water, air, temperature and every step from growing to processing to transportation and storage. So even if food in supermarkets is barely alive and contains low nutrition, why kill it the rest of the way by being unaware of the potential consequences of improper cooking?
Yes there are some foods that must be cooked. Beyond those, it takes a lot of faith in man's ability to believe cooking food that can be eaten uncooked brings about equal or greater nutritional value. In general, I do not have that kind of faith in man's ability to trump the Creator on something so critical and basic to life such as nutrients in food. I've read of a small number of exceptions but more often than not, uncooked is better.
A frequent misconception is a meal must involve cooking when actually a meal is simply about preparing food for consumption. A home-prepared meal is what I'm talking about. This perspective partially alleviates the pressure and mystic surrounding meals that involves magnificent recipes, magically combining ingredients, heating devices and a magician's hat. It's a lot simpler to bring together foods for a meal when the items don't have to be cooked together.
Preparing food is instinctual, innate and spiritual. Children will prove this untaught, thus Creator-given, ability by combining things (without cooking) parents have not considered. Parents tend to overteach these instincts out of children the same way they tend to overcook the nutrients out of food.
I see raw food versus cooked food as part of the individual refining process we must work through as we retrain our eating habits. Healthy lifestyle improvements will often require looking further and further into things, not just on the internet but looking within ourselves and to spiritual guidance.
Food preparation decisions should be made on an item by item basis. I will continue to eat raw foods and cooked foods. To cook or not to cook is more like an exhibition fight where the winner has been predetermined. The main question for me is what must I eat or not eat? After that I consider what to cook, how to cook it and what cooked/uncooked balance works best for the health I'm trying to achieve. For some, Natural v Cooked is at the top of the fight card, so read the answer someone else gave.
Better Nutrition. Less worries. Health to all. Life to all.
Previous Posts: Food Fight 1-4
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