Are We Honest With Ourselves About What We Eat?
Posted: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
by Rose-Marie Chaperon
Chaperon Consulting, LLC
Honesty is the human quality of communicating and acting truthfully related to truth as a value. This includes listening, and any action in the human repertoire - as well as speaking. It includes both honesty to others, and to oneself and about one's own motives and inner reality. So as we say this, are we honest with ourselves or do we make excuses for our actions and behaviors? Many experts give us the seven signs to health, how many of us follow these guidelines or do we all make excuses as to why we do not follow at least three of them?
Step one: be a non-smoker and avoid second-hand smoke. Cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer deaths and is responsible for most cancers of the larynx, oral cavity and pharynx, esophagus, and bladder. Secondhand smoke is responsible for an estimated 3,000 lung cancer deaths among U.S. nonsmokers each year. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemical agents, including over 60 substances that are known to cause cancer. The risk of developing smoking-related cancers, as well as noncancerous diseases, increases with total lifetime exposure to cigarette smoke. Smoking cessation has major and immediate health benefits, including decreasing the risk of lung and other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease. Non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke are also at higher risk of getting cancer and other lung diseases. (American Cancer Society)
So why do we do smoke? Oh wait, I know because we are a society that likes to have fun, even if it means dying a slow death and leaving our family behind in mourning for the rest of their lives. What are your options at this point? If you are a smoker, quit. If you are a non-smoker, avoid second-hand smoke.
What's in it for you? Let's see besides living a few days, months and years longer with your family, Smoking cessation has major and immediate health benefits for men and women of all ages. The American Cancer Society states that quitting smoking decreases the risk of lung and other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease. The earlier a person quits, the greater the health benefit. Do I need to say more?
Step 2: Eat 5 to 10 servings of vegetables and fruits a day.
Personally this was hard for me to do, I was never a vegetable person, my idea of vegetables was corn and potatoes, which we know for a fact, are not vegetables. The experts tell us to choose high fiber, lower fat foods. If we drink alcohol, limit our intake to 1 to 2 drinks a day. " One to two drinks a day does not mean using the same glass more than once". Research suggests as much as one third of all cancers may be related to what we eat and drink, therefore eat 5 to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit a day. Eat plenty of whole grain fibers and keep your dietary fat intake low. For a healthy diet, balance your daily meals with foods from the 4 food groups described in the Food Guide. If you drink alcohol, limit your consumption. Having one or more alcoholic drinks a day is associated with a slight increase in breast cancer risk. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, avoid alcohol. Believe me, reducing your alcohol intake with save you money in many ways. Furthermore, five slices of pizza, 2 pieces of chocolate cakes and a diet cola is not a balance meal. I went on a date once; he told me if you drink a diet cola with your meal, you will lose weight. My question was, no matter what you eat? His response was "YES" I asked him to e-mail me the statistics of his research; I have yet to see it.
Step 3: Be physically active on a regular basis
Physical fitness is the functioning of the heart, blood vessels, lungs, and muscles to function at optimum efficiency. In previous years, fitness was defined as the capacity to carry out the day's activities without undue fatigue. Physical fitness is now defined as the body's ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations. Physical activity does not mean for you to purchase an expensive health club membership at the beginning of the year as part of your new year's resolution. Fitness can be divided into five categories:
a) Aerobic fitness : It refers to endurance, or the ability to sustain work for prolonged periods. This is usually experienced in the abilities to walk, run, climb uphill, swim, etc. in a nut shell, turn off the television and go for a walk with the dog, ride your bicycle and leave your wallet behind, this will eliminate the need for you to stop at the ice cream store . Example: How well you are breathing after chasing your terrified dog around the yard before stuffing him into the tub for a bath.
b) Muscular strength: The ability of your body's muscle to generate force in a short period of time. Muscular strength should be a part of anyone's training program. Training for muscular strength should consist of 2-4 repetitions and muscular failure should occur. Example: The strength required to lift the vacuum cleaner to clean up after your children or spouse.
c) Muscular Endurance: The ability to make repeated contractions against a moderate load. When your goal is muscular endurance, lift a heavy enough weight that you can only complete 12-16 repetitions of each exercise. Example: Carrying 8 bags of groceries, plus a tired child, up 3 flights of stairs and into the kitchen without dropping them.
d) Flexibility - How limber you are? It prepares your body for the tasks you perform throughout the day, such as lifting and reaching," Zwiefel says. "You dramatically reduce your risk of back problems when you increase your flexibility." Example: Your ability to reach the top shelf of your bookcase for a quick dust.
e) Body Composition That's the proportion of fat compared to bone and muscle. Example: Having a healthy percentage of muscle and fat in your body.
My friend, (well, I know we are not friends, however; if you have gotten this far in your reading, I must have caught your attention) I guess we are friends now. Why should you exercise? Regular exercise is also helpful in the prevention of one of the most common reasons for doctors' office visits-- lower back pain. Special exercises for those with back pain are many times beneficial in reducing and/or eliminating lower back pain. (See your healthcare practitioner before starting an exercise regimen.) One final thought, get off the couch, be active, go for a walk, ride your bicycle, and do something to prolong your life.
Step 4: Protect yourself and your family from the sun.
You should do this particularly between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. when the sun's rays are at their strongest or anytime of the day the UV Index is 3 or more. Check your skin regularly and report any changes to your doctor. This year tens of thousands of people will develop skin cancer because of over exposure to UV (ultraviolet light). Skin cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the world. Reduce sun exposure between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. Seek shade or create your own. Keep babies under one year old out of direct sun. Tanning booth and sunlamps are not safe. When you are in the sun, always remember SLIP, SLAP, SLOP: - SLIP on clothing to cover your arms and legs. SLAP on a wide-brimmed hat. SLOP on sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher)
Step5. Follow cancer screening guidelines.
Even people with healthy lifestyles can develop cancer. One way to detect cancer early is to have regular screening tests. These tests can often find cancer when it is still at an early stage. The earlier the cancer is found, the more successful the treatment is likely to be. For women, know the screening guidelines for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer. For men, know the screening guideline for colorectal cancer and talk to your doctor about your risk of prostate cancer.
Step 6: Visit your doctor or dentist if you notice any change in your normal state of health.
Know your body and report any changes to your doctor or dentist as soon as possible (for example, sores that do not heal, a cough which goes on for more than 4 weeks or a change in bowel habits). Health care professionals are trained to spot the early warning signs of cancer and other diseases.
Step7: Follow health and safety instructions at home and at work when using, storing and disposing of hazardous materials.
At home and at work, take care to follow safety instructions when using, storing and disposing of household pesticides or any other chemicals. By following these guidelines, you can protect yourself against the risk posed by these materials. These guidelines are printed on the packaging and posted in workplaces always consult your company's Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)
Let's move on - You are what you eat! This phrase has come to us via quite a tortuous route. Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote, in Physiologie du Gout, ou Meditations de Gastronomie Transcendante, 1826: In a nutshell, it means " the notion that to be fit and healthy you need to eat good food". How much should you eat? The amount of food you need to eat each day varies with your age, sex, height, and activity level. Ask your doctor or dietitian about making a meal plan just for you, especially if you need to lose weight. Being active and eating smaller amounts of food and fewer sweet or fatty foods can help you lose weight in a healthy way. You will keep your heart healthy, too. It is best to spread your food out over the day. Eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a snack-check out your options with your doctor or dietitian. You will have a good supply of energy and you will not get too hungry.
So, let's go back to Anthelme Brillat-Savarin's quote Are we really what we eat? I am inclining to think so. Are you? Most of us are at a great distance from our food. I don't mean that we live "twelve miles from a lemon," as English wit Sydney Smith said about a home in Yorkshire. I mean that our food bears little resemblance to its natural substance. Hamburger never mooed; spaghetti grows on the pasta tree; baby carrots come from a pink and blue nursery. Still, we worry about our meals -- from calories to carbohydrates, from heart-healthy to brain food. And we prefer our food to be "natural," as long as natural doesn't involve real. Obesity opens the door to a whole posse of killers, including heart disease, cardiovascular problems, strokes, diabetes and respiratory problems. No wonder that the World Health Organization declares that obesity is "the dominant un-met global health issue, with Western countries topping the list". Be careful of your dinner! This approach is a step in honesty and self-awareness. Take care.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Wow, Rose-Marie, I really like your article. Job well done.
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