Why is the alarm not sounding?

The Martial Art of Wellness

Volume 17 – August 2018

(Archive of Previous BioNews)

DEAR FRIENDS

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

” Epidemic obesity is arguably the gravest public health crisis we face and inarguably the least controlled. ”

– David L. Katz

THIS ISSUE’S TESTIMONIAL: ( BAC is the core of my success)

THE MARTIAL ART OF WELLNESS ( Why is the alarm not sounding? )

A friend recently reached out to me on behalf of a loved one who is suffering from obesity and fatigue. She asked me about HGH (Human Growth Hormone), wondering if she should supplement this hormone since she’d heard it could help regulate sugar and fat metabolism. Obviously, I said NO to HGH supplementation and proceeded to give her suggestions on a more wholistic way of addressing obesity.  My conversation with her motivated me to write about the epidemic of not only obesity – but also of overweightness – that continues to grow not only in the USA and Canada, but all over the world.  Most health organizations claim this epidemic as “alarming”, and yet it’s not in the news.

Key facts from world Health Organization

• Worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975.
• In 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults, 18 years and older, were overweight. Of these over 650 million were obese.
• 39% of adults aged 18 years and over were overweight in 2016, and 13% were obese.
• Most of the world’s population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight.
• 41 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese in 2016.
• Over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5-19 were overweight or obese in 2016.
• Obesity is preventable.

The alarming trend starts in children

Imagine for a moment the our future as Childhood obesity is associated with a higher chance of obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood. But in addition to increased future risks, obese children experience breathing difficulties, increased risk of fractures, hypertension, early markers of cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance and psychological effects.

How and when did overweightness become the new norm?

According to dictionary.com overweightness is “weighing too much or more than is considered normal, proper, etc.” but I would describe overweightness as anything above a healthy fat/muscle proportion. In nature, most species are lean as a matter of survival.  Carrying extra weight would burden their perfect state of energy and limit their ability to hunt, to migrate, to flee danger and, in some cases to reproduce – all the activities they need for their very survival.

If we focus on history and the evolution of societal behavioral patterns, the cause of the overweightness epidemic becomes clear.

Consider back at the beginning of the 18^th century – most people around the world were fit, and only those who were among the wealthy were overweight.  Why was that?  Back then, sugar especially, but even many types of FOOD were status symbols. Eating sugary, rich, fatty foods was an expensive luxury that only the rich could afford. Only the wealthy could afford to over-indulge when food was often scarce and heavily dependent on local weather and crop success.  The upper class also lived a more sedentary lifestyle, while the working class tended to be physically active all day, staying active and fit.

As time progressed, food production and preservation techniques improved, and sugar and other foods got progressively more affordable and therefore more accessible to the masses.  Little by little, industrialization and, eventually, technological innovation took over a lot of manual labor, jobs evolved, and more people started living a more sedentary lifestyle.

As food production became more and more commercialized, the food industry started pumping processed foods full of sugar, corn syrup, artificial sweeteners, sodium, preservatives, dyes, ‘natural’ additives and other flavor enhancers.  We have been unknowingly consuming added sugars (which get stored as extra body fat) – and this process was designed to increase cravings and create food addicts out of all of us, causing us to buy more food and eat larger portions.

Let’s imagine what we’d have found inside the pantry of a traditional Mediterranean country household some 50 or more years ago:

• Brussels sprouts,
• apples,
• peppers,
• eggplants,
• grass fed meat,
• ginger,
• celery,
• carrots,
• artichokes,
• onions,
• fish,
• asparagus,
• quinoa,
• potatoes
• grapes and cheese.

In short: nothing but fresh, whole foods – no processed, refined, or artificially flavored/preserved foods.

On the other hand, in the refrigerator and pantry of today’s typical modern household?

• Ultra-pasteurized skim and/or soy milk,
• hot dogs,
• processed lunchmeat,
• soda,
• salad dressings,
• cartons of orange juice,
• ketchup,
• bagels,
• sodium-laden canned sauces and vegetables,
• white bread,
• chips,
• cookies,
• processed cereals,
• vegetable oil,
• granola bars,
• fruit snacks…

I hope you get the point.

Mixed Messages in the Media

With all the contradictory health messages in the media today, it’s hard to know who/what to believe and what to do when it comes to healthy eating. This is intentional on the part of marketers in the food industry. The information is most often skewed – and even those citing “scientific research studies” must be questioned.  Ask yourself this – who is conducting those studies and how large was the sample size anyway?  Follow the money.

Food Words Trending In Media In 2015 Predict Country’s Obesity Level In 2018

What can you do about it?

Get back to basics!  Forget everything you’ve learned about health and wellness, everything you’ve read in magazine headlines and just focus on two things: logic and undeniable facts. There are endless diets, supplements, and meal replacement plans claiming to ensure rapid weight loss, but most lack any scientific evidence. There are, however, some strategies backed by science and common sense that do have an impact on weight management:

Cut the junk – Eliminate processed and refined foods from your diet. Cook meals from fresh whole food ingredients and do meal prep in advance to save time.  Refined carbohydrates like white rice, bread, and pasta are heavily processed foods that no longer contain fiber and are essentially devoid of nutritional value. These foods are digested quickly and convert to glucose (sugar) rapidly.  Swap processed and sugary foods for more healthful options – like fruits & nuts instead of chips and sweets.

Stop overeating – Stress and negative emotion can cause you to overeat.  When people are under constant stress, cortisol can remain in the bloodstream, increasing their appetite and potentially leading to overeating.  Find healthier ways to reduce and deal with stress and negative emotions:  meditate, pray, exercise, volunteer…

Stay well-hydrated – Drink plenty of pure water! Your hypothalamus – the region of your brain that controls feelings of hunger and thirst – responds similarly whether you’re experiencing thirst or hunger. Dehydration can be misinterpreted as hunger.

Eat plenty of fiber – Including plenty of fiber in the diet can increase the feeling of fullness, potentially leading to weight loss. Eat fiber-rich foods like whole-grain breads and breakfast cereals, whole-wheat pasta, oats, barley, and rye, fruit and vegetables, peas, beans, and pulses, nuts and seeds.

Balance your gut bacteria – Emerging research has zeroed in on the role of bacteria in the gut on weight management. Some foods, are known to increase the number of good bacteria in the gut.

• Eating plenty of fruits, vegetables, and grains will result in an increased fiber uptake and a more diverse set of gut bacteria.
• Eat many fermented foods as these enhance the function of good bacteria while inhibiting the growth of bad bacteria. Sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, yogurt, tempeh, and miso all contain good amounts of probiotics, which help to increase good bacteria.

Track your diet and exercise – Keep a healthy weight journal and track everything you eat and all exercise. There are some great phone apps that can be useful with this!

Slow and mindful eating: When you eat, eat.  There is evidence that shows that sitting down and avoiding distractions while you eat, eating slowly and taking time to chew each bite can help with weight loss.

Get moving – Exercise is a key element to staying healthy and fit, and whatever you can do to move your limbs, activate your muscles and your cardiovascular system and keep moving can help take your mind off food.

Try intermittent fasting – Studies indicate that short-term intermittent fasting leads to weight loss in overweight individuals. Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating that involves regular short-term fasts and extending the period between dinner and breakfast, giving your body more time to break and reset.

Use Bio-Algae Concentrates (BAC) as a major ally – Many people report that they not only feel better, but they also lose weight when consuming BAC on a daily basis.  This stands to reason because as the body begins to get the pure nutritional energy that BAC brings, all cells begin to repair and return to optimum levels – homeostasis.  The body becomes satiated: cravings are reduced or eliminated, and the body now seeks healthier foods and less food overall, you feel better and are motivated to become more active because of it.  BAC is THE best ally for ANY body in regaining and maintaining optimum weight and overall health! Read all about BAC for fasting, dieting and weight loss at The Magic is BAC.  Read all about the BAC science at Awakening the Genius Within

Are you overweight?

Calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) by dividing weight in pounds (lbs) by height in inches (in) squared and multiplying by a conversion factor of 703.

Example: Weight = 150 lbs, Height = 5’5″ (65″)
Calculation: [150 ÷ (65)²] x 703 = 24.96

Visit online at https://bmicalculatorusa.com/

References

• http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
• Intermittent fasting study – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3017674/https://bmicalculatorusa.com/
• https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/08/140825084836.htm
• https://obesitynewstoday.com/2015/07/22/food-words-trending-media-2015-predict-countrys-obesity-level-2018/
• http://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2018-04-24/making-sense-of-seemingly-contradictory-health-news/9343684
• https://www.forbes.com/sites/fayeflam/2015/05/21/youre-damned-if-you-diet-and-damned-if-you-dont-detangling-contradictory-health-headlines/#53434b2b5708
• https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mary-bradley/diet-and-nutrition_b_4853906.html
• http://www.sugarhistory.net/who-made-sugar/sugar-timeline/
• http://archive.spright.com/news/how-to-tell-if-youre-hungry-or-thirsty/