Traps of the Modern Day Diet

We get many emails asking us about the latest weight loss products and diet fads. It is important to understand WHY these products and fads don't work and why, in many cases, they can actually be quite dangerous.

It is also important to explain that our eating patterns have evolved over many hundreds of years and to also explain the radical changes that have been incorporated within the last 100 years to give you a better understanding of what a healthy diet must consist of.

Our eating patterns have slowly evolved over thousands of years and as the human race spread across the entire planet, new foods were discovered and added to our diets. The human body has adapted to incorporate these changes.

The foods we ate were natural and seasonal. Chock full of vitamins and minerals and in most instances, consumed fresh. After thousands of years of practice, this is what our bodies are still used to.

In modern times, with the advent of supermarkets and the pace of our hectic lifestyles, we now favor convenience over nutrition. Foods now come pre-prepared, pre-packaged and ready to eat.
Preservatives must be added to the food in order for it to last on the shelf. Artificial colorings and flavorings are then added to make the foods look and taste appetizing.

In terms of human evolution, these artificial additives have been added to our diets very recently so it is still not clear as to what effects they may have on us in the long term.

Anecdotal evidence points towards a trend between these chemicals and health problems like attention deficit disorder (ADD) and learning difficulties in children, allergic reactions and even cancer.

Over the last twenty years, the fast food culture has lead to an epidemic of obesity. In an effort to enhance flavour, the salt, sugar and fat content of many foods is now in some cases two to three times what it once was.

While the link between obesity and excess sugar and fat consumption is obvious, it is now becoming apparent that salt is a major contributor to obesity as well.

This is most likely due the fact that the more salt we consume, the thirstier we become and instead of drinking water, many of us prefer to reach for the soft drink to quench our thirst. Soft drink, loaded with sugar, is also full of artificial colors and flavors.

So why do we eat it?

You wouldn't dream of running your car on anything besides what it was designed to run on. We all know that it would definitely affect the performance of the car and eventually lead to damage.

Our bodies are no different. Just because we can eat something, it doesn't mean that we should! With the link between diet and health more obvious than ever before and more and more people telling us about what we shouldn't be eating isn't it more important for us to understand what we should be eating. We have to eat something right? What is the healthy alternative?

Ever heard 'Eat a well balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables...' what does this mean? Why should we eat plenty of fruits and vegetables?

Once we realize that we are in control of what goes into our mouths, and begin to make informed choices about what we eat these choices will begin to have a positive effect on every aspect of our life.

insurance