In our land of plenty, why is America now the leader in some of the world’s most life-threatening health issues? The answer lies in the hectic pace our society demands and our reliance on over-processed, high-fat, sugar-laden fast food diets. This diet has led to an epidemic of obesity and related diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.
Just a few of the startling statistics:
- 3/4 of adults65 years and older will have a degenerative disease. And of those, 50% will have two.
- 67% of North Americans are overweight or obese.
- By 2015, a Johns Hopkins University study predicts that 75% of adults and 24% of children will be obese.
- 1/3 of today’s children will develop diabetes.
This isn’t because Americans are too lazy. In fact, we spend $30 Billion per year on diets and weight control plans. Unfortunately, 2/3 of those who lose weight on diets gain it back within 1 year, and 98% gain their weight back and ore within 2 years.
If you see yourself or someone you love in this picture, it is not your fault! Diets simply do not work, because they do not correct the root cause of weight gain.
The Real Culprit
If you try to eat a healthy diet, chances are you’re confused. We are deluged with information about what to eat and what to avoid…and it seems to change more often than the seasons.
First, fat and cholesterol were the culprits. But now we know that our body needs a certain amount of “healthy” fat to fuel our hearts and brains. For a while, carbohydrates were to be avoided at all costs. But now we know that when you practically eliminate all carbohydrates from your diet, you are basically starving your cells. So how do we know what to believe?
Current medical thinking is that our high-glycemic diets, laden with over-processed carbohydrates and sugar, lead to insulin abuse and resistance. This is called the Metabolic Syndrome and it is the precursor to our most dreaded degenerative diseases. ..high blood pressure, increased risk of diabetes, increased risk of cardiovascular disease, and more.
Metabolic Syndrome is caused by the extreme rise and fall of blood sugar several timesthroughout the day. You have probably felt it happen yourself. Did you ever eat a big breakfast of pancakes with maple syrup, only to be ravenous within the next hour. Have you ever eaten a donut or cupcake to give yourself a mid-afternoon boost, only to crash an hour later?
That is because your body triggers insulin to process the sugar, which then removes the glycogen from your blood stream and stores it as fat. The unfortunate side effect of this process is inflammation that can lead to hardening of the arteries and other degenerative diseases. The inflammation is caused by a process known as “glycemic stress,” which occurs when the body cannot counter the increased number of free radicals created by elevated blood sugars.
In his book Healthy for Life, Dr. Ray Strand describes this process in great detail. We highly recommend that you visit his website and purchase a copy of the book. It will provide a foundation for everything you need to know about creating a healthy lifestyle.
But right now we want to tell you the good news! Obesity and degenerative disease are 80% preventable. Armed with the right information, you can learn a new healthy lifestyle which has just happens to have a side effect of fat loss.
The secret, according to Dr. Strand, is found in the following balanced triad:
- Choosing delicious foods that are low on the glycemic index and do not spike your blood sugar.
- Developing a moderate, consistent exercise program.
- Taking high-quality nutritional supplements that provide cellular nutrition.
We are going to show you how on the pages that follow.
Next: Low-Glycemic Eating
