Health and Food
It's July and the heat is on! It's the season of picnics, golf tournaments, Independence Day and FREEDOM! What does freedom have to do with your health? Are you free from chronic pain, seasonal allergies, digestive or respiratory disorders? Are you free from medication or sleepless nights and fatigue filled days?
It is so easy to take our health for granted. I recently read that money is the most envied, but least enjoyed and health is the most enjoyed but the least envied. Some may argue that until their health becomes compromised.
We live in a country that allows us privilege and freedom to choose the foods we eat as when, where or how we eat those foods. Do we choose health when we make these decisions? Does abundance of choice and media directing' those choices cloud our sensibility regarding our health?
The American Medical Association and the World Health Organization cite America as one f the wealthiest nations in the world, yet one with the poorest health. We consume more food per person yet set the record for death from degenerative diseases.
The Wellness Revolution by Paul Zane Pilzer, states, "The desire for wellness already pervades our decisions, from which toothpaste and shampoo we use in the morning to what we eat throughout the day to the type of bedding and cosmetics we use at night." It is this public awareness that leads us to demand more safety and prevention from our consumables, producing freedom of health: simple choices can affect our wellness.
Stats from the U. S. Department of Commerce tell us that about 90% of Americans do not eat the National Cancer institute's recommended 5-plus servings of fruits and vegetables, per day, and preferably fresh! Add that to 41% who do not eat any fruit and 82% who do not eat any cancer fighting cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower).
The new and improved Food Pyramid makes it easier to determine healthier dietary choices. Check it out at www.mypyramid.gov. My personal (and quite simple) guide is to go for variety in color, texture, fresh and in season foods in reasonable portions. I follow the 85-15 rule, choosing health in my life decisions 85% of the time, leaving 15% for indulgence choices for fun at parties, family visits, eating out, etc.
Vibrant health is a gift to be treasured. Celebrate your freedoms. Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. and Wellness!
Above article appeared in GolfViews Magazine,
July 2005.
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