Keith Jeffery June 2008
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Eating, Dying and Cuba
Please forgive me, but sometimes I just need to rant.
Sometimes I see things that make me downright mad. And sad. In my opinion, the whole North American food scenario is tragic, and the resulting health consequences and personal tragedies are totally avoidable. Since Christmas, I have spent a lot of time in the US. During my travels, I saw a great number of overweight people (obesity rates in the US are over 30%) eating a huge amount of stuff they thought was food.
TV and advertisements sell an amazing array of fat, sugar and salt – all of which tastes great, almost none of which is actually food. In that most of it doesn’t nourish, it is in fact just crap. Garbage. And in many if not most cases – large amounts of this stuff is poisonous to our bodies.
People are coerced into eating this stuff and they get fat. And they get sick. Then they buy a dizzying array of books, some of which are good, but many offer downright stupid information about ways to lose weight. The diet industry thrives, offering thousands of variations on a theme. And, in spite of the presence of dozens of diet books and magazines in each household, people keep getting fatter. One thing we have all discovered – the mere act of owning a diet book does not in itself create weight loss :-).
The medical business thrives as a result. Diabetes, heart disease, strokes, liver problems, cholesterol clogging our arteries – all leading to a vast consumption of pills and billions of dollars of pharmaceutical company profits. And a medical system that can’t keep up, all the while generating huge profits.
Making people fat is big business. Treating those fat people is also a huge business. And so is burying them.
While I recognize that there are a few medical and genetic exceptions, for most of us the answer is simple.
Cuba – a sad situation with a lesson for us all
In 2008, the Canadian Medical Association released this information. Politics aside, the fact is that the US embargo on Cuba and the collapse of the Soviet Union lead to many hardships for the average Cuban. As a result, the energy intake per capita decreased by 1000 kcal/day to 1863 kcal/day. And the proportion of physically active adults increased from 30% to 67% (fuel shortages increased the number of people who walked or used their bicycles). These changes affected the whole population and were sustained for 5 years.
People lost weight. And they were forced to exercise. The silver lining (and a lesson for all of us)? In subsequent years, rates of death decreased markedly from 1997 – 2002: by 51% for diabetes, 35% for coronary artery disease, 20% for stroke and 18% for all cause mortality.
The obesity rate in Cuba was relatively low to begin with and dropped even further as a result of these lifestyle changes. The experts in the article concluded that countries like Canada and the United States (where obesity is rampant) would notice even more benefit from weight loss and exercise.
For details – www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/178/8/1032
The Answer?
One of the conclusions of the above article:
“Interventions should include making fruits and vegetables more readily available and less expensive, reducing the availability and increasing the prices of high energy foods, and promoting walking and bicycling as means of transportation.”
While we are unlikely to face an embargo, we can learn from the Cuban experience. To start with, we must begin eating real food. The stuff that isn’t advertised and glorified on TV’s, magazines and buses. And we must eat less of the crap.
And then we must move. Yes – move. Exercise. Sweat.
Yes – as a wellness teacher, part of my business offers ways to lose weight. The difference? My approach is cheap, easy, gimmick free and effective. Weight loss from the perspective of a veterinarian. And I offer on going free support and ideas.
If you need help, I lay it all out on an audio CD. Many ideas and lifestyle strategies. Easy Weight Loss for Busy People not only deals with effective and practical ways to lose weight, it also offers ways to supply our bodies with vital, life enhancing nutrients.
Note: If you are currently overweight – so be it. It is as it is, so don’t punish yourself. Heavy people can choose to become physically fit. And your weight will reduce if you begin eating real food. Go for it. Always check with your health care provider with any specific questions or conditions. People who are morbidly obese will find this CD helpful, but should also seek medical or dietary support.
IMPORTANT
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. Set easy and doable goals. Get guidance if needed. Make a commitment to do SOMETHING everyday.
Move – aerobic
(A quote from Georgia State University). “The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) defines aerobic exercise as “any activity that uses large muscle groups, can be maintained continuously, and is rhythmic in nature.” It is a type of exercise that overloads the heart and lungs and causes them to work harder than at rest. The important idea behind aerobic exercise today, is to get up and get moving!! There are more activities than ever to choose from, whether it is a new activity or an old one. Find something you enjoy doing that keeps your heart rate elevated for a continuous time period and get moving to a healthier life.”
Walk, run, climb stairs, cycle, garden, swim, dance, skate, jump rope, ski.
Move – build muscles
Resistance training, weight lifting. Do push ups, pull ups, squats, climb stairs, circuit training, sit ups. Find a gym and use it. Or perhaps hire a personal trainer.
Move – mind body (burns calories, increase flexibility, circulation, improves balance, focus and concentration.And more.).
www.4MinuteFitness.com
www.EasyTaiChi.com
Weight Loss
www.Best-Weight.com
For more information, please contact
Dr. Keith Jeffery at:
1836 Douglas Crescent, Nanoose Bay, B.C. V9P 9C7
Toll free – (866) 682-4244 after 9 am Pacific
Tel (250) 468-9950
fax (250) 468-9910
E-mail: keith@EasyTaiChi.com