SCHOOL SYSTEMS DON'T TEACH US THE EFFECTS OF CERTAIN MODERN FOODS ON OUR OVERALL HEALTH. AS A RESULT, MANY OF US HAVE BEEN LEFT CLUELESS, TRYING NEW DIETS BUT NEVER REALLY FEELING IN CONTROL OF OUR WEIGHT. WHY IS THAT?
Sugar
Sugar is said to be the number one culprit for our expanding dress sizes. This is addressed in more detail in the article, Sugar, Society's Acceptable Drug. This reality has been explored over the last couple of years. For a long time, people had been in the dark. But now, indisputable research has shown the short and long term effects of sugar on our brains and on our bodies. The human body was not built to consume large amounts of refined sugar which the body struggles to break down and use. A lot of our sugar consumption comes from foods that we don't necessarily think are filled with sugar, such as your favorite savory foods. Flour, too, is a form of refined sugar that holds no nutritional value. Yet, we consume so much of this substance as a primary component in each meal.
Wheat
Wheat is another cause of weight gain. Wheat contains amylopectin A. This is a super starch that is absorbed very quickly in the body. What makes this starch really bad is that is causes insulin resistance, which, as we know, can trigger a host of all sorts of diseases, including heart disease, diabetes and inflammation.
As Dr Mark Hyman, an MD who studies the root causes of disease, describes the breads we eat today, they are:
" the product of genetic manipulation and hybridization that created short, stubby, hardy, high yielding wheat plants with much higher amounts of starch and gluten and many more chromosomes coding for all sorts of new odd proteins."
There is no better bread. Whole grain claims are no better than their pure white bread counterparts. The bread we eat today was designed to feed millions. The cost is our health and longevity.
Meat
The debate over meat has left many confused, though evidence had risen over the fact that meat is a contributing factor of many diseases. Humans were never really made to eat meat. No one wants to hear it, but that's how we were trained from a very early age. Meat is introduced to us before we even start going to school. It is ingrained in our culture. That's why many people feel that it is everyone'e right to know the truth about meat.
"The average man eats more than his own weight in meat every year (even as that weight has increased by 30 pounds since 1960)", reports the Atlantic.
Meat is seen as being synonymous with being American. And seeing as how the whole world is modeling lifestyles on those of Americans, we are all at risk of the effects of an ineffective diet with heart disease being the number one danger and cause of death in humans. Following this is cancer. One of the risks of meat is the way we cook it. Grilling, frying, barbecuing - these methods increase our exposure to cancer causing chemicals in our bodies.
The way our digestive system was designed is contrary to those of carnivores. We have longer digestive tracts, which allow us to digest foods slowly, unlike carnivores with shorter digestive tracts.
If you are concerned about your wellbeing and that of your family, more extensive research can be found in this journal.
Media
The plus size modeling industry is teaching people to accept and love every single body shape and size. This is a positive movement, teaching self acceptance and self love. However, this has also led to an increase in obesity especially among young people.
Couple that with advertising trends on meat heavy, wheat laden and meaty animal products that are embedded in our social culture. Perhaps it is our social culture that needs a major overhaul. This is why we started Learn Earn Academy/ Learn Earn Experience. Stick with us on coming free and paid tips and courses on how to learn about food and actually really enjoy food again.