Is America's growing obesity epidemic something to be thankful for? Unfortunately, some think so. This twisted thought pattern is a product of the belief that the United States has traded cigarette smoking -- a truly lethal habit -- for another health-damaging obsession of eating too much.
Data used to illustrate this trade-off shows:
However, despite this weight gain, health experts claim the nation is actually getting healthier. In fact, over the past 30 years, life expectancy has increased by more than six years and heart disease, long the major killer, is on a decline. And, though a definite association between increased obesity rates and the fall of smoking habits has not yet been proven, statistical connections between the two have been presented.
Links Between Obesity and Cigarette Smoking in the United States
In regard to the evidence linking obesity and smoking, a statistician at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta claimed, "A nation with an expanding waistline is in far better shape than one with a cigarette in its mouth."
Now, isn't that something to be proud of?
New York Times December 19, 2004
First of all, I find it completely baffling that an EXPERT would make the statement that it's "healthier" for Americans to have a bigger waistline if it means many more people aren't smoking -- this just flies in the face of common sense, but as I have maintained for quite some time, common sense isn't very common these days.
As many of you may know, I believe eating sugar is WORSE for you than smoking. Many people disagree with this recommendation to focus on sugar restriction, however, for most people sugar is a far more important contribution to bad health than cigarettes -- believe me.
In addition, grains are harmful to your health as they break down rapidly to sugar in your body and contribute significantly to weight gain and obesity. Hence, they too should be restricted as well.
It is also important to understand that, as is the case if you smoke, if you are obese you are far more likely to have cancer. For this reason, normalizing your insulin levels is one of the most powerful physical actions you can take to improve your health.
Not only do increased insulin levels tell the body to store carbohydrates as fat, they also tell it not to release any stored fat. This makes it impossible for you to use your own stored body fat for energy. So the excess carbohydrates in your diet not only make you fat, they make sure you STAY FAT!
High levels of insulin can cause major damage to your body. The most recognized of these is diabetes. In addition, hypertension, obesity, high levels of cholesterol and other lipids, heart disease, kidney disease, female infertility and neurodegeneration can all be related to eating too many carbohydrates, which, again, results in high insulin levels.
Fortunately, healthy eating and exercise can help you control insulin levels quite easily. The future health of our country undoubtedly depends upon healthier eating even more than the elimination of smoking.
In order to help smokers, or sugar addicts, successfully quit and maintain a healthy diet, I strongly recommend adopting energy psychology tools. I am particularly fond of Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), and regularly use it in my practice.
Although often overlooked, emotional health is incredibly essential to your physical well being. No matter how devoted you are to a healthy lifestyle, it is nearly impossible to reach your goals if emotional barriers stand in your way. EFT uses a combination of kinetic energy input and positive affirmations to release you of your emotional "blocks."
You can view my recently updated EFT manual free of charge now. However, if you seek more in-depth knowledge of the EFT technique, I highly recommend getting my EFT series, available on DVD or VHS. The series will teach you how to relieve most emotional traumas, abolish phobias, overcome food cravings and eliminate or greatly reduce physical pain. You can also make an appointment with an expert to help you with the EFT process.
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