Chronically Chronic
Chronic Disease, What’s That?: A chronic disease is a diagnosis that lasts for more than one year. Chronic diseases are the leading cause of deaths & disabilities in the USA. Six out of ten adults have a chronic disease & 4 out of 10 adults have two or more. Lifestyle choices & circumstances are responsible for the majority of these diseases. Review your family’s medical histories & get periodic medical check-ups. Early identification is the best way to prevent, treat & reverse chronic diseases.
Lifestyle Diseases & Related Problems: Some common chronic diseases & associated problems are: Obesity, Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease (strokes, heart attacks, impotence), Lung Diseases (COPD, emphysema), Arthritis (rheumatoid, psoriasis, lupus), Cancer (colon, breast, prostate, uterus), GERD (indigestion, esophagitis, ulcers, gallbladder disease, constipation), Intestinal/GI disease (diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, fissures), Liver (cirrhosis), Kidney (stones, various CKD), Alzheimer’s & Varicose Veins. Even when there’s a family history of these diseases, lifestyle choices can accelerate, delay or prevent their onset. Lower these disease risk factors by incorporating daily whole plant-based nutrition, physical activity & stress reduction.
Make Believe, For Real: Make believe that every food you eat, every exercise you do, every family/friend interaction, every grateful thought, every dollar you manage & every action you carry out, all contributes to who you are. And, make believe every life-improvement helps your body to optimize its healing abilities. And, make believe that every time we don’t do something good for ourselves, we increase the risk of developing a chronic disease. Now, just make believe for real & see what happens.
Food Bullies: Some foods increase inflammation, free radicals, oxidative stress & saturated fats. These conditions cause extra stress on the body. Like a bully, consistent stress from these foods push & shove our bodies into harms-way. This constant bullying is the foundation for chronic illnesses. Such food bullies are: 1) Meats, 2) Meat Products/Process meats (salami, bacon, cold cuts), 3) Cheese/Processed Cheese, 4) Refined Grains/Processed Grains, (white rice, pasta, white flour), 5) Processed Snacks (chips, cookies, candy), 6) Sugar (soda, sweetened drinks), 7) Fried Foods, 8) Eggs, 9) Cooking Oil, 10) Trans fats (shortening, margarine) & 11) Alcohol. Take the food bullies out of your life by reducing or elimnating these foods from your meals.
Food Defenders: Antioxidant foods & anti-inflammatory foods can help counter the effects of free radicals, oxidative stress & inflammation. But, it’s not a one & done. Incorporating these foods into every meal, every day, is a better approach. All whole plant-foods will help your body; but, some of the strongest food defenders are: Tomatoes, Dark Green Leafy Vegetables (spinach, kale, collard, broccoli), nuts (almonds, walnuts), fruits (strawberries, blueberries), oranges, peppers, cocoa, oatmeal, chia seeds/flaxseeds, beets, carrots, potatoes, artichokes, cabbage, asparagus, avocados, radish, lettuce, sweet potatoes, squash (pumpkin), spices, beans, prunes, apples & green tea. Eat vegetable & fruits with a rainbow of colors & give your body a strong defense.
Leading Causes: The leading cause of chronic disease & pre-mature deaths is related to the food that we eat. The oxidative stress, inflammation, free radicals & saturated fats all come from the things that we eat. By improving the way we eat, we improve our bodies’ ability to heal the damage caused by unhealthy food choices. While medications help to manage chronic disease symptoms, food helps our bodies to optimize its healing process.