Wednesday, June 27, 2007

S.A.D.

No, I'm not talking about Students Against Drunk Driving. Although, that is an excellent organization.

Today, I'm talking about the Standard American Diet, a.k.a. (S.A.D.).

S.A.D., is a term used by health food advocates to describe the dietary habits of average Americans; advocates say the average American maintains a diet relatively high in saturated fat, trans fat, chemical additives, and refined sugar.

I find it very interesting that the acronym is so fitting to the terminology. Yes, The majority of Americans are sad. They are depressed. On so many prescription medications for depression, anxiety, insomnia, ADD, sexual assistance, blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cholesterol lowering, i could keep going but you get the picture.

Are these the symptoms of a culture in a medical crisis, or are these issues arising from how we are choosing to live our lives, and are merely the consequences of our own actions.

On the eve of the release of the new Michael Moore Documentary, Sicko, (which i have already seen in full), I find it very telling, the health care emergency this country is facing. It is pressing and immediate that something be done about it, true.
However, American people need to realise that you cannot just keep living the "American Dream" life of excess, decadence, and all-you-can-eat buffets, without suffering (no pun intended) grave consequences.

Personal responsibility is CRUCIAL in determining the outcome of your life. You cannot depend on doctors to "cure" you, for in actuality, all they are trained to do is to cut things out of you (surgery) and treat the symptoms you're having with prescription medications. (Meds!)

I believe in modern medicine for all the wonderful advances it has provided us, and in emergency situations, disease outbreak, etc.. modern medicine is vital and really nothing short of miraculous.
But if everyone took responsibility for their own lives and their own diets, we would not be in the mess we are in with "health care" in this country. We cannot think "I can do whatever I want, put whatever I want in my mouth, and if something happens, doc will take care of me, and give me drugs". That is irresponsible thinking and a mentality that has cost us dearly.

You have ONE body in this lifetime, no swapping it out, no trading it in. You have to take care of yourself and your vehicle you are using to navigate your life on the planet. You cannot take better care of your automobile than your own body, but yet, so many of us do. You would not run your car on lard and sugar, so why are you running your bodies on it?

The S.A.D. is not the path for us, and it is destroying us at the very foundation of our lives, OUR health.
For without your health, you truly don't have anything. You simply cannot enjoy your life if you're sick. You cannot Be all you can Be when you're constantly Ill, on medications, fighting allergies, colds, flu's, and everything else in the everyday lives of American citizens.

I look around, Obesity is epidemic today with 2 out 3 Americans at the obesity level! That is just insane. We've become a nation where 2/3 of us are fat, overweight, and out of control. And that doesn't just apply to Perez Hilton. Even he couldn't blog his celebrity trash talk for about 10 days when he had the flu a couple months ago.

We've become a nation of bottom feeders, garbage in your mouths, garbage on TV, garbage celebrity magazines, we are not headed on the proper path. And this is a wake up call for you. Truth is harsh, indeed.

What can you do? You can start by taking personal responsibility, starting with what you shove in your mouth everyday.
Put down the donuts for breakfast, the lard ridden fast food for lunch, and the pizzas, TV dinners and buffets for dinner.
Consider adapting to a plant-based diet. I'll post more on that in future blogs, as it is one way I see a chance and a ray of hope for us as a species.
Get off your ass and move your body. Everyday, work up a sweat, feel your cells come alive and dance in your body. I don't care HOW you do it, just DO it. Walking is a good start, aim for 30 Min's a day and go from there.
There's NO reason you cannot do that daily, so I don't want to hear excuses. Be appreciative that you CAN walk, because not everyone is so fortunate.

I believe that the future CAN be bright for us, as i have always been a half-glass full kinda guy. However, things don't change until you make them change. You are the architect of your life, so get out your pencil and start drawing the life you imagine, draw the body you would like to have, and the dream that's inside, just waiting to be achieved.

To Life!
J.J.M.

1 comment:

Rex said...

A toast! to good health.