Factoid: In America today, close to 70% of the population is overweight, nearly 30% are obese, and the rate of obesity has doubled for children and tripled for teens in the last 20 years.
Dieting and strategies focused on “losing” weight conjure up thoughts of eating less, hunger, and deprivation. More often than not, they are fleeting and unsuccessful in the long run.
A wiser, more effective approach is to think about finding your natural weight. Concentrate on satisfying and nourishing your body with foods and lifestyle habits that create an overall state of well-being and thereby, gaining health, energy and vitality. This is a multi-faceted process that may take time. Following are three things you may not know that can help:
1 ~ Drinking just one soda or sweetened beverage per day can increase the risk for obesity in children by 60%, according to a study cited in the Lancet. Needless to say, reducing or eliminating your sweetened beverage consumption can be tremendously helpful in finding and maintaining your natural weight.
But don’t look to diet drinks that contain artificial sweeteners…
2 ~ Aspartame the chemical component of most artificial sweeteners such as Nutra-Sweet, should also be avoided. Contrary to popular belief, there is nothing “diet” about these toxic sweeteners. Aspartame is addictive and causes people who consume it to crave junk, snack foods and more artificially sweetened foods and beverages.
Unfortunately, it has been increasingly added to processed foods in recent years, despite the fact that it is the number one most complained about substance to the FDA. This neurotoxin was once banned in Japan and other countries due to its health risks. It is not a food, it is a harmful chemical best avoided by all.
3 ~ MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a weight-causing flavor enhancer you’ll also want to avoid. Like Aspartame, it is a neuro-transmitter that affects the hunger and weight control centers of the brain causing those who eat it to crave more food. That’s why food manufacturers put it in their products – it keeps you coming back for more!
MSG is actually fed to laboratory animals to fatten them up for research without increasing their food intake.
This neurotoxin has also been increasingly added to foods over the last few years and is now contained in the majority of processed, packaged foods on the market today. Disguised under a host of different names, MSG has never been approved by the FDA, and can best be avoided by eating mostly whole, fresh, natural foods and health food brands that do not contain chemical additives.
In addition to weight gain, MSG and Aspartame are associated with many other conditions, including migraine headaches, fatigue, depression, seizures, brain fog, ADD, and more.
EMPOWER YOURSELF
To learn more about these harmful and unnecessary toxic food additives, read Excitotoxins: The Taste that Kills, by Russell Blaylock.
To learn more about our popular food culture and how to create a healthier eating lifestyle, read If It’s Not Food, Don’t Eat It!: The No-Nonsense Guide to an Eating-for-Health Lifestyle.
Don’t fall victim to food- and diet-industry propaganda. Educate and empower yourself so you can find your natural weight — look, feel and be your best!
By Kelly Hayford, C.N.C., Copyright © 2012