The Wellness of YOU! – # 51

What Makes Us Fat?

Hello — I sure hope you’re having a great weekend. It’s been very busy around here so today’s article will probably be a short one. (Then again, once I start writing, I do have a tendency to say more than I’d planned. I’ll bet you’ve noticed that, huh?)

So far, in our articles about “What Makes Us Fat” we’ve talked abut how much water we drink, how many miles we walk, what effect genetics might play, and how getting older might play a role in our nutrition and weight loss goals.

Now, let’s take a look at one of my primary peeves …

… and that is JUNK FOOD!

Junk food is everywhere. No matter where you are — in the supermarket, at the gas station, in the drug store, in your kid’s school (that one gets me more than most of the others!) at the restaurant, at the movies, at your workplace, just about every waiting room in the world, at the motel or hotel on your vacation trip, at the rest stops on the highway, airports, bus and train stations, museums, theme parks — I’m beginning to wonder if there’s anywhere that you can’t get some junk food. Other than doctor and dentist offices (Yes, I know you can get plenty of junk food in a hospital! — go figure!), I can’t think of many other places where it isn’t readily available. I even saw a junk food vending machine in a church once!

If you know of any other places that are “junk-food-free”, I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment at the end of the article. If I get enough response, I’ll write an article about where you can go and not find junk food. I think I’ll call it, “How to Avoid Junk Food”. I’ll bet it will be a best-seller.

The sad thing is that junk-food has the label “food” attached to it. Folks it’s not food. Almost all junk food is made up of refined, simple carbohydrates that have little, if any, nutritional value. Add to that the fact that junk food is loaded with calories and is usually swimming in fat — the bad kind.

How often have you eaten a few chips and then had to wipe your hands from all the grease on them? That grease is just awful stuff — it’s heart-stopping glop. In fact, I would venture to say that most things that we categorize as junk-food are literally dangerous to your health.

Here’s my advice about junk food — just don’t eat it! It is really bad for you. It is very unhealthy. And — it will make you fat!

Instead, get in the habit of eating food that’s alive — food like fresh vegetables and fresh fruits. Put some of that into your kid’s lunch boxes instead of a bag of chips. If you have a tendency to wander off to the vending machines at work, get some carrots, or celery, or some of those little tomatoes, and keep them in a little cooler or the fridge. (Celery sticks and peanut butter make a great snack.)

You’re probably thinking, “Where’s the fun in that?” Well, the minor reason is that once you start using good food for your snacks and meals, you will begin to crave these foods rather than the junk food. (Believe me, that’s true. You will lose the cravings for the bad stuff once you teach your body what the good stuff can do for you.) The major reason is that you will see yourself thrive on good health. Your body will react in good ways to being fed good food.

And, you will find it easy to keep your weight under control.

I’m going to stop there for today. I will be back tomorrow with some more thoughts along this line.

Until then, remember to follow a good-fat — good-carb diet and stay with your regular exercise.

Here is some information about the nutritional supplements I add to my nutrition and weight loss program. These have helped me more than I would have ever imagined.

Have a great day. I’ll be back tomorrow with some more nutrition and weight loss thoughts for you.

And give the South Beach Diet a try. That’s what I follow. Here’s where to go to learn more:

Shanti,

Ron
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