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Monday, April 6, 2009
Avoid Chrionic Health Problems By Eating Chocolate
Avoid chrionic health problems by eating chocolate
letter from Dr. Warren,
Our country is fat! We are facing more and more chronic health problems because of the massive weight we are carrying around. It is estimated that more than 3/4 of the country is obese and this rate is not slowing down. There have been major efforts to educate the public about the dangers of weight gain but the rate still is increasing. The interesting fact is that, though we talk a great story about losing weight and eating properly, our actions are to the contrary. Our children are facing a crisis. They are eating themselves to death. The USA is the fattest country in the world, but be assured the rest of the world is catching up just as fast as they adopt the Western diet.
The rates of chronic diseases are increasing as we face more heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer. Nutrition plays a major role in the development of these diseases and we can, to a degree, control our fate. What we put into our bodies and our activity levels are vital in determining the extent of chronic disease we will face. We are in control of our health but we need some help and assistance to accomplish this or else all of us would be thin and healthy. There have been thousands of diets presented to our country and there seems to be no good solution to the problem. Focusing on dieting has led to increased weight gain and further problems. Dieting is related to the word die and that is exactly what is happening. We need to focus on living and changing our unhealthy lifestyles and behaviors. Education is the key to making these simple lifestyle changes and even a small, simple change can lead to a very positive outcome. The bottom line is this, to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you take in. If you are able to learn simple practices that will allow you to incorporate a lifestyle that accomplishes this simple fact then you will be healthier and be able to shed those unwanted pounds
Dieting is associated with deprivation and making major sacrifices. We have all started thousands of diet plans and most of us have all failed. We fail because we focus on how much we eat for a short period of time and we do not make necessary lifestyle changes. This is only a temporary fix and thus we face the “yo-yo diet” syndrome. This syndrome of losing weight, then gaining it back, and then losing it again, only leads to failure and depression. Dieting is the wrong approach to solving this problem. Why? The answer is that as we eat less food our body thinks it is being starved and it slows down our metabolism and naturally holds onto the fat for the future. Dieting can also cause muscles, that burn fat, to shrink and, with the wrong diet, you actually, lose muscle mass which in turn slows down your metabolism. We are already facing muscle mass loss as we age so why speed up that loss with dieting. The variety of low this or low that diets actually harm the body by restricting nutrients that are needed for a healthy body. Restricting one nutrient or increasing another nutrient doesn't fix the problem - it is only a temporary fix and a poor one at best. To function at the highest level we need the appropriate nutrients - protein, fiber, good fats, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, water, and antioxidants. Even calorie counting can lead to problems. You can be on an 1800 calorie diet, but if it is the wrong type of food like fried foods or high fat foods, it does not matter that you have restricted the calories; you will not be successful in improving your health. We want to maintain an appropriate weight to feel better and to have a great quality of life. Dieting might give you a temporary appropriate weight but you still would be in poor health. Counting calories is not the entire process. We need to understand the types of food, our bodies' metabolism rate, and how we feel in order to ensure weight loss and improved health.
The solution is a living plan which helps us choose appropriate foods, increase our metabolic rate, strengthen our activity level, and create a lifestyle which we can live everyday. This living plan does not include starving ourselves, torturing ourselves, or uprooting our whole life. It is a simple plan to change a few habits, make a few better choices, and incorporate a new way of approaching life. You can do this without pain. You will have a few failure days but you will learn to turn them into successful days. Learn it, feel it, and live it is the basis of a lifestyle change not a diet.
As a physician I have witnessed the struggles many people have with weight. I personally lost over 100 pounds in a year and know first hand how hard it is to lose weight and keep it off. I have had the opportunity to study nutrition, weight loss, and exercise and have seen numerous people try every diet possible without success. Those who lose weight and keep it off are those who change their lifestyle. When you change your lifestyle the weight takes care of itself. I also have had numerous people write to me after starting cocoa products with stories of weight loss. It is amazing to me to see people lose a lot of pounds after only eating the right type of unprocessed cocoa.
As you follow these steps with me, we will be able to improve the quality of our lives. Live it is my goal. Join with me in making it yours.
Sincerely,
Steven E Warren, MD DPA
FABFP FABHPM FAPWCA
The above is a reprint from http://www.chocolaterave.com/id105.html
For more information about healthy chocolate please visit
Body By Chocolates
Avoid chrionic health problems by eating chocolate
