Nutrition is the Key to Health Podcast
Nutrition Matters
The health of Americans is in crisis. Have you heard the saying, “You are what you eat?” Are you healthy, or are you abusing your body with daily fast and processed foods, and outrageous amounts of sodium, fat, sugar, and caffeine?
The United States (and the world), is in a health crisis today, that is not going away. The biggest contributor to this is the Standard American Diet (or SAD Diet). This is the westernization of processed and highly refined foods.
You are the only one who can choose to change the rabbit hole you go down with what you choose to put in your mouth and lack of exercise. A pill might mask the symptoms, but it will do nothing to fix your problems. Pharmaceuticals allow us to live longer, but they also kill. You have a choice and that choice is yours alone.
Simplicity is the key to improving your health. We should eat the way our grandparents and great-grandparents did. Instead, we gravitate to convenience in the form of packaged and processed foods.
Let’s look at some quick stats to see just how sick we are as a nation.
CDC
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), maintains all data statistics for the populations within the United States. This database is very frustrating for me for one reason, and one reason only, it’s outdated!
The CDC runs years behind on publishing their health and mortality stats when they have all the information at their fingertips. After all, this is the age of supercomputers and databases. They can create charts and stats with the push of a button and publish them. So, we are currently being fed outdated information from 2021.
In 2021, the CDC released a sub-set of updated stats for certain populations. Even this quick publication tells a very bleak story for our nation and our health. The story reads like a war headline in the paper. How did we get here? I think we all know the answer to that. Each of us contributes daily to our bad choices.
Statistics
I am going to summarize these fast stats, but you can find them in detail at the below link. I urge each of you to get lost in the numbers on this site. The information you will find is mind-blowing!
Leading Causes of Death in the United States (CDC 2021 Fast Stats):
- Heart Disease
- Cancer
- COVID-19
- Accidental Deaths (does not include intentional deaths)
- Stroke
Other Noteworthy Statistics
You need to take notice of these statistics. I want you to read this and just let it soak in.
Heart disease claims almost 700,000 lives each year, with cancer coming in a close second. According to the CDC, there were 605,213 deaths in 2021, due to cancer alone.
Of the cancer deaths, the number one killer is female breast cancer, with prostate cancer, coming in second. Lung cancer stepped up to take the third spot.
According to the CDC, there are 1,752,753 cases of cancer are reported each year. That is nearly 35% of those reported cases that result in death each year just from this one disease alone. Ask yourself, “Can America not do better?“ We are a world leader in healthcare.
According to www.cancer.gov , it is estimated that there will be 300,590 new breast cancer diagnoses this year alone.
Some other statistics that are noteworthy and have caught my attention are :
- Approximately 48% of Americans have high blood pressure. That is nearly half of the population of the United States.
- 21% have been diagnosed with diabetes, with others that have the disease that are undiagnosed.
- 53% of Americans drink alcohol over the recommended daily limits.
- 73.6%, or approximately 245,996,117 people, are overweight or obese
Obese is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of over 30%. Almost 75% of Americans are obese or overweight! These are stats from 2021. Do you think we have reached the 75% mark? I do.
Americans consume 36% of their calories each day in fat alone, and nearly half of all Americans, do not meet the standard recommended physical activity guidelines for exercise. That’s just 30 mins a day of walking, gardening, biking, trail climbing, or yard work.
Take a moment and chew on what you just read. Do these statistics not give you pause? They should.
What do you think the average percentages have done in the last two years? Do you think they have decreased? Not likely. America is moving in the wrong direction and we have been for decades. We just keep doing what we are doing, and waiting for the newest miracle drug to come in the form of a pill, to fix our poor decisions.
We have to wonder how the recent trends in overdoses with fentanyl, will impact the upcoming numbers. Also, the various increased deaths in children from respiratory issues, but we will not see those numbers for years. So very frustrating!
In my opinion, (and I will add a disclaimer that I am not a doctor or registered dietician), but it comes down to two things, diet and exercise and I think we all know this. We have been told this since we were in elementary school.
What does it all mean?
These trends are scary. Life gets in the way. We don’t put ourselves first, and we are addicts of food, drugs, alcohol, and convenience. With the abuse our bodies have taken over the years, it is amazing that they are still here to tell the story.
We have to shift this paradigm if we are going to come out the other end. If not, our society is moving in a completely diseased state.
Maybe you want to do better, as we head into our new year with your resolutions. Maybe you want to eat healthier, but you just don’t know where to start.
Maybe you are like me, and confused with all the conflicting information out there on diets such as Vegan vs. Keto, which one do you choose? Which one is the healthiest?
Maybe you want to lose weight and possibly reduce some of those blood pressure medications, but you just don’t have the time or energy to dedicate to prepping the food or exercising.
It is no deep dark secret that weight gain equates to one simple equation:
Calories in – Calories out
Now, that equation is a very simplistic view to take, and several other factors need to be taken into consideration when considering weight loss. Things like quality of nutrients, density of nutrients, GI Index ratios, pesticide loads, processed food loads, and your state of disease.
It is no secret that Americans have relied on convenience for far too long. When I say “convenience” I am speaking of fast foods, microwavable meals/snacks, highly refined and processed foods, and eating out. This way of eating has sent us spiraling down a rabbit hole of ill health and death.
Is that where you want to be this coming year?
Convenience Kills
Remember these two words, “Convenience Kills”, as you drive through that next fast-food restaurant, or sit in the line for yet another highly sugary and caffeinated beverage.
It all starts with you making just one small change for the better of your health. One step at a time, or step by step. Let’s learn to walk again together.
I am Alicia, and I am on a journey to reclaim my health. I know how to do it, we all do. Sometimes we just need a little motivation to start. I am starting my journey and I would love it, if you would join me. Welcome to my blog.
Hope to see you on the inside!
I would love it if you would join me on my podcast, Nutrition is the Key to Health. You can find it at the below link for Apple, Spotify, and Google:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/2340649
Alicia