An astounding majority of North Americans are dismantling their health. I won’t quibble with definitions of what constitutes being overweight or obese. But I am comfortable saying that about seven in ten of us are carrying extra pounds. And I have zero concerns with saying that extra pounds take their toll.
Furthermore, with few exceptions, we each have what it takes to shed those pounds. But people like to complain. They abandon their willpower. They don’t learn what they can do to get back in better form. And now they just pop another pill.
When a large majority of people are succumbing to quick and artificial fixes, our society changes, and not for the better. I want to live in a world where the basics are held sacred, including moderate, clean, sustainable and healthy consumption of nutritious food.
We need to fight back against trends undermining our personal responsibility for our own health. If the medical community won’t do it, then let’s explain basic physiology to children, teens, and any adults who don’t know it.
Maintaining a trim waistline is a very good goal. Yet, many have let the middle region grow! But three times a day or more, we have opportunities to reduce the risk of developing a long list of diseases. The human body possesses mechanisms designed to prevent overeating. But a fast-paced and convenient lifestyle doesn’t give the mechanism a chance.
Here’s how it works. As food is eaten, the walls of the stomach start to stretch. Sensors in the stomach detect that stretching and begin sending signals to the brain. These signals travel through the vagus nerve, a major communication highway between the gut and brain.