In life, we often experience significant emotional events, that may impact us to “the point of no return.” That is exactly what happened to me, when I realized my grandmother weighed over 400 pounds. I was just a kid, but I still remember this life changing experience as if it were yesterday.
My father decided to take my brother and I on a weekend trip, to the country, to visit his parents. We did not see them much, so the weekend trip was a treat. I remember walking through the screen door and hearing my grandmother say, “come on in little girl and give your grandma a big hug.” I followed her voice until I could see her and when I did, I instantly decided not to ever eat again! Why? Well, I was scared of getting fat, which is probably why most children are innocent until they have the capacity to process things as a teenager or as a young adult. For example, when I saw how big my gramps was, I thought I was going to be big too. I felt this way because I associated growing up into an adult to the exact image of my grandmother. Now, how childish was that! I literally thought being an adult meant being as big as my grandmother, but I was wrong. However, the flip side to this event is unique because it changed my life forever and allowed me the ability to develop the right mindset toward caring for the mind, body and soul. For example, partnering with social groups that support a culture of wellness and that promotes taking a pro-active approach toward ensuring good health and a proper diet. Also, independently, educating people on the benefits of living a healthier lifestyle and on how doing so will add value to your life. Further, we often hear or read about the dangers of eating foods high in cholesterol or hear about the downside of eating foods that have been chemically preserved, which most non-organic foods are, and how they may negatively affect the body. The latest data from the National Center for Health Statistics show that 30% of US adults 20 years of age and older are obese! That’s over 60 million people. Also, findings show that, “the percentage of young people who are overweight has more than tripled since 1980. Among children and teens age 6-19 years, 16% are considered overweight.” That’s over 9 million young people.
These numbers are staggering and are consistently increasing. These facts alone should motivate anyone to live a healthier lifestyle. For example, take some time to assess how you feel about your lifestyle, health and well-being and to see if there is something you can change to create a healthier you. Just start from where you are and it doesn’t take adding a membership to a gym, or becoming a vegetarian. A word of advice would be to simply cut back on food portions, use less salt, bake meats, buy low-fat/fat-free product and eat more fruit and vegetables. Further, remember, there are pitfalls waiting to happen and one of the most popular, is skipping meals. For example, Parade Magazine found, in this years survey on “What America Eats,” that Americans have unrealistic goals when it comes to shedding pounds. The survey also revealed that 7 in 10 people skip breakfast, 70% and 4 in 10 people skip lunch. With this, be mindful of the importance of eating healthy meals throughout the day.
In short, I encourage people to get started now by adding some nutritional supplements to any diet. Why? Because taking the right kind of supplements, which are supplements made from whole food products, is the key to promoting healthy circulatory, metabolic and digestive systems.
