Frazier - Nutrition facts: the truth about food

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ISBN: Print 978-1-62315-611-4
eBook 978-1-62315-616-9

In 2010, 12 states had an obesity rate of 30 percent or greater, while an additional 36 states had an obesity rate of 25 percent or higher.

ippocrates, the father of medicine, famously said, Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food. Even though he lived in the fourth century BCE, Hippocrates was onto something. Since then, physicians, nutritionists, and scientists have offered variations on Hippocratess statement, the most basic of these being the motto You are what you eat.

While this premise may sound simple, most people may find it complex to apply in real life. Food and drink are a combination of macronutrientscarbohydrates, protein, and fatsthat contain a combination of micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals. Humans need these macronutrients and micronutrients to nourish their bodies.

Food is essential to the survival of every species. For humans, though, food provides more than mere sustenance. It has taken on cultural, social, emotional, and even religious significance. Many family and social traditions focus on food and drink. For better or worse, people build a relationship with food, a relationship that often carries a far greater role in ones life than providing simple nutrients to enable survival.

You cant turn on the television and radio or surf the Internet without being inundated with the latest nutritional news. Media outlets breathlessly report which foods might finally allow you to effortlessly lose 20 pounds, prolong your life, protect your heart, or return your youthful glow. The problem is that the results of these studies often seem to contradict one another, and you may be left confused about the best way to optimize your health through food.

Changes in the general state of health for Americans over the past decades are disturbing. Since 1990, obesity in America has grown at an alarming rate. According to the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, in 1990 nearly every US state had an obesity rate of about 15 percent or lower. In 2010, 12 states had an obesity rate of 30 percent or greater, while an additional 36 states had an obesity rate of 25 percent or higher. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) notes that a full one-third of Americans (78.6 million people) are obese. Similar trends are occurring elsewhere throughout the Western world.

Meanwhile, according to the CDC, heart disease and stroke are the first and third top causes of death in the American population, respectively. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health notes in their executive summary that autoimmune diseases are also on the rise in the American public, with autoimmune conditions affecting 5 to 8 percent of the population, or between 14 and 22 million people.

The statistics indicate a population growing sicker with each passing year. What is causing this decline in American health? If you are what you eat, then perhaps the answer lies on the breakfast, lunch, and dinner plates of the American populace.

As Hippocrates suggested so many centuries ago, if you want to begin to heal, then at least part of the cure lies in the foods you eat. This book aims to provide you with the simple, unvarnished truth about nutrition. Using scientific evidence and facts, it will help you begin to understand how different types of micronutrients and macronutrients affect your body, so you can live the healthiest, most vibrant life possible.

Let food be thy medicine, and let medicine be thy food.HIPPOCRATES

Just how closely does what you eat correlate to your health? According to the CDC, nutrition and health are intimately connected. Healthful eating can reduce the risk of developing a number of conditions, including osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, obesity, dental cavities, certain cancers, stroke, and diabetes. Proper nutrition is also essential for the growth and development of children. A multitude of scientific and medical studies continue to demonstrate this close connection between food and health. Clearly, the foods we eat and feed our families play an important role in our health, wellness, and quality of life.