Rose Scott - The Decline and Fall of Healthy Eating: How to Return to Food Sanity in a World Full of Fibs and Fads

BY

Rose Scott

COPYRIGHT

Food Sense and Reason:

Always:Sometimes:Never:

The no nonsense way of eating a healthy diet

First Edition

Copyright Rose Scott 2018

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced , stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

ISBN - 978-1-9996248-3-5

Published by Roscott Books 2018

DISCLAIMER

This book provides general information only. It is based on information gathered from a large number of different sources. It does not provide any form of medical advice and it is not a substitute for the advice of your own doctor, medical practitioner or health care professional. Readers are specifically advised to consult their doctor regarding the treatment of any medical condition that they have. The author of this book shall not be held liable or responsible for any misuse or misunderstanding of the information contained in this book or for any loss, damage or injury caused or alleged to be caused either directly or indirectly by any action that is consequential to reading the contents of this book. No part of this book has been evaluated or approved by any medical, scientific, professional or Food or Drug Administration Authority.

It is an undisputed fact that over the last sixty years the health of people living in the western world has deteriorated and it is continuing to do so at an alarming rate. Millions die each year from health problems that are totally preventable. As our wealth and affluence increased our health declined and we are now facing an epidemic of chronic diseases that are close to overwhelming our health care systems.

It is also an undisputed fact that around the world levels of obesity are rising and today more people are overweight than under nourished. Just about everyone working in the field of health and nutrition agree that our weight, and in particular obesity, is the common link in the decline in our health. The heavier and fatter we become the more our health deteriorates. Whether we like it or not, the bottom line is that we are eating more than our bodies need, the old calories in and calories consumed conundrum, something that we have been told for years. But are we actually eating more calories than we need? Is the real truth that we are eating too much of the wrong things and not enough of the right things? What ever the truth of the matter, the tragedy is that most of us are unaware of what is happening to us. Worse still, some of the food that many of us eat every day of our lives is not just making us put on weight, it is also damaging our health and leaving us with a legacy of illness and disease in our old age.

You are what you eat is an old adage. If we look back into only recent history it is clear that both our lifestyle and our eating habits have changed dramatically. Lack of exercise, snacking between meals, 'TV dinners', fast food and 'super sized' portions are all taking their toll on our health. But are these the only reasons? Are diet and lack of exercise alone causing the problem? Fifty years ago in the United States one in nine adults would have been considered as being obese. Today the worst estimates are that one in four adults are not just overweight, they are actually obese. In developed countries like the UK, America and Australia you often see claims that around two thirds of the adult population is now overweight, and being overweight can quickly lead to obesity. If these figures are correct our waist lines have grown enormously in a very short space of time.

In the developed countries of the western world weight and health problems affect old and young alike. Children are becoming increasingly at risk simply because they inherit the poor diets and eating habits of their parents. It is a well recognised fact that overweight mothers have larger babies that become overweight children and then overweight adults.

The association between our diet, our weight and our health attracts a tremendous amount of media coverage with newspapers, TV programmes and online web sites quick to latch on to the latest fad and celebrity diets. Eat a plant based diet, stop eating meat, go sugar free, eat like a caveman, give up grains and cereals. The list is endless. All of these diets come with a promise of health benefits or weight loss. Hardly a week goes by without some news about food hitting the headlines. Super foods are one of the most recent crazes but more often than not, rather than the food that we should be eating, this news comes as 'scares' that tell us that something we thought was good for us is now bad. How often do we see the phrase research suggests that used to qualify unsubstantiated health benefits or the dangers of eating specific types of food. Being economical with the facts and selling miss information or 'Fake News' is nothing new. We listen to the TV and radio broadcasts, search out the web sites and read the books with great enthusiasm but with so much conflicting information we end up feeling very confused. Often it is years later that the full analysis of the research on which the reports are based becomes available, by which time we have changed our eating habits and stopped eating something that is actually quite good for us. The triumph of vegetable oil and margarine as being a healthier option than saturated fat and butter is a classical example of this.

The diet and health food industry is a multi billion dollar business. Despite some very convincing advertising that makes claims to the contrary, meal replacements, supplements and low fat 'skinny' options are not the solution when it comes to eating a healthy diet or losing weight. In fact the vast majority of diet products go against the basic principles of good nutrition and are not only bad for our health, they also make us feel hungry so we end up eating more. Does 'dieting' work? Received wisdom tells us that if you eat less and get more exercise you will lose weight. Well there are very few of us who can honestly say that at some time in their life they have not 'been on a diet' but how many of us have lost weight and then managed to keep that weight off? Very few. Most of us put it back on and end up in a vicious circle of yo-yo dieting that usually involves counting calories and the consumption of diet products. It is hardly surprising that the word 'diet' conjures up images of deprivation, feeling hungry and being miserable. So if a 'diet' is going to work it needs to be doable, sustainable and enjoyable, something that you can do for the rest of your life.

No matter what your age or state of health it is never too late to start eating a healthy diet and a healthy diet should not take the fun out of eating. But what is a healthy diet? In a world where healthy eating has become shrouded in myths and misinformation most of us struggle to find the answer. With so much confusion around do we simply no longer know how to eat what is good for us?

Strange as it may seem, when it comes to a healthy diet there is no one size fits all. We have been programmed by nature to be different and one of the amazing facts about human beings is that we are able to adapt to our environment and find a meal almost anywhere. We have evolved to survive. There is no doubt that some food is good to eat, some food is not quite so good and some food is actually quite bad, so understanding the 'what' and the 'why' of healthy eating is key to being able to make informed decisions about the food you eat and finding the diet that is right for you.