Sometimes when I’m at the grocery store I happen to notice what people have in their grocery carts. Many times, my reaction is “Wow, they must not know any better, maybe no one ever taught them.” There are a lot of people in the United States that struggle with excess weight. Some of that is due to high stress and low body temperatures, and some of that is due to what a lot of Americans are accustomed to putting in their grocery carts.
It used to be that our ancestors lived off the land. They farmed, they raised livestock, they hunted, and they gathered food. The food a lot of us have in our grocery carts bears little resemblance to what they our ancestors ate. Not even close.
For example, can you imagine our ancestors pulling water up out of the well and then adding 1/2 cup of sugar to every 8 ounces before serving it at dinner? Anyone that has every made lemonade from lemons or lemon juice knows how much sugar it takes to make it taste like lemonade. It takes a staggering amount of sugar to make something taste that sweet. It’s very unnatural for us to ingest that much sugar. But for many Americans its very common for them to drink such sugar water on a regular basis in the form of soft drinks or lattes, maybe several meals a day plus when they are thirsty in between! Sometimes, in super-sized drinks! It’s especially sad to see a overweight babies being fed sugar water in their bottles. Surely, the babies don’t know any better. They are being raised to think it’s natural. They are defenseless against this ignorance that is shaping their lives in their formative years.
Beware also that the drinks with artificial sweeteners can be very problematic also because it is the sweetness (not the calories) that triggers the body to secrete insulin which signals the body to store sugar and make fat.
Here are some foods that you can put in your cart. Lean meats (if you eat meat), fresh fruits, and vegetables. Water, meats, fruits, and vegetables. That alone would be a good start. You can also add some real butter, olive oil, fish oil, and coconut oil and avoid margarine and hydrogenated fats. You will want to avoid some carbohydrates such as most breads, pastas, and cereals. You may try brown rice, spelt, quinoa, millet, and other grains. You can consider some beans. Avoid all processed foods (which typically have a lot of sugar and chemicals).
I know that real meat and real produce can cost money, but when you actually compare it to what most people are spending on soft drinks, processed foods and sauces, ice cream, doughnuts, pizza, and fast food restaurants, it may even be less expensive. Besides, I always say that I’d rather spend my money in a grocery store than in a doctor’s office or a hospital. Healthy food tastes better than prescription medicine and is usually much better for you. A healthy life is a much better life.
Best regards,
Denis Wilson, MD
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