How a FODMAP diet can radically improve your digestion In Lombard IL

No matter how you look at it, the general health of Americans isn't good. According to the Center for Chronic Disease Control and Prevention: "1 in 4 Americans has multiple chronic conditions . . .that require ongoing medical attention or that limit activity of daily living. As Lombard IL chiropractors we know that number rises to 3 in 4 Americans aged 65 and older." The study continues to state that 7 of the top 10 causes of death in 2014 were chronic diseases, while 2 of these, heart disease and cancer, accounted for nearly half of all deaths.

Obesity is another serious problem for the country. Over the past few years, the number of adults classified as obese reached a third of adults - or about 84 million people. The most common cause of disability in the US is arthritis, and this affects over 23 million people who simply can't carry out normal everyday activities. Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure and lower-limb amputations. It's also the biggest reason for new cases of adult blindness.

Health Issues in Lombard IL

Not only are these statistics extremely worrying, the cost of the medical care and the stress to the immediate families is just not sustainable. A vast number of the population have developed unhealthy lifestyles that are having a devastating effect on their health - in fact, the US is expected to see a generation that has a shorter lifespan than the generation before it, which is unprecedented. American life expectancy fell by one-tenth of a year since 2014, which means that Americans, for the first time since the 1990s, are dying at a faster rate and are dying younger. Another study showed that Americans are sicker than people in other rich countries, and the ability to stem diseases like diabetes has often stalled and even reversed.

The reality, though, is that the behaviors that cause these chronic diseases can most often be changed.

Here are some of the reasons for this dire state of affairs. As you will see, the majority of the problem is the diet that people are following. Ironically, although people are heavier than at any time in the past, many are also nutritionally starved. Convenience food is a lot of people's 'go-to' solution when they're hungry, but it's too often calorie dense and nutritionally poor.

The problems with diet

1. Eating excess sugar
If there's one thing that stands out in how the American diet has changed, it's in the amount of sugar that is being consumed. It isn't just in candy and desserts that people eat sugar - it's found in almost all fast foods as well.

Sugar has an almost addictive quality, so why wouldn't manufacturers load their products with something that will make people come back for more? As you eat more sugar, so you crave more.

You'll find sugar in everything - in bread, in most fast-foods, and in almost all processed foods. Apart from the excess sugar, these processed foods are also packed with preservatives, sodium, and added grain - none of which are good for your body. When it comes to fizzy drinks and sodas, the amount of sugar added is staggering.

Eating excess sugar pushes up blood sugar levels and has contributed to the fact that a third of adults are considered 'pre-diabetic'. This means that they haven't yet got type 2 diabetes, but their diet is moving them in that direction. The complications from diabetes are severe - including limb amputations, heart disease, stroke, and blindness. 30 million Americans are currently living with diabetes. A healthy diet and lifestyle have been shown to stave off or reverse the symptoms of diabetes.

There are healthy natural sweeteners that can be used, such as xylitol and raw honey, but these are not what you find in processed foods. The majority of sweeteners come from high-fructose corn syrup, which plays havoc with the digestive system. If you want to do one significant thing to improve your diet, you should aim to cut out all this excess sugar.

2. Insufficient fruit and vegetables
Eating 'living foods' is the quickest way to improve your health. Unfortunately, this is an area where the American diet is falling way short. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), 40% of adults say they eat fruit less than once a day. Only 14% of Americans consume 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of vegetables daily.

Fruit and vegetables are essential for you to get the nutrients you need for your body to regenerate and remain in good health. The vitamins and minerals that are so essential for good health are not often found in processed foods, but are abundant in leafy green vegetables, along with root vegetables, and fruit.

Eating sufficient vegetables helps your digestion, gives you more energy, and will strengthen your immune system. It will also lessen your risk of developing a chronic disease. If you juice fruit and vegetables or make smoothies, this makes the nutrients even easier to digest and absorb.

Another problem at present is the type of fruit that's being produced. Modern farming methods may produce more crops than before, but the World Watch Institute says that this food contains less of the essential nutrients than it used to. For example, it says that you would need to eat 8 oranges today to get the same amount of vitamin A as you would have received from 1 orange 50 years ago.

Part of the reason is genetically modified food, which will be dealt with further on. It is also because, decades ago, the soil was richer, whereas now it has become depleted. According to Scientific American: "Modern intensive agricultural methods have stripped increasing amounts of nutrients from the soil in which the food we eat grows." Nowadays, food is modified to be fast growing and pest-resistant and is less and less good for you.

3. Eating too much grain
Statistics show that grain consumption has increased dramatically over the past few years. Grain has always been a standard part of the western diet, but recently there has been an enormous increase in gluten intolerance, which has led to many digestive disorders, including leaky gut. The problem is in the actual wheat - it has changed over the decades, and your body is feeling the effect of these modifications.

According to cardiologist, William Davis, "Wheat is the most destructive thing you could put on your plate - no question!". He once had diabetes type 2 but after he stopped eating wheat, his health improved. His says his mood swings also went away, as did his joint pains and acid reflux; and he saw the same results in his patients. He explains that the wheat of yesteryear didn't make people sick. However, the rate of celiac disease has doubled in the past 20 years. As humans haven't changed, he feels that wheat is the likely culprit.

New strains of wheat have helped farmers increase their grain yields - and this strain of wheat is what is now grown in most places of the world. Certainly the mineral density of wheat has dramatically declined. Many people believe that it's the change in wheat that's caused an increase in celiac disease and gluten intolerance.

4. Genetically modified food
Whether you're aware of it or not, GMO foods are everywhere and these genetic modifications are definitely harming the quality of your food and nutrition. A big problem is that GMO foods don't need to be labeled, so you won't be able to identify them.

The fact that so many countries ban or regulate GMO foods (over 60 countries) is a clear indication of their danger. The US is not one of the countries that limits GMO foods in any way. Don't be fooled by the fact that food 'looks good'. In actual fact, a slightly misshapen fruit or vegetable will probably taste the way it's meant to and will have much better nutritional value. What is now being produced is uniform produce, that tastes different and is nutritionally low. Many digestive problems have been linked to this rise in GMO food, so try to find organically grown food wherever you can.

5. Too much salt
According to the CDC, more than a third of adults have at least one type of cardiovascular disease. This can be linked to the fact that about 90% of American older than 2 years consume too much sodium, which can increase their risk of high blood pressure.

If you add salt to a baby's food, it will wrinkle up its nose in displeasure. Somewhere along the line, people develop a taste for salt, and then food simply doesn't taste the same without it. If you must have salt, try to use sea salt, or healthy Himalayan salt, which are far less damaging to your health than table salt.

Another source of excess sodium comes from processed foods. Most of the snacks that Americans love (like potato chips and popcorn) are loaded with salt, which is also true of pizzas, pasta, sandwiches, breads, and cheese.

6. Replacing saturated fat with hydrogenated oils
Obesity has led to the myth that everything should be 'fat-free'. Actually, your body must have 'healthy' fats to thrive. Unfortunately, these healthy fats are being exchanged for unhealthy fats that make you sick.

Campaigns promoting margarine, for example, as a healthy alternative to butter were utterly false, but very successful. Saturated fats are not unhealthy and they don't cause cancer and heart disease as many of the advertisements suggest. These fats are important for cell and bone health and they strengthen the immune system. They're also necessary for the absorption of essential fatty acids.

Healthy saturated fats can be found in coconut oil (almost anything to do with coconuts is healthy), olive oil, avocado oil and others. The unhealthy hydrogenated fats include margarine, peanut oil, and canola oil. These unhealthy fats are seriously damaging to your body and you should immediately switch back to the healthier saturated fats that your body badly needs.

It's obvious, then, that diet is in very large measure the reason for the health problems that Americans are currently experiencing, but it's not the only reason. Here are a few other related factors:

1. The pharmaceutical industry
This industry has often been accused of turning healthy people into sick people by creating new diseases out of symptoms so that new medications can be marketed for that disease. The CDC shows that almost half of Americans have used a prescription drug (at least one) in the past month.

As people get sicker, so they turn more and more to drugs that mask the symptoms, but don't solve the underlying problems. Many of these drugs have truly frightening side effects as well. Antidepressants are now one of the most widely dispensed types of medication. Most illnesses are linked to the diet factors discussed above, or to an unhealthy lifestyle. There's also a lot of chronic pain, which is often related to a poor diet, which causes inflammation.

2. A stressful lifestyle
Much of what goes wrong in your body is caused by stress - real stress, not just annoyances. Americans are more stressed and unhappy than their counterparts in other developed countries (hence all the antidepressants). Taking time to be calm and quiet is often a problem in a frenzied lifestyle. Actually, taking a daily walk, enjoying nature, maybe listening to beautiful music, or meditating will put you in a calmer state and have a positive effect on your health.

3. Cigarette smoking
Over 30 million Americans still smoke, despite the known health risks. As smoking is directly linked to just under half a million deaths a year, it is extraordinary that this habit still persists.

4. Lack of exercise
According to the CDC, in 2015 50% of adults aged 18 years or older did not meet recommendations for aerobic physical activity. In addition, 79% did not meet recommendations for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening physical activity. Nothing is worse for your health than spending hours sitting down. You don't have to start registering for marathons! You just have to begin doing simple movements on a daily basis.

5. Drinking alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol is responsible for 88,000 deaths each year, more than half of which are due to binge drinking. A high percentage of US adults report binge drinking an average of 4 times a month, and have an average of 8 drinks per binge.

Conclusion

Unfortunately, it is largely diet that causes many Americans to be so ill. Choosing convenience over health is part of the problem and fast-foods are the main part of many people's diets. The result is the rise in autoimmune and chronic diseases, along with digestive disorders, pain, and hormonal imbalances. Following these steps to transition to a healthy diet, as well as trying to eliminate the other factors that have led to this health crisis, will make an enormous difference in bringing your body back into balance and restoring your health.

If you're ready to get help with your health, contact us at the BrightLife Clinic - Lombard today to schedule an appointment.