With the hustle and bustle of our busy lives, processed foods and Trans Fats find their way into our lives more and more. Trans Fats wreak havoc in our bodies, and these food choices can put our health at risk. A good health support system will keep us running long after the kids have gone to bed. Just as in business, we look for good systems that can help us achieve our goals, a good health system to improve our health can work the same way and reduce our health risks.
Food choices are the center a health support system. It does require learning more about the food we eat and how to protect ourselves from additives and preservatives like Trans Fats. These health systems will come to our rescue and give us the support we need to manage and better respond to all that life throws at us.
Food Labels
We are encouraged to read food labels to begin our march toward making healthy food choices. While this is important, we can’t wholly rely on labels as our guide. According to many nutritional authorities, not all ingredients are on the labels and often times, the ones missing are the most egregious. Trans Fats are a good example.
For years, the food industry didn’t have to identify Trans Fats on food labels. Under pressure to change its ways, the food industry requested and received four more years before they had to identify Trans Fats on food labels. Now, Trans Fats must be labeled but only if there is more than .5 grams. Trans Fats are a big no-no in our bodies.
The Institute of Medicine states that there are no acceptable levels of Trans Fats for the body, and we’ve been accumulating them in our bodies for years. Here’s where having a good support system comes into play.
What you need to know
Trans Fats gunk up the works by taking up the space where the good fatty acids ought to be. Trans Fats can increase levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and decrease levels of HDL (good) cholesterol, just to name a few. We generally find Trans Fats in processed foods since they are used to increase the shelf life of foods. This means that they don’t decompose. According to one medical office, a fast food hamburger was placed on a counter in their office in 9/06. It still stands there today, dehydrated but whole and unblemished. Buon Appetite? Yikes!
A better support system
Our bodies need better nutritional support systems. We need good fats. Our bodies thrive on Omega 3, EPA and DHA which are important for cell membranes, reduce inflammation and helps protects us from disease. These good fatty acids support our body’s system and are particularly important when our systems become overwhelmed.
We need more fiber in our diet. There is no fiber in dairy, eggs, meat and very low fiber in refined grains. You can find high fiber in oat bran, oatmeal, beans, whole grains.
Adding supplements, which you can think of as additional food, helps ensure you’re getting necessary nutrients and micro nutrients like selenium.
Research states that disease can be slowed and even prevented with better diets, physical activity and maintenance of appropriate body weight. With the obesity epidemic and the high rate of deaths from preventable degenerative diseases, I’m guessing this is worth repeating.
Just as we look for good systems to take us through our businesses, we need good health support systems to take us a long healthy life. Begin by putting your health needs on the priority list. Oh, and drop the processed foods.