Hello Everyone! Happy Friday! Today I wanted to highlight obesity and the resulting chronic diseases caused by food and lifestyle. In the 1960s and 1970s in the U.S., 13% of adults and 5% children were obese. As of 2018, obesity has more than tripled to 42.4% of adults and 18.5% of children ages 2-19! Currently, an estimated 500 million people worldwide are obese. That number is expected to double by 2030. Holy moly! This is a major health crisis that is 100% due to our food and has now surpassed smoking in killing Americans. This is not normal.  Something has hijacked our metabolism!! How on earth did this happen??!!

What is obesity? You can calculate your BMI here:

“This rapid increase in obesity is not the product of changing biology or genes; it is the product of an obesogenic environment that promotes inactivity and overeating.” A myriad of symptoms and complications of obesity include: excess body fat, shortness of breath, snoring, sweating, trouble sleeping, skin issues, difficulty completing simple physical tasks, fatigue, pain, psychological and self-esteem issues, HTN, high cholesterol, stroke, cancer, asthma, kidney disease, osteoarthritis, gallbladder disease, gastroesophageal reflux, heartburn and more.

Furthermore, increases in sugar content as well as a high carbohydrate diet have perpetuated this problem. The use of HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) in sodas and other sweetened drinks began in the 1960s and increased >1,000% by 1990. WHAT???!!! The average American today consumes 40 lbs of HFCS/year, primarily in sodas and sweetened drinks. It is made from corn, which is GMO and sprayed with glyphosate. “HFCS now represents > 40% of caloric sweeteners added to foods and beverages and is the sole caloric sweetener in soft drinks in the United States.” It is also used in baked goods, breads, jams and jellies. Who is in charge of this? 6% of children’s diet consists of sodas and juices that are very high in HFCS and other sugars. HFCS-90 (the most commonly used) is super high (90%) in fructose and tastes much sweeter than corn syrup, which is pure glucose. It is roughly 1.5 times sweeter than table sugar. Fructose doesn’t cause an immediate insulin spike, but causes the liver to make glucose, called gluconeogenesis. This is a huge contributor to obesity. On top of that our use of pure juice, like orange juice, has eliminated the fiber, which is a buffer for insulin. Now we get twice the sugar and none of the fiber, so insulin is heavily spiked. We have been taught to think that oatmeal, toast and a glass of orange juice is a “healthy breakfast.” It ISN’T! 

A study published in Pediatrics looked at the effects of a low vs moderate vs high glycemic breakfast. They gave one group a veggie omelet, another group steel-cut oats, and another instant oatmeal. These breakfasts had the exact same calories (395). They measured not only blood glucose spikes, but also how soon they wanted a snack after their meal as well as how many calories were consumed in the snack. 

As you can see, the people who ate the instant oatmeal ate nearly twice as many calories in their snack as the omelet group. Their blood sugar spike was double and lasted longer than the omelet group as well. Now, imagine what a bowl of Cocoa Puffs or a plate of pancakes with syrup does to us. Add a glass of orange juice - basically the equivalent of 8 oranges in sugar - 😳 and we are in trouble. This food results in a high spike in blood glucose, putting tremendous strain on our pancreas. Our body likes stable and steady - NOT huge highs and lows when it comes to blood sugar and insulin response. 

Now, I don’t know about you, but I was told oatmeal was great for you. I spent years making “overnight oatmeal” with all kinds of dried fruits and nuts and greek yogurt not understanding the impact on my blood sugar. Not only that, but I would literally kill myself working out at the gym. I couldn’t lose weight no matter how much I worked out or how little I ate. I was to a point of only having a protein bar at lunch and a light dinner. Little did I know it is not as simple as “calories in=calories out.” Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the “currency” of the body. They stimulate insulin differently. Fat doesn’t stimulate insulin at all. However, when you eat a high carbohydrate diet, it requires a lot of insulin to process and deliver energy to the cells. It signals the body to store energy. We all know the body stores energy in the form of fat. Insulin signals the storage of fat. 

The higher your insulin response, the more fat is stored. That explains why I couldn’t lose weight!!! Consequently, fat gets placed on your belly, on internal organs and even replaces liver cells = NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease). Continuing down this road not only leads to NAFLD, but T2D (type 2 diabetes), heart disease, cancer, dementia and Alzheimer’s (now being called Type 3 diabetes). And guess what? Cancer loves and requires sugar!! Protein creates a lesser impact on insulin, but fat doesn’t require an insulin response at all!!! Let’s think about this for a minute. Our brains are about 60% fat. Fat is required to make new cells, hormones and for our immune system to do its job. It is required in every cell of the body! Um…so we NEED lots of good fat! How can you repair brain tissue without the building blocks? This is opposite what we’ve been told by the food industries to eat a low-fat, pyramid-type diet. Their recommendations, obviously biased for their own monetary gains, have caused this crisis.

Okay, so now that we understand that food is information for the body, we want to give it the right information. What we eat literally directs what happens inside. Think of food as “code” for your processor. If you want to upgrade your “computer system” you need to upgrade your “code.” When you give your body the proper nutrients, by eating whole foods (foods that don’t have an ingredient list), rainbow of veggies and fruits, nuts, seeds, grass-fed and pastured meats, it absolutely changes how your system works. When you eat quality fats and clean proteins your body will be able to repair itself and perform optimally. When it comes to carbohydrates, those should be in the form of vegetables and low-glycemic fruits. It doesn’t take very long at all - literally within a couple days - for your body to change direction and start down a different, healthier path. 

If you are giving your body the typical western diet of processed foods full of wheat, corn, soy, high fructose corn syrup and other hidden sugars, you are literally pushing the insulin button over and over again until your pancreas is exhausted. Not only that but insulin causes inflammation. Our tissues become inflamed causing damage and dysfunction - eventually followed by total organ destruction.

By the way, did you know there are literally around 100 different names for sugar additives in our “food” supply?  It will blow your mind. This is how the food industry gets away with adding so many “addictive” sugar chemicals in our food. And yes, they literally make the addictive centers (same as cocaine/heroin) in the brain to light up!! If they were required to list only sugars, proteins and fats, we’d see the truth!! Most products out there would be mostly sugar!  Even more disturbing is that these food industries CREATE their food to be addictive - then target kids!!! Why not sell your product over the course of an entire lifetime?$$$

“The fast food industry spends nearly 5 million dollars a day marketing products high in sugar, fat and salt, while also suggesting portion sizes grossly disproportionate to a child's energy needs. Increasingly, fast food companies are also using toy tie-ins with major children's motion pictures to try to attract young people. Remarkably, studies demonstrate that even very young children exposed to persuasive ads can develop food cravings for unhealthy foods that they have never even tasted!” Reading labels is really difficult as well. You can’t trust the RDI (recommended daily intake) either. It’s not correct. Further, there are so many additives, preservatives, pesticides (glyphosate) and even hydrocarbons in these processed foods. The result is we don’t even know what we are doing to our bodies. We get sick while they get rich. Check out blog # 70!!

Okay, so what can we do to combat this major problem? Educate our kids. Start upgrading your own processor!! You can literally “create health” and “prevent disease” by eating real food. When you go to the grocery store, look at food differently. Think “does this food upgrade or downgrade my processor?” Knowing that a high starch, high carbohydrate diet causes obesity and the myriad of other non-communicable diseases in our western culture, we need to eliminate them. Spend MOST of your time in the produce department! Try some foods you've never tried before! Involve your kids! Teach them the right way to eat for health, wellness and longevity. The more you eliminate the bad stuff, the less addicted you'll be and the less you'll crave the bad stuff. 

ELIMINATE: highly processed foods with a long list of ingredients, HFCS and other sugars, GMO foods sprayed with glyphosate (destroys your microbiome and causes weight gain) - check out Blog #50

• Vegetable oils (canola, soybean, cottonseed, corn), especially hydrogenated oils/shortening - they are hidden in EVERYTHING (chips are my favorite)
• Wheat, barley and oats grown in US. - cereals, dry pasta, crackers, tortillas, breads, pizza - GMO to produce way more gluten (damages gut), sprayed with glyphosate prior to harvest. Increasingly sprayed on non-GMO foods prior to harvest. - I use Italian produced pasta. Significantly less gluten and glyphosate is not allowed. 
• High starch veggies - potatoes (especially processed/fried)
• Sugars - long list
• Beans and bean flours - also sprayed with glyphosate - get organic
• Beer and Wine - contaminated with glyphosate - get organic

Okay, I’m always on the lookout for foods that do not have glyphosate! Go organic as much as possible. Here’s a list of pesticides/herbicides/chemicals typically used in agriculture that are BANNED from organic farming. Glyphosate and other chemicals are termed obesogens, due to their propensity to create obesity by disruption of endocrine systems and hormones. Glyphosate chelates rare metals and minerals from the soil, contributing to deficiencies in these minerals (zinc, magnesium) that lead to obesity, disease, hormonal issues, infertility and destroy our microbiome. FYI, almonds are pretty high in glyphosate. If you find some organic, message me!!!!

Enter HP-EVOO!!! (high polyphenol extra virgin olive oil) Did you know that when you take a dose of EVOO (2-4T) on an empty stomach first thing in the am triggers a fat-burning mode of operation in the body? It stimulates the liver to open the bile ducts and release what’s stuck. Global Healing Center, Oct 2017) Whatever has been previously stuck can move out much easier. This sludge and bile is literally removed from your body via poop. And…everybody poops! LOL.  Check out Blog # 2 on the Liver and Pancreas. Some people have reported liver and gallstones released from their body. (If you suspect you have issues consult your MD). Oleic acid in EVOO signals the hypothalamus (in the brain) that the body doesn’t need any more nutrients to be dumped into the circulation, providing a signal of “nutrient abundance,” producing an anorectic effect. I learned this first hand in early 2020 when I started taking a shot of EVOO every morning to lower my cholesterol. I lost 50# as a side-effect!!!  Check out Blog #22 on my personal journey.

Include these foods in your diet. 

• Plenty of healthy fats: HP-EVOO (high vit E and K), avocado oil, Ghee, grass-fed butter. Fat and polyphenols = flavor!!!
• Rainbow of organic vegetables and fruits: dark green leafy, cruciferous, low-glycemic, citrus, colorful. VARIETY is key
• Nuts and seeds
• Wild-caught fatty fish high in omega 3s (small are better): salmon, sardines, anchovies
• Grass-fed beef and dairy - sustainable and high in phytonutrients
• Pastured poultry and eggs - sustainable and high in phytonutrients

You can eat yummy food without having a huge insulin response to blood sugar. You can get kids to take raw HP-EVOO in a smoothie with Greek yogurt, veggies and berries. Think grass-fed ribeye with a salad and asparagus. This has a minimal spike like the omelet group we talked about. Or a large salad with leafy greens, veggies, feta or goat cheese, pastured grilled chicken and soft-boiled egg, avocado and homemade dressing with EVOO and balsamic vinegar. You actually don’t feel deprived of anything!! And believe me, the weight will literally fall off. If you design this to be your daily lifestyle, then the occasional pizza night cheats don’t affect you nearly as much. In fact, HP-EVOO goes a long way to protect you from disease!

In a recent study comparing the effects of Oleic Acid (monounsaturated FFA) vs Palmitic Acid (saturated FFA), scientists confirmed that one of the most potent inducers of oxidative stress in pancreatic B cells (the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin) is Palmitic acid (a major saturated fat in western diets). Oleic Acid actually REVERSED oxidation of pancreatic B cells in the presence of Palmitic Acid!!! WHAT? Even if I cheat and eat a “bad” fat once in a while, the oleic acid can REVERSE the bad side effects of that fat? You mean, I can have my cake and eat it too!!?? OH YEAH… flourless dark chocolate cake anyone? 

So, until next time my friends, heal your gut! Drink, Drizzle, Digest HP-EVOO, eat the rainbow of veggies and fruits organic or wild-sourced, eat wild-caught, pasture-raised, grass-fed, get plenty of sunshine + supplement zinc and vitamin D3, get your trace minerals and electrolytes with good sea salt *Himalayan was formed before plastics, eat foods high in lutein, drink 1/2 your body weight in oz of water, get a good pre/probiotic, eat some adaptogens and methylation donors (kale, lion’s mane…) to detox, enhance overall health and reverse aging and disease, exercise your body and mind, add a few minutes of mindful meditation to your day to combat stress, remove EMF (electromagnetic frequency) devices and blue light, use IR (infrared) from candles, fire or incandescent lights in the evening to enhance sleep and...turn off the light!!                                                                #HP-EVOO