Darien Doctor Gives You The Scoop On Nutrition Now. Read On. Feel Better.

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As you finish the last bite of your morning bagel with cream cheese, you think, “Wow! That tastes good!” and then “Oh man, I gotta get to the gym!” Then you tell yourself  you’ll get there tomorrow.  Two weeks go by, and you conveniently leave the gym pass at home, buried under the mail on the dinner table, as you sip your morning coffee loaded with cream and sugar. Based on sheer guilt and the fact that you just saw someone who looks like a fitness model, the neurons in your brain discharge and you say to yourself, “Yikes! I have got to get in shape.”
Blaming  your busy life and hectic work schedule, along with the cold, dark days of winter, you put your intended work-outs aside. One day of exercise neglect leads into another, then another; the next thing you know it’s three months later and you haven’t taken care of yourself. A low-grade depression sets in as you look down at your waistline and thighs only to see the consequences of your unhealthy diet, and countless excuses for avoiding the gym. Now as spring approaches, you are determined to eat better and exercise to get in shape for the warmer months ahead.
Adopting a healthful lifestyle and sticking to it seems to be a struggle for many people. Understanding what’s healthy to eat and what’s not is also a challenge.  However, a healthy diet is possible for everyone. To achieve it, you need to know which food choices are good for you and which are not. Unfortunately, a great deal of misinformation about the foods we eat is prevalent. Gimmicky advertising and poor advice from self-proclaimed experts can make it difficult to make the right choices.
The food you eat can or cannot supply your body with the materials it needs to function properly. Your diet needs to provide nutrients needed to create energy, build muscle and bone, as well as produce hormones and neurotransmitters to help you think clearly and feel well. Ensuring a proper balance of protein, carbohydrates and fat, as well as vitamins and minerals in your diet is essential to optimal health.
We often associate the word “diet” with weight loss and body fat. But in fact, body fat is not created by eating fat; it is produced by eating foods that rapidly elevate the blood sugar. Blood sugar is the basic fuel our cells use to make energy. The main source of this blood sugar is the macronutrient, carbohydrates. When the diet consists of mainly high-glycemic (sugar) carbs, the body produces a hormone called insulin. Insulin from the pancreas transports this blood sugar into the cells for energy. When insulin is high, your body uses some of the blood sugar for energy; the rest is stored as fat.
Additionally, a diet consisting primarily of high-sugar foods can lead to an increased appetite and cravings for the same high-sugar foods!  This will add inches to your waistline, and lead to overeating.

The TOP 10 High-Glycemic Foods to Avoid:
Candy
Cookies
Juices with added sugar
Chips (corn and potato)
White potatoes
Sugar
Most breakfast cereals
Sweetened soda
Sweet snacks
White bread and bagels (processed flour)

With our fast-paced society, increased consumption of fast foods, and a news media programming us to have medicine cabinets instead of nutrient cabinets, it is no wonder this country has the most overweight and obese people on the planet.
According to the New England Journal of Medicine, “Overweight and obesity are the most common nutritional disorders in the United States, affecting the majority of adults in the country.” Current statistics show that 34% of our adult population is overweight, and obesity has increased by over 75% since 1980! The result of this obesity epidemic is a substantial rise in diseases associated with this change in body composition. Excess body fat is related to type-II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritic disorders, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, fatty liver, high cholesterol, and certain types of cancer.
These chronic diseases are the leading causes of death in America.  Nearly half—yes half—of all Americans have one or more of these life-threatening problems. Forty-five percent of all Americans are afflicted with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes, type-II diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, digestive disorders, autoimmune diseases, asthma, hormone imbalances or chronic fatigue. Did you know that hypertension, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis, as well as several forms of cancer, are not inevitable outcomes of the aging process? Low energy, poor memory, low libido, chronic pain, and weight gain are not signs of aging; they are signs of illness.
According to current research, these health problems are caused by poor lifestyle choices, and they can be prevented and changed with appropriate lifestyle modifications.  These poor choices include a diet filled with high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods, such as bagels, pasta, white breads and sugars, as well as poor sleep habits, high stress, tobacco, alcohol, and a lack of exercise.
The leading cause of death in this country is heart disease, followed by cancer, then stroke and diabetes—all related to an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise.  Ironically, homicide ranks lowest on the scale of mortality in the US but gets the most publicity. The popular media have a field day with this depressing news, but diseases related to an unhealthy lifestyle are rarely mentioned, if at all.
Preventing obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease will require social and political changes. Public-health initiatives should be made to educate and encourage exercise, as well as making healthy food available and affordable to all. Targeting lifestyle modifications, including appropriate food choices, getting adequate sleep, exercising, and stress management should be the first-line of defense in preventing disease and living a vibrant, healthy life.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “One should eat to live, and not live to eat.”

Dr. Robert Zembroski is a board-certified Chiropractic Neurologist and an expert in functional medicine. He has extensive experience in neurological, digestive and hormonal disorders as well as (chronic diseases).  The Darien Center for Integrative Medicine is certified in the management of these chronic diseases through FirstLine Therapy.  In a world of confusing medical opinions, Dr. Z takes complicated issues and makes them easily understood, allowing the listener to make better decisions about health-care needs.
For more information, call 203-655-4494 or visit www.darienim.com.