Food Is Either Killing You or Healing You

By Cindy Pitts Gilbert, Gwinnett Citizen May 2017

Dear Sister Knowitall,
I got one of those BMI weight calculators at some event, according to this thing, based on my height and weight I am obese. Have mercy! Talk about a wake- up call. so of course I “googled.” Seriously, the older I get the worse it gets. I just can’t seem to lose. How on earth do I find the right diet for me? ~Signed, Maxi Me

Dear Maxi Me,
Stop beating yourself up. It is hard to lose weight as we get older. The key is to find what works for your particular body and eat to be healthy. Yet no one seems to tell you where those keys are hidden. It is easy to ignore our weight during winter, we all covered up in our cozy sweaters. When we see ourselves in a mirror in less clothing, and think “Holy Ham hocks Batman,” know you can do something to about it.
You know me I research it all before I make any decisions. I have found thousands of options that all seem perfect. So here are three keys to the weight loss kingdom: 1) Eat foods that regulate your blood sugar which will give you the willpower you need to keep going, 2) Eat foods that reduce oxidative stress 3) Eat foods that reduce inflammation. The best choice for me is always natural so I pick foods that don’t grow in a box or bag.

Hippocrates said it first, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” — which we translate to “food is medicine.”

The food-as-medicine movement has been around for decades, I am thrilled that more and more physicians and medical institutions are now making food a formal part of treatment, rather than relying solely on medications.

In response to the no-waste food movement, there has been an increase in edible plants in American backyards. In 2014, the National Gardening Association reported that 1 in 3 households were growing food—63% are millennials. So how do you start. This is the perfect time of year to start a little container garden or raised bed garden. It doesn’t really take that much to get started. Start small and ask questions.
If gardening isn’t your thing, stick to the produce department or local farmers markets. Food sustains life but is your food killing you or healing you. Here in Gwinnett we do not eat to sustain life, eating is a big part of our life. We make it an event. So make your eating clean and healthy fun. Learn to sauté and season rather than fry.

You are not alone Maxi Me, according to the CDC from our estimated population in Georgia: 10,214,8604.
• 35.2% of adults were overweight.
• 30.5% of adults had obesity.
• 17.1% of adolescents were overweight
• 12.7% of adolescents had obesity
• 15.0% of children aged 2 to 4 years in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program were overweight.
• 13.4% of children aged 2 to 4 years in WIC had obesity.