Being penalized for poor eating habits

The health care bill has a real PR problem.  No, not public relations -- they've done a great job in letting us know that we should want it to go through (despite the fact congressional members are still rewriting it and few, if any, have read the 1,000 plus pages of the original).

The PR problem I'm referring to is the lack of any Personal Responsibility clause.  There is nothing in this bill that asks individuals to be responsible for their lifestyle habits and behavior --especially those that are directly attributable to serious degenerative diseases.

What motivation is there for anyone to make healthier lifestyle choices.  What impetus is there for an employee or individual to ask, "What can I do to reduce my health care costs? If I'm penalized for poor health habits -- I need to change."

We don't break bad habits until the consequences of not changing become greater than the behavior or habit we enjoy or are familiar with.

For instance, smoking.  If I have to pay a higher premium or forfeit coverage for illnesses directly attributed to smoking, I'm going to seriously consider whether the habit (and the challenge of quitting) is worth the cost.  It is a matter of conscious choice.

Here's a more challenging angle to take (and one that I know can't really be measured but is certainly worth considering).

Suppose a portion of our health care costs was directly tied to our eating habits.  The idea really isn't that far fetched considering "...70% of the deaths in the U.S. are caused by diseases linked to the consumption of our diet."

I'm not talking about a "perfect diet," merely a smarter, more balanced way of eating.  One that emphasizes moderation.

While driving across the state of Wisconsin, we stopped in a Hardee's (my first visit). I asked if they had baked potatoes.  The clerk looked at me as if I was from Mars. (Jack and I didn't end up eating.)

I looked at the menu and my heart con­stricted.  The person next to me ordered a bacon double cheeseburger, large fries and a large coke. The person on the other side of me ordered two fried chicken dinners. (The typical restaurant meal contains the fat equivalent of 12-14 pats of butter -- in sauces, dressings, toppings and spreads.)

All I could think of is ...why?  Why are they killing themselves?  Don't they feel sluggish after such a meal -- or is it that they don't know how good they could feel without all the fat and sodium in their diet?

OK, OK, before I start sounding like the fanatic I am, let me share something with you.

I have always been considered a health nut.  Even though I really wasn't. Because I liked to exercise 2-3 times a week and "only" had Cheetos around the house. I had a health nut reputation.  

Now, I laugh at the thought because all of my favorite foods were totally heart attack plates. 

My favorite Chinese was Sweet and Sour Chicken with an egg roll and chicken fried rice, Mexican was nachos and a chimichanga, Italian was lasagna, and fish was -- what else- deep fried shrimp! 

I've learned a lot about my faulty diet over the last ten years.  The greatest lesson being small changes make a big difference.  I would never have lasted with my eating habits had I cutout all my favorites at once. 

Changes are still going on.  It was only about two months ago that we switched to natural peanut butter. (Look at a natural peanut better label compared to a commercial label -- you will probably be surprised)

What helped change my taste buds and food choices was two-fold.  One was learning more about what I was putting in my body. (The human body is the most incredible finely tuned machine ever created.)  The other part was asking, "Why am I eating this? In what way is this food helping me think, move, grow, heal, and age better?"

The nutrition tip in the last newsletter was to start drinking more water.  Have you started drinking more water? Lots more, I hope.

(If not, today's a great day to start.)

The nutrition tip this issue is to: start paying attention to what you're putting into your body and why. (67% of our calories are coming from sugar and fat.)  Each time you open your mouth and get ready to chew or drink, ask yourself, "Am I eating for physical reasons or psychological reasons? Am fueling myself for health and a better quality of life?"

I heard a new Acutrim commercial that says, "You didn't fail your diet, your diet pills failed you."  It then goes on to recommend buying the right "type" (now there's levels) of diet pill.  We would like to think it was the pills fault.  Let's get real!  Who is really responsible for your diet? Take responsibility for what's going in your body.

Weight loss will be the bonus.

An unknown doctor once said, "if we eat wrongly, no doctor can cure us -- if we eat rightly, no doctor is needed."               

 

How Much Fat Should I Eat?

Even if you don't do the fat calculation each time you read a label, you can still reduce your fat intake by looking for one fact: the food 'per serving' should have no more than 3 grams of fat per 100 calories.

No more than 30% of your overall calories should come from fat. Here are some more specific guidelines:

To Lose Weight	CALORIES	FAT GRAMS
Men	1,500-1,800	50-60
Women	1,200-1,500	40-50
To Maintain Weight	CALORIES	FAT GRAMS
Men	2,100-2,400	70-80
Women	1,800-2,100	60-70