We are what we eat

Perhaps you've heard the expression. While it is a bit glib, there is a great deal of truth to the aphorism. As scientists continue to investigate the connections between our gut, our brain and our health it has become increasingly clear that a great many diseases and disorders beyond the obvious are caused by dietary dysfunction. Particularly in the US, diets that rely heavily on processed foods, high salt and sugar concentrations, and large quantities, especially of animal proteins, are the chief underlying cause of obesity, high blood pressure, coronary diseases and diabetes. Despite advances in treatment through medication, especially the recent development of GLP1 injections, there is little evidence Americans are eating any differently. Why in the face of all the evidence have we continued to behave this way?

A friend of mine, a formerly active guy who was no stranger to physical effort, began to put on weight in the wake of his spouse's passing. The combination of a more sedentary life, bachelor convenience cooking, and a few too many cocktails after dinner added a considerable amount of weight and he began having balance issues and high blood pressure. A visit to his physician resulted in the admonition to exercise more and a prescription for a medicine to reduce hypertension and another to control his rising cholesterol. When I saw him shortly after and expressed my concern, offering to be his accountability buddy at the gym, he declined saying he was good.

You see, the medications brought down the blood pressure and the effects of high cholesterol were not apparent in his every day life so as far as he was concerned, he'd fixed the problem and could go on doing what he was without personal cost. Now you might think this was self deception or ignorance but I assure you my friend is intelligent and capable in every other respect. Like so many folks he believes that health issues can be addressed simply by popping a pill or two. Unfortunately, this attitude is fairly pervasive, even when we are faced with more serious and immediate health issues.

Please don't misunderstand me, I am not laying blame on the pharmaceutical industry or medicine in general, who have made so many strides in addressing diseases that destroyed countless lives and caused great misery. We are much of the problem and its cure. But before you bang the gavel on this post as yet another admonition to eat better and exercise more--both of which I certainly advocate--my aim is a bit wider.

Recognizing that the plural of anecdote isn't data, let me share some other clues. My significant other suffers from several gut related issues, many brought on by taking antibiotics for protracted periods due to some underlying lung conditions. Over time, we've systematically modified our diets to accommodate her challenges and with good, but not complete result. But, when we travel abroad, all those issues simply vanish.

Before you jump to any conclusions, let me add to the mystery. We have eliminated almost all dairy, gluten, and red meat. We eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and fiber and while we are not vegans or vegetarians our diet is exponentially healthier than most. One might assume the absence of stress on vacation is the chief factor in relieving my SO of her aliments but it does not have the same effect when we travel in the US. Perhaps the absence of pesticides, organic fertilization, differences in the types of grains or portion sizes offer an answer, and we would not entirely disagree, but neither would we close the case because our diet when traveling adds back many of the things we eschew at home, albeit in moderation--dairy, gluten, and even some red meat. So, what is the explanation for this apparent mystery?

I've written before about documentaries on diet, all of which conclude that the secret to longevity and good health is diet and exercise and the reduction or outright elimination of animal proteins. Whether one subscribes to this observation or not, I can certainly say that since we altered our diets a few years ago we feel better. I can also say that however immodest, neither of us looks or acts our age or at least that is what our physicians and even strangers say. Lucky us. But it isn't luck at all, or even good genes as we both have family histories replete with serious health issues.

Despite genetic predispositions we have concluded that popping pills to address this or that health issue is fraught with complication, the underlying and unintended consequences of which in both the short and long term are poorly understood and generally a solution that only leads to further problems. Living longer and living well require effort on our part, attention to diet, and foregoing things we may want but are not good for us. Exercising every day either at the gym, working in the yard, walking a few miles, or whatever sport one enjoys are not nice to do, they are necessary. There are infinite excuses to do otherwise, no time, lack of energy, work or life distractions, but for many folks the belief that we can postpone addressing long standing health risks and take some medication if or when they occur is the predominant reason we put off doing what we should.

Now I do not want to mislead you, this post is not simply about food or exercise. It is about attitude, and in particular our penchant as human beings to look for solutions to our challenges that offer immediate results and seemingly come at low personal cost. The truth is that it does not work. It doesn't work as it applies to our health and it does not work in any other aspect of life.

We vote for this politician or that believing despite all evidence to the contrary that he or she will address our individual and personal challenges overnight and are surprised to learn that in fact they don't. We buy things, clothes, homes, cars, we don't need or perhaps cannot afford, to feel better about ourselves. We distract ourselves with attention deficit inducing media online and on TV. We get up in the morning rinse and repeat, griping about the dreary, weariness of our daily existence but we never --at least most of us, never accept responsibility for the state in which we find ourselves.

Don't blame medicine or diet for our health, blame us. Don't blame this politician or that for our country's dysfunction and strife, we put them in office. Don't blame your employer or anything or anyone else--including one's maker-- for an unsatisfying career or life, look in the mirror. As Pogo said, "we have met the enemy and he is us". We did these things to ourselves by our attitude, our faith in simple self-serving solutions, our efforts or the lack thereof, our focus on ourselves above others, and immediate gratification over long term solutions.

I have been guilty as charged of most of these things at points in my life so don't think I am pointing fingers. If we are honest with ourselves we should know deep down that we possess the tools to address many of our life's challenges. We do not have to accept them, or seek solutions outside ourselves. We can address them starting today. It won't be easy, fast, or show results immediately. We should not do these things because we must, because it is good for us--although it most certainly is, but because it is the only solution that will actually work, that will help us to become who we were meant to be, in health, in faith, in hope and in life.