NUTRITION FACTS 101

If you are trying to lose weight or just remain healthy this is for you.   I will be blogging about nutrition and weightloss over the next few days and I wanted to start with some basic info.

According to the CDC there 5 things our body needs on daily basis:
1: water
2: protein
3: minerals
4: carbohydrates
5: vitamins
This info can be found at  http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/index.html

The top 3 causes of death in the US are
1: Heart disease
2: Cancer
3: Stroke
These are typically diet related.  http://198.246.98.21/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm

The #2 leading cause of death in the US is Obesity and the #1 cause of death in the US is Tobacco, however Obesity is fastly catching up http://www.doctorslounge.com/primary/articles/obesity_death/
and beating out tobacco.   Why? Well let me tell you a story.   When my youngest child was about 9 months old, she was considered underweight, the "healthcare" professional told me to put butter on everything she eats to "fatten her up".   What? I was speachless.   I thought, you want me to feed my child fat and cholestorel to meet your statistical calculations of what a child her age should weigh?  I was appauld and scared.   Speaking with other mothers over the past 5 years, I have found that 9 out of 10 of them have been given the same "advise", it's no wonder that childhood obesity has tripled in the last 30 years http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/obesity/ and quite frankly, if this is the belief you have grown up with, of course it will continue into adulthood.   We need to take control of our lives and our eating habits.

Find a program or trusted nutritionist to work with and individualize a program that fits your needs.   Please remember that it is your body and you have control of how to take care of it.

May this bring you health and wellness,

Jacqui Allen