We need to make changes and it starts with Intention...

Alright, I've just come back (actually last week), from a trip to the White House (yeah THE White House), where I am supporting an effort to fight childhood obesity and promote a healthy eating lifestyle...lets take a strong look at the words "healthy" & "lifestyle"...what does that mean?...it means creating a "life" of healthy eating; where our daily habits are centered around healthy living; where we are happy and content with the peace of mind that our bodies are strong and vibrant; where both the mind, the body, and the soul are "balanced"...Unfortunately, as a nation, are eating habits are not balanced and we are at a tipping point as a society to make changes or face serious consequences in our immediate future.

So "why" is America's eating habits so imbalanced???...(click on quote to read entire article/ at least the first 2 pages!):

According to the U.S. Department of Health, nearly two out of three American adults are overweight or obese. It’s also estimated that millions of Americans suffer from anorexia or bulimia. One could call this an epidemic of “eating disorders,” but I prefer to think of the problem as an increasingly unbalanced relationship to food. One of the primary causes of this imbalance is a lack of an essential human nutrient: mindfulness. Mindfulness is the act of paying full, nonjudgmental attention to our moment-to-moment experience. We can use mindfulness to free ourselves from unhealthy eating habits and improve our overall quality of life.

So the next logical question is "how did we get "imbalanced???"...as a country, Americans do NOT pay attention to what we're eating...how do I know???...just read what people from around the country from nationally syndicated news agencies and studies are saying (click on the headings to go to the actual article):

1. The Institute of Medicine—part of the federal National Academy of Sciences—issued a report in April that called on the Food & Drug Administration to require food packagers to gradually reduce the sodium content in food. "The patchwork of voluntary approaches that have been implemented over the years have not worked," the report concluded, noting that the average American consumes 50 percent more sodium each day than is recommended. (Businessweek)
   
2. Health experts say there is no shortage of reasons why poverty is a predictor for obesity. Overall, it comes down to food options: Poverty not only limits choices, but it also can discourage healthy decisions, they say. (Detroit Free Press)
3. UC Davis public health researchers have found that children, who are already saturated with television messages about unhealthy food choices, are the targets of a new medium used to sell high-fat, high-sugar foods: advergames. (ScienceDaily.com)
4. It makes one realize that despite everyone's best intentions, getting kids to eat right is more complicated than it seems. Nonetheless, after seeing how enthusiastic these children were, how open to new foods and tastes (they produced a cookbook and took the microphone, many of them fearlessly, to pronounce their favorite dishes) and how proud to receive their diplomas, it's hard to imagine that some of what they've learned here won't remain. (Wall Street Journal)
   
5. While cigarettes can be addictive, people don't need to smoke to live, and advertising and clean-air restrictions curb tobacco's presence. People must eat, however, and sugary drinks and fatty snacks are everywhere, Kelder and others said. (Associated Press)
6. If you let TV ads determine what you eat, you'll end up with huge amounts of fat and sugar but precious few vegetables and fruits in your diet. (US News)
7. Since processed foods account for most of the salt in the American diet, national health officials, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York and Michelle Obama are urging food companies to greatly reduce their use of salt. Last month, the Institute of Medicine went further, urging the government to force companies to do so.(New York Times)
8. These days, the average American consumes a whopping 22 teaspoons of sugar each day, totaling about 350 calories. Thus, in the context of a national obesity problem, it's no surprise that food manufacturers have begun introducing sugar-free versions of otherwise-guilty pleasures, including cookies, cakes, pudding, sodas, gum, sorbet, chocolates, candies, pie crust and syrup. (Los Angeles Times)

So we have tons of reasons "why" we are so imbalanced and why we need to eat healthier...and remember, this is the United States; considered the country with the most resources and ability to do what we need to do "if" we make an effort to make the change...and that is the SECRET to "how" we can make the lifestyle changes we need to become balanced and healthier as a society...it's INTENTION...it's DESIRE...it's EFFORT...it's WILL-POWER...

And as Michelle Obama says, "It's a collaboration...[it's not going to be easy]"...

No one said it was going to be easy...but anything that is worthwhile in life, is never easy...most of the time, the road is long and challenging, but when we get to the destination, we always say, "it was worth it!"...so learn about food (ingredients, fruits, vegetables, meats, fats, starch, grains); learn about nutrition (antioxidants, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals); learn how to cook (make pasta, saute, roast, baking, how to peel/cut/slice everything); learn about flavorful cuisines (Mediterranean, Latin American, Southwestern, French Country-Cooking, Italian Country-Cooking, Indian, Korean, etc.)

Everything I have previously mentioned starts with INTENTION to change our lives to become healthier and allow ourselves to have a chance for a GREAT life...and INTENTION starts a trickle down affect for all of the things we have to do to make the changes...THINK about how a healthy-life will be; BELIEVE a healthy life can be ours; ACT to make a healthy life our reality; and EXPECT the rewards that a healthy-life will give all of us...

And I'll finish with this...(youtube video from Michelle Obama's speech at the Launch of LetsMove campaign)

Michelle Obama hits the nail on the head as to how food affects our lives and how food can improve our lives, and why we must improve our eating habits to improve our lives...

As a chef, I have the knowledge and skills to prepare foods for others to eat...but what is more remarkable, is that I have the "power", as Michelle Obama put it, to make other people's lives more fulfilling around the dinner table, and sustainable by providing nourishment for both the body and the soul...and as a chef, I have the responsibility to turn back the statistics that paint a grim picture of our current situation and share what I know with my community to help children, parents, and anyone else who wants to make their life better...and I'm going to do it, One Meal at a Time!


Be GREAT!
Jameson