Government + Fad Diets

The Canadian government is proposing that all Canadians be legislated to go on a low salt diet.  A recent article in Macleans by Alexandra Shimo "A Pinch of Reality About Salt" argues that the science behind the the benefits of a low salt diet is far from conclusive.  As the article points out, salt is an absolute necessity of life and most people will not be healthier by consuming only a small amount of it on a daily basis.  Too often governments fall into the same traps as individuals do when it comes to health and other issues.  They go with what is popular not what is right. 

How often have we seen the perceived wisdom of one generation be looked upon as a total fallacy by the next generation?  How absurd to think that covering a person with leaches would cure their illnesses.  It was considered state of the art for a time.  What if the government had legislated that all sick people needed to undergo leach treatment?  Not too many years ago eggs were considered to be almost lethal because of their cholesterol content.  Today we know that eggs are fabulously nutritious.  What if they had been legislated out of the market? 

The problem with trying to put human nutrition into nice tidy boxes where everything is defined is that humans are simply too complex.  There are too many interactions between systems, chemical reactions, etc. to come up with absolutes.  "Normal" lab values are constantly changing as research discovers new "truths" about what is necessary for health.  For every suggested parameter there are many scientists who would suggest other figures as being normal.  For instance recommended vitamin C intake is 90 mg/day while a highly respected Noble scientist believed it should be 10,000 mg/day.  Which amount is correct?  With such great disparity by leading experts it certainly wouldn't be wise to legislate an amount.  The same holds true for salt.

The chiropractic approach to body function is that the body knows what is best for its own individual situation.  We need to supply the body abundant amounts of natural substances which are free of toxins while adopting a lifestyle which promotes health.  Rest, exercise, stress management and regular chiropractic care will help the body to function optimally.  Then listen to the body's subtle signals.  It will tell you when it has inadequate or adequate levels of salt.  It doesn't need the government to tell it what is right. 

Don't Take It Easy

This post is going to reveal just how ancient I am.  I remember when people who worked in offices were called secretaries.  These people did their work on typewriters.  People who worked on typewriters expended a great deal more energy during the course of a work day than people working at computers do today.  It took more effort to push the keys on a typewriter than it does to use a computer keyboard.  Secretaries weren't tied to their desk chairs the way office workers are today.  They had to get up frequently to get paper and resource material that now is right at the finger tips.  Over the course of the day a significantly greater amount of energy was expended by the typewriter user than the computer user.

At a time when our society is struggling with both an obesity crisis and an epidemic of health problems related to poor physical conditioning, I think we need to look at how we do everyday things in our lives.  For most of my lifetime the aim of products and services has been to make life easier.  Perhaps life has become too easy for our own good.  We have made it incredibly easy to avoid the expenditure of physical energy.  As a result our total caloric expenditure over the course of a day is significantly less than it was before we made life so easy for ourselves.

I propose that we can be healthier, thinner people if we find ways to expend more energy during the course of the day.  When doing any activity, see if you can think of a way to do it that will require you to move more or use more muscle.  We've long been encouraged to take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Maybe take that one step further and make more trips up and down the stairs rather than group tasks at either the top or bottom.  When going shopping, instead of taking the spot closest to the door, park further out in the lot.  Hand carry a basket rather than push a cart for a small number of items.  If you only have one or two cuts to make on a board, use a hand saw rather than a power saw.  Use a hand screwdriver instead of an electric one when there are only a few screws.  Move the computer printer away from the computer so you have to get up to retrieved your printed material.  Sit on a gym ball or even stand for some of the time when at the computer.  Even something as simple as toe tapping increases muscle and energy use.  There are endless possibilities do things in ways to expend more energy. 

A portion of a calorie burned here, a portion of a calorie burned there and over the course of the day it ads up.  Doing this day after day will result in not only an increase in energy used but an increase in muscle mass.  This muscle will itself increase calories burned.

I have no desire to go back to manual typewriters, but I see a great need to change my own lifestyle to move more.  Rather than do things the easiest way, I'm looking for ways to use my body.  Remember the old cliche: "Use it or lose it."   

The Mind & the Body

When he was still a stand up comedian, Bill Cosby taught me a very valuable lesson.  Although I didn't really grasp the significance of it until I was in my 30's.  The lesson: the mind and the body do not get along.  Mr. Cosby told us that in the dark the mind says, "We don't need to turn on the light, I know my way around this house."  Meanwhile the toes are saying, "Oh no you don't!  Please turn on the light!" (Paraphrased)  

As I started putting on a few years, I realized that my mind still thought I was young and physically invincible.  My body on the other hand knew it wasn't as resilient as it once had been.  The mind said, "That looks like fun!  Let's do it!"  And the body began to reply more frequently, "Oh no let's not.  I don't want to be hurt!"  More often than not the mind won out.  The mind of course always wanting to be in control.  

At this point in my life, although my mind still thinks I'm 25, the mind is paying more attention to the pleas of the body.  The mind is learning that the body is just not as resilient as it once was.  A tough lesson to learn.  As I watched the kids sledding yesterday at my church's toboggan party, my mind said, "Boy that looks like fun."  My body said,  "See how they are wiping out on the bumps.  That has to hurt."  The body won, thank goodness and I went home without a bruise.