Fast Food & Junk Food Addiction

With the rise of diabetes and obesity in our society, it is not hard to imagine that the eating of excess amounts of fast food and junk food is part of the blame.

Fast food and junk food include  hamburgers, French fries, so-called "milk" shakes, Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), pizza, processed foods, lunch meats, soda, diet soda, sweets, candies, pastries, fried chicken, tacos, and many other so-called "foods".

Intellectually, we know that these foods are bad for us, but, these foods taste so good and they're so easy to obtain, that it is difficult to not stop by McDonald's or KFC on the way home from a tough day at the office and pick up some burgers and fries or a bucket of chicken.

Researchers and biochemists that work for food manufacturers know how to make these foods taste delicious. They are aware of the combination of the brain, mouth, nose and gut when it comes to adding chemicals to food to make these foods taste so good. As a result, they know what specific chemicals to add to the fast food that will trigger the release of dopamine, norepinephrine and other brain chemicals. And, it is the release of these brain chemicals that make us addicted to these fast  foods and junk food!

Consequently, it is very important that you understand how to break the addiction and still enjoy some of your favorite foods every once in a while. During his research, Mr. McCulley (the author of "Death to Diabetes") figured out how to break the addiction and then learn how to eat healthier versions of these foods!

First of all, there are several factors that drive us to eat fast food and junk food. Maybe if we understand these factors, we can determine how to avoid poisoning our bodies with these dangerous foods in the future.

The factors that influence our behaviors to buy and eat these toxic foods include the following:

• Chemical addiction: There are chemicals in these fast foods and junk foods that make us addicted to them just like crack cocaine and heroin!
• Emotional connection: Eating some foods trigger happy memories from the "good ol' days".
• Cost: Most fast foods and junk food are less inexpensive (at least in the short run).
• Convenience: Fast food and junk food are very easy to obtain. Doesn't it seem like there's a fast food place on almost every major corner in your town?
• TV ads: Marketing plays a huge role in creating the desire to go out and buy these foods. Every 20 seconds, there's a TV ad about some fast food! Children who watch more than 1 hour of TV each day become "brainwashed" into wanting nothing but sugary cereals and McDonald's burgers! Plus, it doesn't help when we see celebrities and athletes on TV trying to convince us to buy lots of fast food and drink a lot of beer!
• Lifestyle: The American lifestyle embraces a culture of eating fast food and junk food as part of a normal recreational activity or a celebratory event.
• Discipline: The lack of discipline, motivation and our own laziness make it difficult to want to change our poor eating habits.
• Lack of Knowledge: Our own lack of knowledge and awareness when it comes to what we put in our mouths is appalling! Plus, we set a bad example for our children! The various education platforms have failed to adequately promote nutrition education alongside physical education, creating new generations of overweight and diabetic parents along with their children.

Marketing
When traveling across major cities like New York, Minneapolis, San Diego, Chicago, and Atlanta, literally around every major street corner is a fast food restaurant. Fast food is readily available for those of us who understand that time itself is money.  In our society, time is valuable. When we have so much to do every day and we don't feel like cooking, fast food seems to be the easiest way to get more accomplished.

In addition to the fact that fast food is readily available, the heavy use of commercial ads on all major stations makes it impossible to watch your favorite show on television without seeing a friendly ad with addicting music and cute children (Ever wonder why they use so much rap music with these ads? -- a topic for another day).

Hmm-mm. Have you ever noticed that they use good-looking thin people and not fat people in these TV ads?  I wonder, if these ads showed fat people enjoying an over-sized hamburger, would they have the same appeal?

Lifestyle
Besides marketing, the typical American lifestyle and culture has also played an important role in the obesity epidemic. When going to the movie theater or a sports event, it is acceptable for us to buy some of the unhealthiest food available. Between the high levels of saturated fat and salt, we seem to think we’re invincible against hypertension and high cholesterol. Also part of our culture is the donating to charity by accepting something in return, like chocolate, a cake or some cookies. Sure, we all love the Girl Scout cause, but do we really have to indulge in 3 boxes of peanut butter cookies?

So, what about the poor in our society?  Not everyone in our society can afford to take part in recreational activities and accept cookies for donating to a good cause, yet we still see obese people.  For them, junk food is fast food and fast food is readily available and generally the cheapest in the sense that it does not require the use of a well stocked kitchen and fills you up in little time.  In the short run, it appears to be “cost efficient” for a poor person or family to eat a lot of fast food. Why pay several dollars for fresh vegetables and beans that you have to go home and cook when you can buy already-prepared burgers, fries, chips, and soda for the same price and be full for a lot longer?

Education
Finally, we examine education, or shall we say the lack of education.  Despite being seen as global leaders, nutritional education is not valued as much as math or English.  It is very rare to find a school that requires all students to take nutrition or cooking classes. Even physical education, which at a minimum encourages water over soda, doesn’t receive as much funding as the science or math departments.

Then, there is the lack of education children receive at home. Just like parents explain in grave detail the importance of avoiding drugs and violence, they need to teach their children how to make positive eating choices like eating fruits more often than candy and buying a salad meal w/milk instead of a double hamburger meal w/ fries.

But, the good news is that there is a reasonable solution that doesn't require you to drastically change your eating habits requiring you to only eat raw food and grass every day.

Solution
It is clear how marketing, lifestyle, addiction, and education affect our ability to choose healthy food over fast food.  They are connected in many complex ways, but the most important thing to remember is that if you want to eat healthy, you have to address all of these areas. Take the following steps to eating healthier and avoiding fast food:

• Try to plan your meals when going out.  Bring your own lunch, but if you can’t, buy a salad instead of hamburger.  You can add chicken to the salad for protein to help fill you up.
• Try to read about why junk food is so unhealthy and ways to add more healthy foods to your diet.  There are lots of free healthy recipes online.  Take advantages of a few.
• Try to eat foods that contain good chemicals (phytonutrients) that will help to break your addiction to the fast food.
• Read a book like Death to Diabetes to educate yourself and your family about healthy eating.
• Visit the Death to Diabetes website or read a book like the Death to Diabetes Cookbook to learn how to enjoy healthier versions of your favorite junk foods.
• Try donating to charities and good causes without accepting cakes and cookies or a pie in return.  If you want something back for your effort, try a tax deduction instead.

These steps can help you change your lifestyle to the point where you avoid junk food on a subconscious level, which is a lot better than counting calories. More importantly, the steps in a future post will show you to kick your poor eating habits and kill those food addictions and food cravings forever.

The Silent Killer Diseases

There are a number of diseases and illnesses that are known as "silent killers". They are known as "silent killers" because they gradually consume you without causing any serious symptoms in the early stages.

These silent killers are characterized by subtle symptoms that often go undetected. In women, these stealthy life-threatening illnesses strike up to 10 million each year and kill over 100,000.

These diseases "silently" cause our bodies to slowly deteriorate, leading to more health issues. Regular medical checkups and early diagnosis of unexplained or vague symptoms can save your life.

Heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity are the top 4 major silent killer diseases. Other silent killers include cancer, aneurysms and osteoporosis.

Heart Disease. Heart disease is the number one killer in the world. And heart disease can gradually build up as most people live with some form of heart disease for years until one day when they have a heart attack or a stroke. All of the risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure (hypertension), obesity and diabetes can gradually damage the heart. 

It is important to always assess your risk factors for heart disease at regular checkups. Heart disease or even heart attacks do not usually occur spontaneously, but occur after a gradual build up, particularly from arteriosclerosis. However, heart disease can be reversed with a plant-based diet, regular exercise, and proper supplementation.

                               

                             
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension). This is a silent killer because it is deadly and has no early significant symptoms. The American Heart Association estimates that up to one third of people living with high blood pressure are unaware of the fact that their blood pressure is high, and many people are unaware of the risks of high blood pressure.

The danger from high blood pressure is the extra load on the heart, leading to complications such as hypertensive heart disease. High blood pressure can also seriously damage the kidneys. And it does all this silently, without any major symptoms, except when the high blood pressure gets extreme. Always get your blood pressure checked to rule out hypertension as part of regular medical checkups.

High blood pressure affects millions of people around the world. This condition goes unnoticed for years unless we have the insurance to receive annual physicals and blood tests from our primary care physician. For the people who are able to afford insurance and get annual physical exams, they end up "controlling" their blood pressure by taking drugs that mask the real problem and give us the false sense of security that everything is fine. But, over a period of years, we find ourselves having to take more and more medication to 'control" our blood pressure. Until one day, you discover that you have problems with your kidneys, liver, or heart due to taking these medications for so many years.

Type 2 Diabetes. This disease affects millions of people in the United States and around the world. Most people are surprised when they get diagnosed with diabetes. And, because there are no obvious symptoms or discomfort, we think everything is fine. As a result, we either ignore the disease or we take a diabetic pill such as metformin. And, because the metformin lowers our blood glucose level, we live with a false sense of security.

                         

High Cholesterol. This condition was well-known as a killer until recent research discovered that high cholesterol is not as major a problem as originally thought. However, having high cholesterol is still a major risk factor for heart disease. High cholesterol is also "silent" because it usually does not cause any significant noticeable symptoms. Be careful not to fall into the dangerous trap of taking statin drugs to lower your cholesterol. There are a lot of safer ways and less expensive ways to naturally lower your cholesterol.

Obesity. This disease is truly one of the most misunderstood health issues of our time. In fact, not until recently, the medical industry didn't even consider obesity to be a disease. For most people, obesity is simply a condition of unwanted weight gain. But, there is more to obesity than just "weight gain"! Obesity is a progressive disease of cellular inflammation and insulin resistance that can lead to other health issues such as heart disease, cancer or Type 2 diabetes.

Osteoporosis. This health issue is not widely thought of as a killer. And yet osteoporosis is a major risk for the elderly, particularly women, because osteoporosis kills and debilitates from hip fractures or femur fractures resulting from falls. Younger and middle aged women should be particularly concerned about avoiding and getting tested for low bone mass (bone thinning) that leads to osteoporosis. One common form of diagnostic test for osteoporosis is a heel ultrasound test of bone density.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Insomnia can kill you? Sounds ridiculous. However, insomnia is often a symptom of sleep apnea, where a person actually stops breathing for a period of time during sleep. The most common kind is obstructive sleep apnea where the throat becomes obstructed during sleep, such as if a person is overweight. It still doesn't sound serious, but it is. Sleep apnea can be a major cause of undiagnosed hypertension.

Breast cancer. This disease is one of the top five malpractice diseases. Misdiagnosis of breast cancer can occur, and the prognosis for a late discovery of breast cancer can be poor. Undiagnosed breast cancer is also often a "silent killer" because the breast pain is often a late symptom of breast cancer rather than an early symptom. Some people assume it can't be cancer without pain. And although many breast cancers arise from a discovered breast lump, not all breast lumps are discovered early.

Other Cancers. Colon cancer, Lung cancer, Ovarian cancer, Prostate cancer, and Mesothelioma are other silent killers.

Brain Aneurysm.  An aneurysm is a silent killer because, in most cases, there are no symptoms until moments before the aneurism ruptures.  An aneurism is a  potentially life-threatening condition in which there is an abnormal swelling and ballooning of an artery, which can rupture and result in internal bleeding. Aneurysms can occur in any artery in the body, but the most common site is in the aorta (aortic aneurysm), followed by the arteries of the brain (brain aneurysm).

An aneurysm develops when there is damage or a weakening of the wall of an artery. This weakened area can balloon out, disrupt normal blood flow, and rupture due to the force of blood flowing through the artery.

What to Do
So, what if one of these silent killer is stalking you, but you don't know it? We recommend that you visit your primary care physician at least once a year for a complete medical exam. A complete medical exam usually uncovers most of these silent killers.

However, we don't believe that you should rely solely on a medical exam, especially if you happened to end up in the hospital like the author!

We strongly recommend that you make specific lifestyle changes that should include transitioning to a plant-based diet such as the Death to Diabetes Diet and a regular exercise regimen of walking and stretching 4 to 6 times a week.

Please Note: The Death to Diabetes Diet is not just for diabetics! Non-diabetics can also use this diet program.

Warning! More than 87% of people who end up in the hospital after an attack from one of these silent killers, do not change their eating habits or lifestyle. As a result, 91% of them return to the hospital or end up in the graveyard.

FYI: Ironically, many of these silent killer diseases are fueled by what the author calls the "triple-killer foods" along with the 5 "dead" foods. So, make sure that you avoid these foods, especially if one of these silent killers is stalking you.

Death to Diabetes (DTD) Website Reference:

http://www.deathtodiabetes.com/Death_to_Type_2_Diabetes.html#Silent_Killers

CLOSE MY EYES AND SLEEP

The neurotransmitter Orexin.

This little baby really packs a wallop.

And can put us to sleep.

For the first time in thirty years the FDA is close to approving a drug that can help those with insomnia. People with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue have many a sleepless night and struggle with the choices that are out there. 

I take opioids and muscle relaxers so the thought of adding a strong sleep aid is something I've always been afraid to take. I have had doctors prescribe Ambien but I've never taken it. I don't want to be on a lot of drugs, fall asleep and never wake up.

Maybe I shouldn't say I'm afraid. I have a healthy respect for drugs. They're powerful and shouldn't be taken lightly. I believe that doctors and pharmaceuticals have ingrained us with the belief that manufactured drugs are an easy fix. Even an antibiotic is powerful and we pop those like candy.  Let me say, I'm not against drugs AT ALL. I just think that we need to be careful and examine what we take. I think we should have one doctor that knows everything we take and can monitor it. I do believe that our personal health care is fragmented. One doctor doesn't know what the other is doing. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could go to one place and have all the doctors treating our ills??

Anyway, back to the new sleep aid.

Merck has a new sleep drug before the FDA. It's called Suvorexant and it doesn't seem to have the same side effects as the sleep aids that are currently out there such as  Ambien and Lunesta. What they do is act on the neurotransmitter GABA. 

GABA (and glutamate) act to control the levels of excitement in the brain. Basically what this new drug will do is force your brain to go to sleep. Glutamate is an excitotoxin and can cause us to get out of control (brain wise) and GABA steps up to the plate and calms things down. It gives our brains the ability to take a break from our thoughts going at a rapid pace and slow down. If glutamate is the green light.....GABA is a yellow light. 

The new drug is in a class called Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonists or DORAs for short. The neurotransmitter orexin is responsible for wakefulness and appetite among others. Again, that little neurotransmitter promotes wakefulness and Suvorexant targets that baby and works on it and so far it seems safe at lower doses. If you look up Orexin you'll be astonished by this neurotransmitter and what it is involved with in our system. 

Quite simply, this drug blocks orexin.

Side effects?

Sleepiness.

I think I can handle that.

CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF PAIN

 The sky is cloudy and overcast.

It's going to rain.

I love it.

My body doesn't.

Does anyone else react to the weather like I do? I laughed at a recent study that concluded weather had no bearing on Fibromyalgia pain.

My fanny it doesn't.

At least I said fanny.

I, like many others, have different levels of pain. I call the worst pain voodoo pain and it progresses to OMG-make it stop. Right now I'm somewhere between the two. I feel like a Steve Miller song. Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right. 

It's a barometric pressure free for all and I'm stuck right in the middle.

I feel like I'm on a never ending cycle right now. No sleep equals more pain. I take medication for the pain and muscle relaxers for the muscle spasms. I am too afraid to take something to help me sleep. I take an over the counter natural medication called Mid Nites. All they are is valerian and melatonin. It helps a little but it doesn't keep me from waking 2 or three times in the middle of the night. Why my brain won't shut off is beyond me. I can't just shut down and go to sleep. It doesn't matter that my bedroom is dark or that I've taken a hot shower before bed. I've tried all the remedies that say "do this and you'll get a good nights sleep." It doesn't matter at all. Alpha wave intrusion just won't let me reach the deeper levels of sleep and my body desperately needs it. 

I look outside and the clouds are building again. I just opened the door and it's REALLY humid. This tells me I have no chance of getting relief tonight. My body hurts and this puts my attitude in the toilet. 

Way in the toilet.

I'm thinking of life before Fibromyalgia and chronic pain. Big mistake. This brings me to my pity party for one. I feel myself getting frustrated for what could have been. I'm also crying because every single bone in my body aches. 

Right now I just want to curl up with my favorite men.

Who are they you ask??

With a slightly mysterious smile...

I'll bet you'll never guess.

OK.

I'll tell you......

It's............

 My coping mechanism.

4 or 5 of those make a nice snack.

IT'S CALLED FRANKENFOOD FOR A REASON

What the heck are we eating?

Is it any wonder we're sick?

And while we're at it.....

why can't we know what is in our food?

I guess my question is: Why do we still allow additives in our food that is banned in other countries? There are foods that we think are healthy and then there are additives that are just gross.

Lets start with Brominated Vegetable Oil. Doesn't sound too bad, does it? It's basically an emulsifier but it's main ingredient is bromine. Bromine has been linked to birth defects and schizophrenia. It displaces iodine which may lead to thyroid problems. It's mainly found in sports drinks and soft drinks. Other countries have banned it's use.

Not us. 

What about Azodicarbonamide? This is basically a bleach. Whereas some countries wait for the flour to whiten....well, we get a little impatient.  More than impatient...we want it NOW. Did you know that if we were in Singapore we could get 15 years in prison for using this chemical???? It's mainly used for sneaker soles and yoga mats. Who could taste it in the flour anyway?

You would think that good old milk would be healthy and good for you, wouldn't you? Well those cute little moo cows are injected with a growth hormone so they produce more milk. This IGF-1 (insulin growth factor) has been linked to breast, colon and prostate cancers. 

No biggie.

How about a little arsenic with your chicken? The FDA allows it in the chicken feed because it promotes growth. Also the chicken looks pinker so it looks a lot fresher. Isn't that sweet? The European Union has banned the use of arsenic since 1999 and labeled it a carcinogen. 

Yummy.

You know those yummy blueberry muffins? Do they really use blueberries? It could be propylene glycol. Just another chemical used to make fake blueberries. By the way, it's also used by the automobile industry to winterize RV's. 

That puts a new perspective on those old muffins, doesn't it?

I think the one that I like the most is glyphosate. Ever had weeds in your yard and bought Round Up? That's what they spray on the crops. In fact, they spray so much that it's been found in the streams and even the air. We ingest this stuff. What does it do to us? Well, it has been linked to learning disabilities, obesity, birth defects, infertility and metabolic damage. 

And I haven't even scratched the surface. 

Why can't we have food that isn't filled with additives that can kill us? 

Is it too much to ask for honest labeling?

Giving cows and chickens these chemicals.....well, it's frightening. 

No wonder illnesses that were rare 30 years ago and running rampant today.

Progress has not been our friend.

IT'S CALLED CLASS AND COURTESY

They've just released a major break though in the fight.

They're besieged by requests for comments.

They graciously responded.

I guess I shouldn't say "they."  After writing the post about the breakthrough I decided to go to the website and ask a couple of questions. 

I identified myself and posed my questions. I mentioned that I wrote a blog and tried to keep up on the latest research. I then signed off respectfully with my name and the name of my blog. 

I hoped I'd hear but I really didn't think that I would.

I was wrong.

The reason I didn't hold out hope was I tried this before. Not with this company but with the writers of a Fibromyalgia blog. I reached out and was basically told that since I wasn't published they wouldn't be responding. 

Isn't that a sweet thing to do? 

When I reached out to this company I still had visions of these research scientists and doctors not wanting to have anything to do with a lowly blog writer. What I encountered was a heartfelt email. Wrong. Make that two emails. 

One email was documents that I could feel free to share and the other was a response to my questions and a wish for continued well being. Yes, they have tons of people writing to them, sharing their stories. Are they annoyed by this? No. They are gracious and willing to share what they know. They honestly want to make the suffering of Fibromyalgia and chronic pain go away and work tirelessly to that end goal.

I truly believe they're on to something. I didn't realize that trauma can cause an increase in the nerve endings. Genetics can also be involved.  

What do I like the most?

The fact that he wanted Fibromyalgia sufferers to take comfort in one fact.

This isn't all in our heads.

It's real.

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