For the past hundred years businesses have sold products that promise us a healthy lifestyle and therefore a longer life.
For nearly fifty years, doctors and other health professionals have recommended lifestyle changes. This was in an effort to lower cholesterol levels in North American adults.
Many of the recommendations were simple, common-sense tips that would probably be beneficial for anyone’s life and health. Others were not so helpful.
By the early 1980s, the health profession as a whole was convinced that cholesterol was a significant contributing factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. They passed on those convictions to legions of patients and the general public.
Doctors, and nutritionists advised patients to eat a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet. They talked about “superfoods” like parsnips and oatmeal that would supposedly reduce cholesterol levels if eaten regularly.
Doctors prescribed statin drugs to a quarter of the population, and advocated weight loss to practically everyone they saw.
This has not lead to a good outcome.
The low-fat craze resulted in the invention and production of highly processed foods. These foods may be low in fat, but they are very high in sugars, chemicals, and unhealthy trans fats.
Statins for a healthy Lifestyle ?
Really ?
The statin drugs that have been widely used for the last forty years at least, are associated with higher rates of diabetes. They are also linked to a host of other complications, including – ironically enough – heart disease.
Weight loss Commercialization
The weight loss industry that fed off of the endless, hopeless quest for a “healthy” weight amongst all North Americans now rakes in over 60 billion dollars a year.
North Americans are heavier than ever, as well as suffering the inevitable backlash of weight loss diets and rebound weight gain.
The True path to a Healthy Lifestyle
In reality, worrying endlessly about your cholesterol levels or your weight is an exercise in futility.
Eating Well to Start
The best thing you can do for yourself is to eat moderate amounts of non-processed, or minimally processed, organic fruits, vegetables, grains, fats, and meats.
A bit of exercise every day, and avoiding exposure to toxins are also good ideas.
