Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July, Everybody!

This Independence Day weekend, I’d like to address a weigh different kind of independence: an independence from the control ultra processed food has taken over us.

So many of us struggle with weight or losing weight and it is not because we are sitting at home eating bowls and bowls of ice cream. It is because ultra-processed foods have crept into our food supply over the last 150 years and have hijacked the delicate signaling hormones in the gut and brain and fat cells which short circuit their communication.

When we eat real and whole foods, the gut sends signals to the brain that there is enough essential nutrients and energy and the brain can decrease the drive to eat. When there is enough energy in storage the fat cells signal the brain that it does not have to search for food. There is a delicate balance of signaling that goes on between the gut and the brain and the fat cells and a healthy weight is maintained.

Enter ultra-processed foods and that signaling goes haywire. It’s s like the brain in using AT&T, the gut is on Verizon, and the fat cells are on old Ma Bell rotary phone. Remember those? Complete with that long cord that allowed you to walk around the entire house. Our gut/brain/fat cells may be trying to talk to each other but they can’t hear each other; so our bodies are constantly hungry, never getting satisfied. Our fat cells are in storage mode, not wanting to give up any excess energy. And so we gain weight.

What is the answer?

Declare independence from ultra-processed food!

But, Dr. Julie, it tastes so good (they are purposely designed to be crave-able) and they are so convenient, and I don’t have time to spend hours in the kitchen. I don’t even know how to cook. My kids won’t eat vegetables.

I understand. I truly do. So, let’s shrink the change. Start with one meal. Ask yourself: how can I improve the quality of the food I am eating one meal of my day?

My family started with breakfast. We stopped eating the sugary breakfast cereals and muffins and we stopped drinking orange juice. We started using a higher protein/whole grain pancake mix. We exchanged the sugary syrup for natural peanut butter and raw local honey. We found we had left over pancakes and and froze them for another day. We drank water.

We started small. It took time. Everyone in our family got healthier. To this day we are not perfect, but we have come a long way.

If you need support declaring independence from processed foods, give us a call at Oregon Weight and Wellness and you will be on your way to something weigh different.