Appetite: A desire (longing, craving) for food or drink. Having motivation to consume a food or drink that contains calories.
Americans, as a rule, are in bondage to their persistent appetites for “problem foods”. In fact, the typical American appetite is more foe than friend. Just look around to see the evidence. Americans love to eat! And the food industry capitalizes on this human weakness by offering us sweet and savory delights that are literally devastating to our health.
Our bodies are made of cells. Muscle cells make up muscles, brain cells make up our brain, and bone cells make up bones. But for some reason, when it comes to body fat, the cells making up that fat (adipocytes) are rarely discussed or acknowledged. The fact is, without abnormal fat cells, unwanted weight gain cannot occur! Let me explain….
Imagine if something triggered your muscle cells to suddenly enlarge and multiply to the point that your muscles doubled, tripled, and then quadrupled in size! For most people, the added bulk would be a major bother. What if our skin cells started enlarging and multiplying to the point that our skin became baggy and was dragging around on the floor as we walked. How bizarre!
You may not have thought about it, but weight loss has some amazing “side effects”. We all know that medications have side effects, some of them life threatening. And that is true of common prescriptions for common conditions. Since we typically associated “side effects” with prescription medications, let’s consider some common current examples:
For the first time in history, our world has more overweight people than underweight! Diseases of calorie excess, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and many cancers are skyrocketing. As a result, many of us will not live as long as our parents. Simply put, our food is just not working for us! And with any of the above conditions, regaining health can be quite a challenge.
by Emily Farris, Kansas City Enhance Health & Wellness Magazine, Jan-Feb 2011
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“If only I wouldn’t have had that first French fry…”If any of those statements sound familiar, you’ve probably blamed your willpower, or lack thereof, for excess weight at some point in your life. But Dr. Rick Tague, M.P.H. and founder of the Center for Nutrition and Preventative Medicine in Leawood and Topeka, Kansas, would tell you to stop being so hard on yourself. In fact, he says willpower has very little, if nothing, to do with weight.
By Dr. Rick Tague
Glycemic Index (GI) is an effective way to measure a carbohydrate-containing food’s effect on blood sugar. Some foods produce a higher blood sugar level than others. Low glycemic index foods generally have less of an impact on blood sugar levels because their carbohydrates break down more slowly, releasing glucose more gradually into the bloodstream.
By Dr. Rick Tague
A Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index survey found that 11.3% of adults in America (26 million people) have diabetes as of Oct. 2009, up from just 10.4% in Jan. 2008. The rate of type 2 diabetes mellitus could climb to 15% by 2015 if current trends continue. The report contributes this rise to increases in obesity rates, noting that people who are obese are 3x more likely to receive a diagnosis of diabetes compared to their non-obese counterparts. Kansas ranked among the states with with the lowest increases.