What Happens When Food Becomes Your Enemy?

Today's #FoodieFriday topic takes a little look back at the history of food - and why it has become our enemy when trying to lead a healthy lifestyle.

I'm sure you've seen the shows on television where a survival expert shows us exactly what is available to eat if you are lost in the wilderness with no food.  None of it looks appetizing, right?  Fungus growing on trees, insects, larvae, and certain leaves and twigs are consumed on such shows because they have nutritional value and can get you through tough situations you might encounter if you get lost in desolate places. 

At one time in the history of mankind, much of the earth was a desolate place, and food was simply fuel for the body.  Anything we found or hunted that was edible was eaten to keep from starving, to nourish our bodies, and allow us to complete the tasks we needed to do to survive.  Over time, as we established civilizations, spice trades, and humanity continued to evolve through the Industrial Revolution, food remained a necessity for all, but became something that was no longer just fuel for the body.  Food now had to taste a certain way to be considered "edible," and eventually, as we reach modern day, pre-prepared and highly processed foods became the norm, and indeed, became less expensive than fresh, whole, raw foods.

We are a far cry from the hunter-gatherers that were our predecessors.  And with modern technology comes the blessing of having plenty of food to feed everyone that needs it (though sadly there are still people who are starving).  But does the food that is available to us now have the nutritional value that we need to fuel our bodies?

The short answer is no.  In America, we are vastly overfed and undernourished, and this is quickly becoming a recurring theme in other industrialized countries.  What does this mean?  Overfed means that we consume more calories than we utilize.  Undernourished means that the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients that we need not only to survive, but to flourish, are not present in what we take into our bodies.  This is evident by the obesity crisis and the upsurgence of weight-related diseases that has been recognized by not only physicians, but even by the government, all the way up to the White House itself.

So when did food become our enemy?  When food became pre-packaged and preserved for convenience and luxury, and this food was presented in a way that disparaged and even condemned fresh, wholesome food as a thing of the past: "for busy families on the go, dinner from a box in 10 minutes!", the ability to make healthy choices for yourself became an instant uphill battle.  To add to this, when this processed food became less expensive than buying fresh meats, vegetables and fruits, the war that is people versus food truly began.

Processed foods are full of sodium and simple carbohydrates which break down into simple sugars very quickly.  Excess sodium can contribute to high blood pressure, and the increase in simple sugars in the blood stream keep the body from being able to maintain a normal blood sugar level.  Blood sugar that is too high, or too low, can trigger the body to begin the fat-storage process through the hormones we know as insulin and leptin.

We didn't have a fighting chance against the enemy in a box.  Changes to societal structures over the years had led to families that felt they had very little time to cook real food, and processed foods are marketed as providing health benefits by vitamin and mineral enrichment that can at times be misleading.  The advertising and packaging take your mind off the underlying truth - while packaged foods are very appealing in taste and convenience, they are full of empty carbohydrate calories that help you pack on the pounds without even realizing it. 

The time crunch and crazy family dynamics are very real, there is no denying this fact.  And the availability of very inexpensive and very quick processed foods make it much easier to fill bellies that are hungry.  My message to you today is simply this:  you DO have a choice.  You CAN make very quick, inexpensive meals with fresh ingredients that are nutritious and delicious.  The path to wholesome food is there, waiting for you to walk it.  There are hundreds of internet resources that can show you how, and many physicians such as myself who are dedicated to education on healthy eating.

How do you win the battle with food?  Make the decision, make the choice, to educate yourself about what you are eating, and change your eating habits based on what you learn.  Yes, it can be a little overwhelming, so take baby steps. 

I am here to help, as always.

--Marissa Byrum, AP, DOM, Dipl. Ac., is an associate at Ideal Balance Center for Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine in Temple Terrace, FL.