HLife | Healthy Living Redefined

Yesterday, President Bill Clinton joined California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to discuss the alarming issue of  obesity in this country at the Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity. We witnessed this transcendental meeting of two minds that care very much about the issue, and here is what we have to say about what we saw and heard.

Maryl’s Thoughts: Again, thumbs up to President Clinton and Governor Schwarzenneger (and First Lady Maria Shriver) for holding the Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity, to see what we can do to stop childhood obesity in this country.

Key points from this webcast and some comments:

1. Obesity costs us $50 billion annually.  FIFTY BILLION DOLLARS?  In the context of a broken economy and a broke state, California (and the nation) would do well to outlaw any and all manufacturers, distributors and promoters of any and all substances that directly cause obesity, such as high fructose corn syrup ANYTHINGS and hydrogenated fat ALLS. These substances are not only high in calories, they are unnatural to our system and our bodies cannot process them properly (hence, weight-gain.) One of these is actually the result of a government subsidy (corn), so, it is up to governmental policies to help the people with this particular issue. Like President Clinton said: “Stop subsidizing food production that is harmful to our country.”  Get your money THERE, Congress, and kill two birds with one stone.

2. Obesity is a global issue. Yes, USA is the most obese nation in the world, but the epidemic is expanding to include wealthy as well as poor nations. It’s not a surprise: As changes in trade policy destroy international commerce barriers and open up new markets, we are sending our genetically-modified frankenfoods into other poor/unsuspecting countries, and the stuff that is making us fat here is now traveling to other countries and making THEIR people fat too. This is the equivalent of the Europeans bringing smallpox and the bubonic plague to the indigenous people of the New World (thanks, saviors!)  Are we going to wait for them to send us syphilis back? We’re not only killing ourselves – now we’re killing other country’s people too. What a legacy, America. No. This is a great country that cleans up its own messes – let’s take responsibility for what we’ve done and reverse this situation, not just here at home, but internationally. We owe it to the world to stop the obesity epidemic here and everywhere else.

3. H20 is the way to go. A topic of discussion currently and at the summit is the whole soft drinks in school vending machines thing.  Fine, they’re out. Good, ‘cause a report came out a couple of weeks ago that said soft drink consumption causes pancreatic cancer. But, beyond that, someone stood up and talked about also taking sugary electrolyte replacement drinks out. These “sports drinks” are no better than the soda: The lady who discussed this quoted a study that said constant consumption led to an annual gain of 13 lbs.  Does you no good to “burn” stuff working out if your refreshing sports drink will “add” 13 lbs to your waist. People, the body does not need any of this sugary stuff.  YOUR BODY NEEDS WATER. Period. It uses water for hydration and many other functions, like hydrolysis, a process by which the cell cleans itself out and gets rid of waste. Got that? WATER CLEANS WASTE OUT OF YOUR BODY.  It doesn’t add any calories or harmful substances. Give your body exactly what it needs.

4. It’s not about quantity – it’s about quality.  While I appreciate the enthusiasm that Governor Schwarzenegger has for exercise (it’s natural, given his background as a bodybuilder), and applaud his efforts to reduce obesity in California, WEIGHT IS NOT AN EXERCISE OR A CALORIE ISSUE.  Look around: How many overweight people do you see at the gym? Many. You can measure calories all you want and still not achieve healthy weight. Why? Because health is not about numbers. It’s about giving a complex system foods that it will know how to process – assimilate or discard. Your body knows what to do with an apple. It even knows what to do with a coconut and nuts – high in fats.  It uses what it needs and gets rid of what it doesn’t.  It’s the stuff that it doesn’t know what to do with that causes problems. I don’t care if that cookie from the vending machine is only two calories – those two calories of preservatives and synthetic sugar substitutes will wreck havoc on your digestive, nervous and lymphatic systems. They will disrupt your liver function. They will disturb biotic balance in your intestines and set off a chain of reactions that will kick your body into a state of alarm. And THAT…is how you gain weight.

5. The real issue: EDUCATION.  Let’s face it, not many of us know about what we should or shouldn’t eat, or what are good versus bad foods. Our ancestors did – it was easy for them because, well, an apple was an apple; it wasn’t manufactured into an apple strudel, an apple turnover, apple cider, apple pie or apple whatever that little pocket thingie is called at fast food drive-thrus. But we don’t, because we have OPTIONS.  Or at least we think we do. We’re bombarded with advertisements everywhere telling us what we could eat, and the ads are so pretty and so repetitive that it’s beyond telling us what we can eat, it’s convincing us of what we SHOULD eat. We’re confused – and understandably so. We’re supposed to be able to trust our government to operate in our best interest – to allow the good guys to promote their stuff to us and to keep the bad guys out.  But it doesn’t do that.  Anyone with enough money can sell you a product. This is a free country, we do what we want.  Well, there is a cost to that, and it is our health, our waistline, and our lifespan. The biggest truth is this: It is up to you to educate yourself on preventative measures for health.  These include food, your body and how it works, exercise and, like the wonderful Maria Shriver said, “it’s emotional” – how your mind and emotions affect your overall health as well. We at HLife pledge to support you on this journey with informative articles on all of these topics. Please, do your part, for yourself, the children and the world (oh, and the budget!)

Silvie’s Thoughts: Lack of knowledge and understanding of how to achieve optimal health has become a serious global issue. From obesity to diabetes, we are not just talking about illnesses that result from old age as a problem; the biggest health crisis is happening in the bodies of humans of all ages, even children, and this is due to their food choices.  A friend of the family’s who lives in South America was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. She is 17. I remember when she came to visit my family here in Los Angeles; she was 12 at the time, and her parents gave her money to spend however she wanted. So, what did she do? She spent all her money on stuffing her suitcase with candy, chocolates, and soda. She had bought so many sodas (”Vanilla Cherry Cola, ’cause they don’t have those over there!”) that when it came time to actually close her bags, she couldn’t – and had to take some soft drinks out. What did she do then? Drank all the leftovers. I remember she would demand to drink only sodas for breakfast and more throughout the day. My mother was appalled, and so concerned for this child’s health and food habits that she spoke with her mother about this, but all her mother said was: “Let her eat and buy whatever she wants. She is just a child and young people can eat chocolate, candy, sweets, because they are at that age of eating junk. Let them take advantage of it while they can!”  I also remember all of this because it broke my heart. Take advantage…by creating  the habits that foster the perfect environment for all sorts of illnesses in your body? By allowing her to destroy herself on a cellular level? I know many of us don’t make the direct connection – we’re so used to these sugar-for-kids situations being normal – but when we stop to think about it that way, that does not make sense to any conscious, logical being. Now, at 17, she can’t completely enjoy life, food, or much else, for that matter, with Type 2 diabetes (which, by the way, used to be called “adult onset diabetes” and is now a children and young person’s problem). Here is the great part: Type 2 diabetes can be reversed through a raw whole foods, plant-based diet.  The sad part is, most people would rather stay with the illnesses and the insulin for the rest of their lives than to change their eating habits and consume REAL FOOD.

Are we turning our backs to health, just so our taste buds (electrical/habitual chemical signals) can be satisfied with ‘flavor’ for a couple of minutes? Wake up people: Ignorance is not bliss – it is killing children before their time, making parents bury their own kids. Yesterday, listening to the few people that spoke at the Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity, including President Clinton and Governor Schwarzenegger, was very frustrating. Here at HLife, we are grateful that this health crisis is being addressed, but also frustrated, because the focus is not necessarily on the solutions, and even the well-intentioned leaders on the case don’t seem to know much about nutrition or provide the best information to educate the people. They talk about exercise and calories, healthier drinks and eating less (portion control), but no one really focuses on educating the people on the primordial importance of TRUE NUTRITION. These diseases, illnesses, imbalances, and abnormalities can be solved by making one major change in your life. One major lifestyle change can actually give you a longer, vigorous, more empowering life. This ONE lifestyle change, which I call “the solution” is: Consuming an organic, whole food, plant-based diet. All of the knowledgeable vegan-raw foodies don’t experience the kind of health problems that the people on a conventional/Western/animal-based/processed food diet do.  Google us, (vegan/raw bloggers, authors, athletes, enthusiasts, whole-food plant based foodies), and read all the testimonials, scientific studies, see the glow in their skin, their vitality, and realize that they are all thin. I have yet to see an obese vegan-raw foodie; “obesity” and “vegan”  just don’t go together. If we understood the science of nutrition, we would be so certain that what the body needs as “food” is unprocessed, whole plants. It is as simple as that. We say it all the time, but I will say it again: The key to health prevention is A Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet.

VOTE WITH YOUR WALLET. We need to change our mental associations of what food is; we need to reprogram our eating habits, to change our lifestyles – because HEALTH IS A LIFESTYLE. We do this through knowledge, understanding and love. Here at HLife, we are committed to providing information that the beings of this planet need in order to live a thriving, holistic, and optimal life, filled with health on all levels: Mind, Body, Spirit. We don’t need to be challenged, we need to be educated and conscious about the Law of Cause and Effect. What we do has consequences. I agree with Maryl, my sister and business partner, as she said yesterday via Twitter: “No, Mr. Clinton, a portion control movement is NOT what we need. We need a REAL FOOD EDUCATION MOVEMENT.”  So be it, sister, SO BE IT!

Oprah, Clinton, the Summit – this is just the tip of the iceberg, a glimpse on a hugely important subject. Let’s really get down to the science of nutrition and once and for all address the problem. On a molecular level, what does our human body really need in order to thrive? And you – are you providing this nourishment? Do you want positive results? Well, then, say hello to your micro-universe and hello to an educated, healthy HLife.