I’m going to start today’s blog by giving you some rather unsettling statistics. Currently in the US: 

• Seven out of ten adults have at least one chronic condition, and shockingly, so do 54 percent of our children.
• Three out of four of us are overweight or obese.
• Eight out of ten of us are medicated, and over half of us take two or more medications each day.

What in the world is going ON?

Well, there are many factors that play into the development of poor health and sickness.

Genetics, stress, exercise habits (or lack thereof), smoking, drug use, over-reliance on medications and excessive alcohol consumption can all put you in the land of the diagnosed.

But the biggest influence that will determine your level of health is your DIET!

When it comes to diet, trust me, there are people who have some of the most harmful misconceptions in the world and don’t see the connection between their diet and level of health.

What makes this worse is that many doctors are clueless about diet or think it doesn’t matter. I guess that’s not surprising since doctors take only one measly nutrition course in four years of medical school.

But this is your lucky day because yours truly has a Master’s in the subject…and I’m going to tell it like it is, because you need to hear these words.

Here are:

The 5 diet misconceptions that cause sickness & disease

1. You think all fats are bad

I once had breakfast with a health practitioner and she was intrigued by what I ordered—over-easy eggs, avocado and salsa.

She instead opted for a bagel and fat-free cream cheese.

Where do I begin?

It’s sad that most people—including a healthcare professional--still don’t know that good fats from foods like eggs and avocado are essential nutrients…that is, if you want a healthy brain and nervous system and want to make hormones, among other things.

But the bigger issue here is that she thought a blob of refined carbs (aka a bagel which turns to sugar upon digestion and can cause imbalance in your microbiome) topped with fake cream cheese is actually healthy!

Please get this into your head—good fats like real butter, eggs, avocado, full-fat dairy, meats, poultry, fish, olive oil and lard are GOOD for you. Fake fats and processed vegetable oils are not.

Onward.

2. You think artificial sweeteners are the way to go

People are on the right track with thinking sugar is bad—after all, it can cause gut imbalances, yeast overgrowth, make you pack on the pounds and nourishes cancer cells, among other things.

But the common alternatives—artificial sweeteners—are no better. In fact, they can be even worse!

Studies have linked aspartame (aka NutraSweet® and Equal®) to cancer, brain damage and premature delivery in pregnant women, worsening insulin sensitivity, blurred vision, retinal damage and blindness, behavioral disturbances, nerve pain, muscle weakness and memory lapses, to name a few.

Sucralose (Splenda®) has been shown in research to cause leukemia and other blood cancers, weight gain, digestive issues (including IBS, Crohn’s and leaky gut), and it can create carcinogenic compounds when heated (even though it’s recommended for baking!).

And the friendly bacteria found in your intestinal tract become downright TOXIC when exposed to artificial sweeteners!

If you want a calorie-free sweetener, opt for stevia.

3. You think calories are all that matters

There are still a fair number of calorie counters out there, so hear this—what you should be worried about is nutrients—not calories!

Here’s what I mean—a 4 oz. grilled tenderloin steak has 303 calories, and a cupcake has 304.

Which do you think is the better choice?

I don’t care that they are basically equal in calories—one will nourish you and the other will cause harm to your gut and widen your backside.

Make nutritious choices and eat until you are comfortably full. You’ll have no need to count calories.

4. You don’t consider what you’re drinking

I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen someone order a salad (or other healthy choice) for lunch and a soda to drink.

See anything wrong with that picture?

What you drink is just as important as what you eat, especially if you indulge in the vile poison that is called soda.

And please don’t make the mistake of thinking that diet soda is any better. If necessary, re-read number 2 above.

When it comes to beverages, filtered water is your best option. Unsweetened teas are also good choices.

5. You think you’re home-free because you take a multi-vitamin

Vitamins are designed to supplement a HEALTHY diet—not be a replacement for said diet, or even worse, to undo the effects of an UNHEALTHY diet!

No vitamin formula in the world can provide the level of nutrients you derive from a nutritious whole foods diet. 

Where vitamin formulas (like our very own Super Core) are helpful is to ensure you are getting adequate amounts of ALL essential nutrients, since our food supply is less nutritious than it once was, and also many people may have trouble absorbing nutrients from food.

But taking a multi-vitamin is NEVER an excuse to have a poor diet!

Now you know what not to do!

Now that I’ve pointed out the biggest diet misconceptions, you know what you shouldn’t be doing!

But you may be wondering what you SHOULD do, so here are a few places to start:

First of all, if you’ve been a refined carb-o-holic or soda drinker for a while, chances are excellent your microbiome is waving the white flag of defeat. In that case, Super Shield PLUS multi-strain probiotic formula can help turn that around for you.

If you’ve been a low-fat disciple for as long as you can remember, you may be lacking in one of the most important, health-preserving fats of all—Omega-3 essential fatty acids. In addition to incorporating more fatty fish into your diet, a fish oil formula like VitalMega-3can help ensure you have healthful levels of these crucial fats.

If you need some sound diet suggestions and want to improve your digestion, check out my Great Taste No Pain system! And if weight loss is your primary objective, my Want to Lose Weight? Stop Dieting! program can help.

Lastly, if you have some questions or don’t know where to start, book a coaching session with me! We’ll talk about your concerns, I’ll answer your questions, and we’ll come up with an action plan to get you on the road to better health!

To your health,

Sherry Brescia