Did you know the U.S. has the worst health outcomes among any high-income country in the world, despite spending 4.5 trillion dollars a year on healthcare? We spend the most with nothing to show for it, accept more disease.
Why are we so sick as our life expectancy continues to decrease? What is going on? Should we not expect different results with modern medicine, or should we just start calling it sick-care??? I don’t know about you but I’m very curious about the answers. I’ve found doing a little research goes a long way when you get serious about something that affects your quality of life and those you love. I’m dedicating my next few blog articles to this particular topic. So, let’s delve into this abyss and find out where it leads.
The abyss looks dark and here’s why. These are some of the stats for our current healthcare system:
6 out of 10 adults have at least one chronic disease, while 2 out of 10 have two or more chronic diseases here in the United States. Over 70% of adults and 33% of children are obese or overweight. Diabetes is 10 times more prevalent than in the 1960’s. Alzheimer’s has doubled since the 1980’s and asthma doubled in the past 100 years, not to mention the rapid rise of cancer. Those are just a few statistics, and I’ll stop there because it’s kind of depressing to reflect on the many lives effected by the innocent lack of knowledge.
But when did we begin to notice these health concerns and what was changing during these times? A drastic increase in chronic diseases started flourishing in the 80’s and 90’s. Was it just genetics or was there other correlating evidence? The answers are an accumulation of several critical changes here in the U.S. which adversely started to show itself in the health of our nation.
National politicians started talking about seed oils during this time. Prior to this, tallow (a fat rendered from beef or other animals, used for cooking and skin care for centuries) was used as the main frying oil in most restaurants and fast food. Government agencies (USDA and FDA) played a key role in the rise of seed oils. In 1992, the food pyramid recommendations were introduced and placed fats and oils at the top to use sparingly, while emphasizing grain products as the base for our consumption. (90% of the committee members who wrote the recommendations for our food intake had conflict of interests with “junk food manufacturers”) This guidance, along with similar advice from the FDA, created a significant market for low-fat, high carbohydrate processed foods, many of which use seed oils. Pick up any processed food box and notice the ingredients. You will find corn, canola, soy, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed oils and etc…..
Interestingly, seed oil was first used in the mid 20th century as a machine lubricant alternative to whale oil, which was getting rare. Eventually these were considered suitable for consumption and ended up in our food. We begin to learn that who funds the research greatly effects study outcomes and why things get recommended as they do. For example, the American Heart Association was heavily funded by Procter&Gamble, makers of Crisco. We soon discover……following the money becomes a hot trail to answers.
Government subsidies, driven by politicians and lobbying also play a role in the adverse effects to our health. These make it cheaper to produce these seed oils, making them more cost effective for food manufacturers. The rise of seed oils in our diet has been greatly influenced by profit, industry lobbying, and government policy. We’re beginning to see the dramatic health impacts of seed oils in the American diet. We must start demanding transparency now for our future health.
In 1990, McD’s and Burger King switched from tallow to seed oils (less expensive because they are subsidized) but the fact that these produce toxic compounds at high temperatures make them a huge problem in their fryer use. The rest of the industry of course has followed suit. Now, just imagine the results when we ingest these toxins day in and day out going through drive-throughs for convenience or sitting down in our favorite restaurant. It’s sobering and frustrating when it doesn’t have to be this way.
Another change during this time was the exchange of cane sugar for high fructose corn syrup. This switch to our sodas and other products was a huge money maker. Research and studies showed that this new “sweetener” was also addicting. Once again, another change based on subsidized gov’t. funding in the 1980’s….. which by the way……… is being paid for by our tax dollars $$$. To make it worse, this addicting ingredient is put into almost everything! It’s no wonder why we’re overweight in this country……we are literally addicted to the very things making us sick.
You know there’s a problem when financial incentives become “normal business of the day” in the healthcare system. When drug companies are funding medical education and junk food makers are funding dietician education……we are not in good common-sense hands. This is when following the money becomes the trail leading to some answers, even when the answers are not what we want to hear. Discomfort comes with change. But change will do us all GOOD.
These recommendations are why we are sick and their template for our plates have prioritized profit over our health. So, who’s getting rich on the disease? The health of our nation and this world should not be a political issue, it should be a thriving humanity issue. A Common Sense Good FOR ALL issue! A reform to protect us all is long overdue! It’s time to find the root causes of disease and let the crumbling recommendations reveal the motives behind them. We are living in historical times…. a great formidable shaking is rising up!
If the system did what it was designed to do, which is to help people heal, we would be getting healthier, right? Instead, we are spending more and getting sicker. The system works exactly as it was set up to do and this is a hard truth to swallow. In fact, it is downright uncomfortable to hear. But now that we know differently, we can choose differently.
I remember as a kid using margarine instead of butter and Crisco oil instead of animal fat. My family had a garden, chickens, canned, made our own bread and bought beef from local farmers. I’m sure mom and dad thought they were making healthy choices along with so many others, but we were still misinformed about certain things. The information age was not yet upon us, so we only knew what was recommended. We trusted that the recommendations were for the best. Who would’ve ever imagined any differently? Who could have predicted that pocket-lining profit would be the motivation and not our health?
But times have changed and so has our ability to educate ourselves. Our awareness is our friend and true advocate when it comes to our health. Maybe the truth can set us free….and maybe we can turn things around for our sake and for future generations to come because when we knew better, we did better!
Stay tuned for more………truth bombs and common-sense ideas!
