Eat more fruits and vegetables

Reviewed an old to-do list of mine this evening . . . and found the U.S. government’s viewpoint on Dietary Guidelines developed by the USDA this year. The new pyramid scheme, includes personalized plan and tracker , plus tips . (But no recipes for chili with finger tips . . . ;-) . . . ok, alright, here are some veggie tips .

(Is documentation or personal resolve more important? Blueberry cream pie or carrot sticks—remember, this is Thanksgiving weekend! Both, but with moderation. How much of enjoyment is biological programming . . . ummmmm.)

A great benefit from eating more fruits and vegetables is that proper weight is easier to maintain.

So what is one’s proper weight? I always heard of BMI, a.k.a. Body Mass Index, but thought that it was yet another fad number. (It certainly is not a fat number, that is, it is not a measure of body fat.) So what’s proper? Is it how we feel about ourselves, for example, more energy as we get lighter?

Perhaps a good objective way of deciding is to see how our weight effects the longevity of our lives in terms of years. Here’s a relevant study: Fontaine KR, Redden DT, Wang C, Westfall AO, Allison DB; Years of life lost due to obesity; Journal of the American Medical Association; 2003 Jan 8; 289(2):187-93.

That finds that the optimal BMI associated with the greatest longevity is approximately 23-25 for whites and 23-30 for blacks. The research made it strikingly clear that a BMI any greater would significantly shorten lifespan.

Ok, so we have a numerical range as a goal, but we still need to understand what this BMI stuff is all about. Think of peanut butter, lots, enough to weigh exactly as yourself. Now on a square piece of toast, each side equal to your height, imagine spreading the peanut butter evenly over the toast. Now cut out a smaller square piece of toast, 1 meter on each side, and scrap off the peanut butter. Its weight in kilograms is your BMI. Voilà !

In brief, BMI is just simply your mass per unit area. That’s it—no gimmicks. Well, except if you must deal with American weights and measures. . . clunky conversions are necessary. . . unless you have this handy Google hack, the BMI calculator.

Adjust the parameters in the dialog box to fit your body specs. Then adjust the portions of your meals (less processed foods , more fruits and vegetables) to stay fit.

Live long, and prosper well.

Here’s something to remember: “More shelf life for them, less life for you.”

Let’s decode that. Corporations which sell food must necessarily maximize their profits. The longer a product can stay on the shelves the greater the chance it will be sold. Hence it is in their best interest to prolong shelf life as much as possible. The problem is that their method is adverse to your best interest.

The various additives for processed foods (for example, TRANS FAT ) are chemically very close to inorganic plastics. This is why those food products can have long shelf lives (like plastic toys) without rotting. Do they have nutritional value? Of course not. In fact, such additives cause the demise of our precious health.

Our bodies are not made to ingest plastics. Sure, it satisfies our hunger, and makes us feel full. But all that simply leads us to OBESITY—second most effective killer nationwide after cigarettes (another lethal addiction distributed by corporations).

Profit maximization is also achieved through repeat sales of the product. Thus if the additives are addictive, the corporations are even happier. SUGAR is another example of an addictive additive—which is prevalent among processed foods (and many drinks!).

Unfortunately, your body which instinctively craves junk food cannot understand corporate strategies. However, your mind can pull you away from being exploited by processed foods, and guide you towards optimal health.

This is why I have selected the goal, “Eat more fruits and vegetables.”