Not long ago, my husband and I were flying back from Seattle and happened to sit next to a very well-spoken, attractive man. My husband noticed the book this man was reading, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, and commented on it. (Great book, btw.) One thing led to another, and the three of us had a fascinating discussion that lasted the entire plane trip.
This erudite gentleman turned out to be Dr. Hans Diehl, medical educator and author of Health Power: Healthy by Choice, Not by Chance–a book that has sold over two million copies. Dr. Diehl believes that simple lifestyle changes can facilitate the reversal of many of our Western diseases. As he spoke, we discovered that we shared our faith. So interesting to hear a scientist share data that all points back to the sustainable life that God originally planned for people–in a garden!
Dr. Diehl grabbed Steve’s pad of paper and scribbled a circle, then divided it into pie shapes to display the proportion of processed food that average Americans eat (51%). Dairy and animal foods, on average is 42%. The amount of fresh vegetables, fruits and nuts that average Americans eat is only about 7%.
Here’s an interesting side note–he pointed out that Nabisco is owned by Phillip-Morris, a tobacco company. He said that Phillip-Morris has on staff a group of neuroscientists who study the “bliss point” a person reaches when eating salt, sugar and fat.
In other words, what is the reason you can’t eat just one potato chip?
Or to put it a different way . . . what creates addiction?
Dr. Diehl is all about preventative medicine. Habits count, he says, both as a warning and as a word of encouragement.
I strongly recommend reading Health Power–it’s very readable, lots of graphs and charts, filled with interesting info, and quite inspiring. Surprisingly practical, too. Even a few changes in the right direction will bring about benefits. And one good habit can lead to another, and another, and another . . . .
[Tweet “The simplest lifestyle change can help prevent many Western diseases #healthpower @suzannewfisher”]
P.S. The winner from last week’s giveaway of Amish Values for Your Family is DEBBIE HAZELTON! Please email info {at} suzannewoodsfisher {dot} com to claim your prize.
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Looks like a good one! Will have to look into getting it. Thanks for the introduction. Made me think of, “Betcha can’t eat just one!” Wasn’t that in a potato chip commercial once? Maybe it still is. As we all know, nobody can eat just one…unless it’s one bag.