Toxic Relief

Below are some thoughts to ponder from Dr. Don Colbert in his book Toxic Relief: Restore Health and Energy Through Fasting and Detoxification.

"Our prosperity as a nation has come at a price. After years of overeating and overindulgence, we are experiencing an epidemic of degenerative diseases.

Most of us eat a standard American diet (SAD). That means lots of fat, sugar, and highly refined wheat products, including white bread, crackers, bagels, pasta and cereal. Add other processed food, such as potato chips, corn chips and white rice. Don't forget the fatty meats like T-bone steaks, ribs, bacon and pork chops. Now, top it all off with a large amount of saturated fat, hydrogenated fat and processed vegetable fat, such as salad dressing, peanut butter, most cooking oils and mayonnaise. It's no wonder whe have an epidemic of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and arthritis as we as many other degenerative diseases.

Now for dessert. What could be more American than apple pie? Nevertheless, the absolute worst foods-and all-time American favorites - contain tons of sugar and hydrogenated fat. These include many baked goods, such as cupcakes, cookies, pies Danishes, fudge and brownies - and don't forget doughnuts and candy bars.

We didn't always eat this way. Former generations wee some of the healthiest on the planet. As an agrarian culture, many of our grandparents live much closer to the land. But today, our lifestyle is much too stressed and fast-paced, and as a result our diet suffers.

Most of us ar nearly drowning in stress. We live on the run, tossing down dinner from a "drive-thru" on our way to meetings or children's activities. On other days, we wash ashore at the end of the day with barely enough strength to make TV dinners. Or worse yet, we fill up on chips or whatever else we can find on the run.

We wear ourselves out working longer hours, and we enjoy our lives less and less. We exercise very little, if at all, and we keep up our hectic pace through stimulants such as coffee, tea, sodas and chocolate. We stress our bodies even more by purchasing more "things," bigger houses and new cars, which means longer work hours to pay for our cravings. Our list of commitments grows while our endurance runs out.

Stressed-out America is on a path to degenerative disease and premature death. Many of us are dying in middle age. But it doesn't have to be this way. We can choose to relax, slow down, smell the roses and choose a healthy diet."