Downsizing the crap in my body

Goodness!  I haven't written this blog for quite awhile.

Downsizing, decluttering, minimalism - it's a never-ending journey!  

It's become a pretty dependable habit for me to pull everything out of a drawer, from a shelf, from a closet and clean, rethink the needed contents and put those things back in a special place ("Everything has a place, and everything in it's place.").  Everything I don't use or doesn't "spark joy" gets recycled.

I have established a little reminding "voice" in my head which asks me if I really need that "something" I'm just getting ready to buy.  I do buy things and some are not "necessary" but, all in all, I am staying within healthy boundries. 

I'm good at closure - if I begin a project, I finish it.  If I am writing a book, knitting a sweater for a friend or my daughter or painting a picture - it always gets done.  Still, I have so much material for future projects. I'm convinced I'll use it all but only the future will tell.

My attention has been on a more important subject lately - nutrition and the damage sugar and prepared food products do to our bodies.  Most people don't know what they are doing to their bodies when they eat the fast food or the pre-prepared dinners.  Not even to speak of the sugar-filled soft drinks.  And evidence shows that, like with smoking, the information doesn't get through to the behavior level.  That means, we know it and still do it because the products are addictive.

I just finished an amazing book on the subject called Fat Chance by Dr. Robert Lustig.  Fat Chance is Robert Lustig's  overview on nutrition and the pandemic of sugar-related diseases we are currently experiencing in the West.

 " Our risk for illness is increasing faster than the increase in obesity. Indeed, the cluster of chronic metabolic diseases termed metabolic syndrome - which includes obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), lipid disorders, and cardiovascular disease - is snowballing by leaps and bounds. And then there the other obesity-associated metabolic diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, kidney disease, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Add to that the other comorbidities (related medical conditions) associated with obesity, such as orthopaedic problems, sleep apnoea, gallstones, and depression, and the medical devastation associated with the obesity pandemic is staggering. " (Lustig, p.4)

Fructose The Toxin

-Fat Chance makes the case that all the successful diets have one thing in common: they restrict the amount of sugar.

-Sugar is composed of half fructose and half glucose. Fructose is what makes it sweet, and that’s what’s addictive and what we crave. This is a very dangerous sugar.

-The author makes the point that sugar has the same negative effects of alcohol on our bodies minus the high intoxication effects.

Fiber: The Antidote

-Fiber is half the antidote to the obesity pandemic. (The other half is exercise.)

-Most of the processed "food" we eat today though, including refined carbs to make pasta and white bread, are stripped of fiber.

-One of the reasons the food industry strips fiber away is to make food lasts longer. Which is one of the reasons why you should stay away from food with unnaturally long shelf lives.

Exercising Is Great But Doesn’t Lead to Weight Loss

-The author says that exercising is more important than diet and works at many different levels, except one: losing weight.

-Physical activity accounts for the smallest factor in energy expenditure going from 5% of the couch potato to 35% of the biggest gym rats.

-However, it goes a long way towards mitigating the negative effects of obesity and is essential for preventing metabolic syndrome.

-Exercise also helps in building muscles, which do consume energy.

So, now, I am trying to get as much fiber as I can and will not touch anything that is not "real food" aka comes from plants. I keep my meat down to a minimum of maybe once a week. I do eat a tablespoon of Skyr on my fruit in the morning plus a boiled egg for protein. Nuts and fresh produce make up my diet.

I exercise daily, keeping my muscles toned and like walking for health. I love the videos on YouTube and enjoy working out with them.

I had some blood work done and the doc said it looks great. The HDL was up (good!) and the LDL was down (great!) plus my cholesterol was in a good range. 

Perhaps I am "downsizing" the crap in my body!