Category: starving

The stuff we're made of... Could we be eating ourselves to death?

Did you know that each one of us is made up of roughly:

63% water
22% protein
13% fat, and
2% minerals and vitamins

And, did you realise that every single molecule in our body comes from the food we eat and the water we drink. So eating the highest quality food in the right quantities helps us achieve our greatest potential for health and vitality.

Yet among the big news stories of the new millennium was this: the number of starving people in the world is now roughly equal to the number of clinically obese people. But the irony is that many people in the developed world are actually eating less than they used to, so what’s going on?

I have seen, over the last twenty years or so, that the quality of food we’re eating has got worse and there is now more focus on highly processed foods. The people I see in my one-to-one clinics and in workshops and seminars seem to be more stressed and very inactive. It appears that we are more obsessed with how we look rather than what we eat.

The sum total of this behavior is that we are gradually eating ourselves to death and, believe it or not, many people who are overweight are actually suffering from the same condition as people who are starving. Yes, MALNUTRITION, The reason being that the processed packaged food is often so heavily refined that it’s lacking in the vitamins and minerals we need for our bodies to work well.

Just as the quality and type of fuel used in your car influences both the performance and longevity of the engine, so the quality and type of food you eat influences the health, performance and longevity of your body.

If your diet contains lots of packaged and processed foods then chances are you are missing out on vital nutrients - so it’s time to cleanse your body. Every  single process that takes place in your body - including digestion, fat burning, thinking, breathing, walking and talking - requires vitamins and minerals.

When you eat fresh, natural foods, your stock of vitamins and minerals gets topped up: quite simply, when you eat well, your body works well.

As we lose touch with real ‘live’ food, it becomes harder to form the association with the vitamins and minerals in food and the realisation that we are alive because of them. Our body requires them to survive, so if we keep eating food that is lacking in them, our body’s stocks of these nutrients become depleted so we will start to malfunction and it will become increasingly harder to concentrate and process information. The  body will have less energy and it will find it more difficult to metabolise food and burn fat. That’s why junk foods are often called ‘anti-nutrients.’ They literally attack your stores of nutrients and damage your health.

So commit to giving your body what it needs, including good food and plenty of activity, and I will help you along the way, giving you encouragement, support and guidance.

Until next time

Comments :
susan eggleton's Gravatar hi pete. i love your emails, they try to motivate me, but sometimes you have to get into the mental side of us.
i don't eat too much, i drink too much. but i think it's the same problem. i drink because i'm sad, and i know drinking won't make me happy, but it stops me feeling so sad. i don't know how you're going to get into the mental side of us, i wish you could wave a magic wand over me. that's for sure.
my sadness is that my beautiful husband died, and i know things will get better, one day.
thank you for sending me all the happy emails, they do lift me.
much love, suze xxxx
# By susan eggleton | 02/06/08 18:42
peter  cohen's Gravatar Hi Suze
thanks for your comments. Are you able to come to my event on the 21st of June in Central London as it could be the perfect tonic for you.
# By peter cohen | 02/06/08 19:42
Bibi's Gravatar I read your email with interest.I have heard this 'obese yet malnourished' thing before and can relate to it.I know all about healthy eating but the problem is that I seem unable to resist the 'bad' stuff, even though I know it is just that, bad for me! I eat healthily most of the time, but I still eat too much of the good stuff too - I seem unable to eat just in response to hunger and know when I am sated. I also crave sugar and carbs and, if I think I am not allowed them, eventually give in and binge on them, with the 'all or nothing' mentality. However, if I tell myself I can eat anything I like, in moderation, provided I am genuinely hungry, I then eat the 'bad' stuff in preference to the healthy and can't seem to stop! I genuniely wonder if I am addicted, crazy or just stuck on this terrible rollercoaster/treadmill! Sometimes I am so sick of the whole thing that I feel like just abandoning all efforts, but then my weight just keeps going up and up and I get terribly frightened and feel out of control and it all starts again. Help!
# By Bibi | 03/06/08 21:57
Louise's Gravatar Brilliant comments Pete! When I go around the supermarket, junk foods entice consumers in with special offers.Clothes sizes have increased to allow for growing waists,lulling consumers into a false sense of security.
We are living with a health time bomb,and the simple answer is to take food in it,s natural state,then create a meal.How much time is health worth?

Keep this up Pete.You are a star
# By Louise | 04/06/08 09:01
peter  cohen's Gravatar Hi Bibi
thanks for your comments. You just have some habits that need breaking. The thing is with simple carbs is that they are fairly addictive and the body doesn't really know when it's had enough. When we eat meat the body and brain work more closely together to give the message that we have had enough. You can break the habits you have but you need to be patient and give yourself a chance. Are you able to come to my event on the 21st in Central London?
# By peter cohen | 04/06/08 09:03
peter  cohen's Gravatar Hi Louise
Thanks for your kind words but remember it takes a stat to know a star.
Have a great day
# By peter cohen | 04/06/08 09:05
Jerry Stearns | GraniteHardBody.com's Gravatar Pete, Excellent post!

You did a very interesting and thorough study. It is very important to have a balance diet that contains essential vitamins and minerals. This will ensure healthy body functioning.

Thanks for sharing.
Lynda's Gravatar I have to tell you that until I read your book Slimming with Pete I was a yo yo dieter and my life was a total misery of either being on or off a diet. I no longer diet and think about what I eat all the time now and was doing quite well then I recently split up with a long term partner and although I wanted this to happen, I didn't stop eating for about 1 month and have (in spite of being in the middle of your weight loss programme) piled on about another 2 stone. I just felt it was the only way I could get through it. I am so annoyed at myself for reverting to all my old habits. I am slowly getting back to the gym but feel really self conscious and dread seeing anyone I know and am starting to control my eating again but it is such a long journey and i think now I just don't believe I can do it as the first thing that goes wrong I reach for the sugar snacks. Your emails do lift me and jolt me into action. Thanks for all your hard work.
# By Lynda | 23/06/08 23:34
peter  cohen's Gravatar Hi Lynda
Thanks for you comments. The key for you now is to be inspired about changing and smile every time you take any positive actions. You can and are doing this. Let us know how you go
# By peter cohen | 24/06/08 07:07

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