In the field of Clinical Nutrition, we know that excess pounds can lead to increased rates of diabetes and heart disease, but new research adds cancer to that list as well. Is this a surprising finding? Not really.

For several years now we have discussed the fact that inflammation is at the root of most degenerative diseases and cancer certainly fits into that category. In fact, if you’ve ever heard me a lecture on heart disease or diabetes you would have heard me comment that the similarity amongst the leading killers of Americans, namely heart disease, diabetes, and cancer is quite striking. And what is the similarity or common root cause? Inflammation.

How does inflammation relate to obesity? Quite directly. Excess pounds, particularly when carried in the torso—the area between your shoulder blades and hips – are dangerous. The fat cells literally explode creating damage in nearby organs.

Fat Cells Explode, Causing Serious Organ Damage

If you imagine an explosion, you would think of flame and destruction. It turns out that our fat cells actually do that kind of damage, creating inflammation in the wake of their explosion. A recent study out of The Lancet on May 29th of this year found that one-third of all cancers are directly related to obesity. Further, 3.5 million deaths occur from excess body fat each year in this country.

In analyzing trends of obesity from 1980 to 2013, the authors discovered a 28% increase in adults’ obesity levels during that 33 year period, while children’s obesity levels rose a frightening 47% during that same time period. It is estimated the obesity leads to more doctor visits than smoking…

What Can You Do to Reduce Your Risk?

The truth of the matter is that the solution is pretty easy and inexpensive – no drugs or surgery required for the REAL solution to weight loss. But sadly, if you polled most Americans they would much rather choose the drug and perhaps even surgery rather than know what really works. How can that be? How is it that we’d rather take a dangerous drug or receive life-threatening surgery costing tens of thousands of dollars instead of changing our diet and lifestyle?

It’s because we perceive a change of diet to be so difficult. Is that because it actually is? No. But it ‘seems’ that way because we are brainwashed by fast food companies to think that it is. We are brainwashed by major food manufacturers to believe that if we can’t have their ‘crappy’ product we’ll be missing out in some pleasure in our lives. Is that true? Does fast food, junk food, and highly processed food make you happier? Well…. In a dangerous way, it may ‘seem’ that way. But only in the same way that an alcoholic or drug addict thinks their substance makes them happier.

In other words, it’s not true happiness and it’s anything but healthy. But you should understand that food engineers do put chemicals in our unnatural, over-processed “food” products that cause our brains to crave those bad foods. And when we’re not getting them in our system, we perceive that we need them. We perceive that we’ll be happier when we eat them. That’s not real ‘happiness’, that’s an addiction and it’s downright dangerous. This is not my opinion. There are many studies that support my statements. And, of course, these addictive junk foods not only cause cravings but their very composition causes weight gain – dangerous weight gain that we now know is moving us towards increased risk of cancer, amongst other diseases. So, back to the big question—what do we do to change this mess? Root Cause Medical Clinic has the answer.

7 Key Steps to Start on the Road to Better Health

1. Avoid junk food. I’m sorry but you’ve got to break the habit of eating fast food and junk food. I know that’s a big ask, but if you don’t you just can’t possibly be healthy. And if you’re young and living on fast food and you feel fine, I’ve got to tell you that you won’t continue feeling fine. That type of diet is going to catch up to you. If you’ve been eating that way for a while and think it’s too late to change, you’re wrong. The good news is that it’s never too late to change.

The human body is a very generous and tough machine. It will heal when you start doing the right things for it. And if the mere thought of changing your diet makes you nervous, literally, just realize you’re addicted. The addiction can be out of your system in a matter of a few days. It’s really not that hard. If you can make it through 3 or 4 days, you’ve likely conquered the addiction. That’s not a long period of time, right? I’m happy to help you with tips on how to get through it—I’ve been working with patients for over two decades doing just that.

2. Start eating 5 to 7 servings of fruits and veggies every day. No GMO versions, if you please. GMO negates everything that’s good about the fruit or vegetable. Whether you hide your greens in a smoothie so that you can’t taste them, or cut up kale so fine in your tomato sauce that you don’t even know that it’s there, just eat it! I’m happy to help you with some strategies of how to get fruits and veggies into your diet (and your kids’ diet). The importance of these foods lies in their ability to reduce inflammation and literally detoxify the body.

3. Drink clean water. How much? Drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day. Spread the water out throughout the day and you will start to lose weight, decrease inflammation, and detoxify.

4. Exercise. What type of exercise is best? The one that you’ll do! Figure out what you’ll actually do—and just start with that. Once you’re exercising about 100 minutes per week, then we’ll refine it to get the most from your routine. Do you know how I mentioned that fast food was addictive? Well so is exercise—except it’s a healthy addiction! You’ll find that when you really make it a habit to exercise, you’ll miss it when you don’t. This is a good habit to get into.

5. For protein—consider lean, clean options as well as plant-based ones. Consider organic, pastured eggs, chicken, and fish that you know have not been fed GMO, antibiotics or hormones, and nuts, beans, and green vegetables—all which provide good protein.

6. Eat good fats and oils. Good fats (in the form of extra virgin olive oil, coconut, avocado, almond, tea seed, and hazelnut oils) are excellent for preparing food. Avocados, olives, and flax seeds are also great to eat. Why are these fats so good? They are anti-inflammatory and therefore not only healthy but in the case of the fats high in omega-3 fatty acids, they actually help you to lose weight.

7. Avoid food sensitivities.
This may be last on the list, but certainly not because it isn’t vitally important. Having a food sensitivity means that you are eating a food that’s creating a toxic-like response in your body. Such a reaction can affect any and all systems and organs of the human body—and it will also create inflammation and cause weight gain for many.

The two most common food sensitivities? gluten and dairy. You’ll need help figuring out what foods you may be sensitive to. If you need assistance, let me know. Could this list be longer? Certainly, but let’s begin with these 7 items and see how you do. Tailor-made programs are what we specialize in, but there are certain basics that are great to start with and I’ve listed these basics above.

Cancer, heart disease, and diabetes can be pretty scary. Isn’t it nice to know that you have some control? And it’s as simple as what you put into your mouth? See? Not so hard after all!