What Do We REALLY Know About Healthy Eating?

The belief that we all know about eating healthy might just be killing us!

According to Dr. Neal Barnard, the head of The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine, the so-called “health movement” in this country is such a misnomer that it could actually be dangerous. He believes that although the perception is we have gone through a healthy eating renaissance, the reality is that most Americans maintain a diet that contributes to serious illnesses and even death. It is this disparity, between perception and truth, that he believes presents the greatest danger.

Barnard says that we still have a long way to go before good eating is truly an  integral part of our lives. He points out that even with the new studies showing that vegetables, like carrots and broccoli, can help to prevent cancer, only 10% of this country eats the daily recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables. “What we have is a situation that is almost as dangerous as total ignorance. People THINK they know what to eat, and they THINK they are eating right. The truth is they are not. The false perception, that we are eating healthy, prevents more complete educational measures from being taken. It is a dangerous situation that is costing people their lives. We can’t seem to overcome the idea of a healthy diet being filled with milk and meat.”

As Barnard explains, “The meat and dairy are the principal sources of cholesterol and fat. To be blunt, they’re killing us. We should kick them out of the American kitchen.”

Barnard believes that schools must take some of the responsibility by training children how to eat healthy, right from the start, so it becomes second nature to them. “With all the health information out there, people are still not convinced. I think this is caused, in part, by the fact that a diet not laden in fat seems foreign to most people. If we start in elementary school with proper training about truly healthy foods, this country will bring up a generation of kids far less susceptible to diseases like cancer, stroke and high blood pressure. Hey, this is a situation where what we don’t do, but think we do, will hurt us.”