Healthy Food Choices
Gluttony is our national sin, and obesity is our national consequence. The problem is much more serious than not being able to fit into last year’s pants. A host of serious medical problems are connected to obesity, a modern American epidemic. Many Americans develop poor habits and unhealthy attitudes about food at a very young age. Unhealthy choices are perpetuated for decades until your doctor delivers the unwelcome news that failure to change will have dire consequences.
For example, if your grandparents lived through the great depression, it is likely that they taught your parents to clean their plates because they saw wasting food as morally wrong. Frugal Americans deceive themselves into thinking that an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant is more of a bargain the more you eat. However, those restaurants are not a good deal at all when you factor in the side dishes of heart disease and diabetes.
Too many of us snack mindlessly without paying attention to portions or choices. Just a few adjustments in your mindset could help you to avoid empty calories that add calories without adding any nutritional value to your diet. The secret is not to adopt a restrictive diet but rather to make some fundamental changes in your attitude towards food.
Opt for quality over quantity. Rather than giving up your favorite foods, it would be better to limit yourself to smaller portions of higher quality versions of your favorites. Think about portions. American plates have gradually increased in size to match the Americans who eat from them. This is especially true at a restaurant. It is rare to find a nutritionally appropriate meal at a mainstream restaurant because the portions are routinely oversized. Restaurants cannot risk the poor reviews that would result if their portions were smaller, so it is up to you to determine in advance that part of that plate is for another meal.
On the Space Coast, Dr. Diego Velarde at the Advanced Surgical and Weight Loss Institute in Merritt Island has over ten years of clinical practice and specializes in bariatric surgery. Dr. Velarde performs minimally invasive robotic surgery using the da Vinci Surgical Robot that allows for an increased range of motion and precise movements.