This blog may not appeal to many Americans who are in denial
about the dangers of their eating habits and those of their children.
Many people will do anything to continue their love affair with rich,
disease-causing foods and will sacrifice their health in the process.
Many American consumers prefer not to know about the dangers of
their diet because they don't want to have their pleasures interfered
with. This book is not for them.
If you have to give up something you get pleasure from, your
subconscious may prefer to ignore solid evidence or defend illogically
held views. Many ferociously defend their unhealthy eating practices.
Others just claim, "I already eat a healthy diet," when they do not.
There is a general resistance to change. It would be much easier if healthful eating practices and the scientific importance of nutri tional excellence were instilled in us as children. Unfortunately, chil dren are eating more poorly today than ever before.
Most Americans are not aware that the diet they feed their chil dren guarantees a high cancer probability down the road." They don't even contemplate that eating fast-food meals may be just as risky (or more so) than letting their children smoke cigarettes.14
The 1992 Bogalusa Heart Study confirmed the existence of fatty plaques
and streaks (the beginning of atherosclerosis) in most children and
teenagers!
You w o u l d n 't let y o u r children sit a r o u n d the table smoking ci
gars and drinking whiskey, because it is not socially acceptable, but
it is fine to let them consume cola, fries cooked in trans fat, and a
cheeseburger regularly. Many children consume doughnuts, cookies,
cupcakes, and candy on a daily basis. It is difficult for parents to under
stand the insidious, slow destruction of their child's genetic potential
and the foundation for serious illness that is being built by the con
sumption of these foods.
It would be unrealistic to feci optimistic about the health and
well-being of the next generation when there is an unprecedented
increase in the average weight of children in this country and record
levels of childhood obesity. Most ominous were the results reported
by the 1992 Bogalusa Heart Study, which studied autopsies per
formed on children killed in accidental deaths. The study confirmed
the existence of fatty plaques and streaks (the beginning of athero
sclerosis) in most children and teenagers!15 These researchers con cluded: "These results emphasize the need for preventive cardiology in early life." I guess "preventive cardiology" is a convoluted term that means eating healthfully.
Another recent autopsy study appearing in the New England Jour
nal of Medicine found that more than 85 percent of adults between
the ages of twenty-one and thirty-nine already have atherosclerotic
changes in their coronary arteries.16 Fatty streaks and fibrous plaques
covered large areas of the coronary arteries. Everyone knows that
junk foods are not healthy, but few understand their consequences
serious life-ihrcatening illness. Clearly, the diets we consume as chil dren have a powerful influence on our future health and eventual premature demise.17
There is considerable data to suggest that childhood diet has a greater impact on the later incidence of certain cancers than does a poor diet later in life.18
It is estimated that as many as 25 percent of schoolchildren today are obese.19 Early obesity sets the stage for adult obesity. An overweight child develops heart disease earlier in life. Mortality data suggests that being overweight during early adult life is more dangerous than a similar degree of heaviness later in adult life.
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