What does it mean to be a smoker? What an obvious question that is. Someone who grabs a cigarette, puts in between their lips, lights it and puffs away.
But what does it really mean to be a smoker? A smoker is someone who willing puts a pollutant into their lungs. In turn, the smoke then causes the cells of the body to react to the pollution and a variety of diseases begin to progress. In the case of cigarette smoking, it has been linked to a variety of cancers such as; lung, mouth, throat, esophageal, bladder, pancreatic, kidney, cervical and stomach. Cigarette smoking is also directly linked to heart disease and emphysema.
So, it is clear that polluting your body with smoke can effect you in a multitude of ways. Wouldn't that theory hold true then for any other pollutants that you put in your body? Of course. Take alcohol for example and you have another whole plethora of potential diseases.
Lets say that you don't smoke and you don't drink. Then, what is this article all about anyway? It's about a new way of thinking about what you put into your body. Research has proven that the animal products, dairy and meat, that typical Americans consume in excess can cause a wide variety of disease too. Is this really true? Is this news to you? Well, most people know that the "American Diet" is conducive to people gaining too much weight and that the cure is calorie restriction and exercise. But there is really more to it than just that. By reducing the intake of dairy and meat we could solve the health care crisis! That is a bold statement, but I believe it to be true. The percentage of overweight Americans has skyrocketed and with that comes high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, heart attacks, strokes and a multitude of various cancers. All of these issues put the biggest strain on our health care system and we could drastically change this trend.
Could America really change its ways? We are a nation of entitlement. We work hard, so we play hard. We deserve the good things in life, it's the American way. But what does food do for us anyway. It's obviously our source of nutrition, so it's very important biologically. But what else have Americans done with food? We have taken food from being something as essential as the air we breathe and the water we drink and made it into an event. Food is now equated with enjoyment, pleasure, relaxation, social gatherings and tradition. Food is craved like a drug. Food is an addiction in our country just like smoking, alcohol or any other drug. The challenge then is to get back to what food is meant for. Nutrition. Food is meant to keep you healthy and energetic, not to do harm to your body as we have made it into. The point isn't to get Americans to eat nutritious, but bland meals all day long. It is just about changing our ways and getting back to basics. Food can taste good, but be devoid of animal fats and proteins and will then be better for you.
So if you think the analogy is a bit too harsh, I beg to differ. Eating foods that have the propensity to cause disease and harm is exactly equivalent with cigarette smoking. Being a smoker doesn't mean that you will become ill right away. Most often it takes years for diseases to arise. This is the same for eating the good old American Diet. If you want to make a difference, it's all starts with you. Shock the world and eliminate animal products from polluting your digestive system or just cut back sequentially and give your body a chance to be all it's meant to be. Allowing pollutants into your body in any form can only be detrimental. Will you continue to be a smoker, or decide to quit?
