How Nutrition Impacted My Life and Work

The vast majority of Americans are overweight and this health crisis is proven to cause disease and chronic illness. 45% of Americans today are impacted by this growing epidemic and health officials and professionals are determining that diet is one of the leading causes of death. In short, our food supply is killing us. Three-quarters of adults and one in three children today are overweight or obese. Why is this happening? Simply, it's our food supply coupled with sedentary and unhealthy lifestyles.

The USDA completed a study on our soil 30 years ago and found that at that time it was severely depleted of nutrients. We have added to the complexity of this issue by introducing more and more chemicals and pollutants into our lands and then over tilling our agricultural soil. Deforestation and construction are also contributing to soil erosion. The topsoil is where the majority of the nutrients lie, so when it is stripped away, so is the quality of your food. Soil degradation is contributing to a nutritionally bankrupt supply of food. Also, all of you out there who think that you're fine because you shop for only organic food, best beware as soil degradation impacts these supplies as well.

This lack of nutrition and poor lifestyle choices are now spilling over into the workplace, costing companies millions of dollars in lost days of productivity and health insurance costs. A professor from Tufts University has said that half of all deaths are diet-related. Half. Let that sink in. Also, for perspective, twice as many people die each year from eating processed meat like hotdogs, then in car accidents. To me, this is horrific as these deaths could be prevented.

Last year, I found myself in the ER at a hospital here in St. Louis, thinking I was having a heart attack. Thankfully, it was not but this experience cost me time out of the office and about $18,000 to be in the hospital for several days and to have extensive testing done. You see, my older brother died from a heart attack at the age of 47, so my doctor wasn't taking any chances. My brother's diet was a typical American diet: rich foods, too much fat, processed and fast food and despite being thin, he was "skinny fat." After my health scare, I decided to make some big changes in my life. I got back in the gym, I was counting calories, I used an app to keep me accountable and I added more fruit and vegetables into my day. I also cut out fried foods and alcohol. But I only lost about ten pounds. Then in March, a friend reached out and explained that it's because we have "forever chemicals" like PBA in our body and our fat cells and they contribute to weight gain. PBA was created as a form of birth control and it failed but scientists realized it created an excellent plastic. But that excellent plastic has leeched PBA into our water supply and PBA mimics estrogen.

The friend who called me introduced me to a health and wellness company that addresses all of the pillars of health that are essential for humans to thrive: stress reduction, toxin elimination, deeper sleep, and well-balanced nutrition. Since I started on this program, I have lost just shy of 40 lbs, I'm sleeping like a baby, my stress has been greatly reduced, I am no longer suffering from vertigo and sinus infections and I have lost the brain fog. My blood pressure has gone from high to perfectly normal. My nutritional plan has given me the ability to be truly present at work every day, being more productive and attentive to what needs to get done. I feel better and this translates to me producing better work. I have the creative itch again and want to stretch beyond my normal output and it's all because I said yes to a new lifestyle. I am a better person and co-worker because of this journey because I have energy and I'm happier because I feel great. I know that nothing is ever promised for tomorrow and I could encounter a tragedy of all sorts just going to the grocery store, but this is one thing I have 100% control over. You have that control too and I hope that you will consider how important your diet is to your overall health and your job and make the changes necessary to be the best version of yourself. You are worth it!