Most people are unaware that 6 in 10 adults and around 46% of children have a chronic disease. Some of the most common chronic conditions for children are asthma, ADHD, and allergies, two of which are conditions that just so happen to impact my eldest child. My youngest has a genetic disease (cystic fibrosis) for which there’s no other explanation than chance and happenstance, but I spend a lot of time wondering how in the world in can be that so many of us are impacted by disease. It’s easy to see these numbers on paper, but not understand the bearing that this has on every aspect of our society from productivity and education to financial burden, health care, and days lost from work.
An article published earlier this year noted that diet has now surpassed smoking as the number one lifestyle risk factor associate with chronic disease. It’s well documented that the majority of chronic disease is actually preventable in that it’s often caused by lifestyle choices. So when these authors noted diet as the primary lifestyle risk factor, I felt that we should feel alarmed since it seems that we are literally eating ourselves out of health.
I then wonder about the mechanism behind diet and the development of disease and I’m most enthralled by the information that links microbiome (the microbial population that resides in and on your body) to specific diseases. There’s much to uncover in this area of research, but the data is clear in that there’s a significant relationship between the specific microbes that reside in your gut and the development of certain diseases and conditions including Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, dementia, heart disease, diabetes, cancers, depression, ADHD, violent behavior, atherosclerosis, and countless other diseases. What you’ll see from this list is that you’re not just talking about microbial control over physiological conditions, but psychological, as well. The National Alliance on Mental Illness states that 1 in 5 U.S. adults and 1 in 6 U.S. youth experience mental illness every year, meaning that our incidence of psychological issues is just as bad as our chronic disease. In fact, suicide is the second leading cause of death for people age 10 – 34. Do you care to know the second leading cause of death for children age 5 – 14 years of age? Cancer. All of these stats point to some serious issues with the way that we’re living our lives.
A comprehensive look at diet and nutrition must therefore consider the fact that the food you eat directly controls who or what grows in your gut. And when we consider food as the fuel that feeds our microbes, we see it as much more than a compilation of carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and minerals. Food suddenly becomes the power that feeds disease. However, the toxins that we put into our environment are also capable of impacting disease and the microbial population within our gut. So when we consume products that have a manufacturing stream, we are inadvertently condoning the release of certain chemicals into the environment. Not only do certain products release chemicals upon manufacturing, but they also release chemicals once they’re disposed of and placed into the waste stream.
I recently spoke at a Native American land management conference and the word “superficial” came up quite a bit, and not just during the conference, but during my travels while I was listening to podcasts about improving local systems. I then started looking at my own consumption needs and determined that many of them are actually wants and have nothing to do with real needs. Our most basic needs boil down to clean air, pure water, and healthy food, yet purchasing and consumerism is actually counterproductive to acquiring the resources I need more than anything else. Then I start seeing my material possessions in a whole new way. I’m looking at the inflatable pool toy in my garage as a form of pollution, the plastic tubes of toothpaste as ocean floaters that end up being lodged in the belly of a washed-up whale, and the bags and bags of chips, crackers, and bars as just another waste stream that I can’t prevent because I don’t have the desire to cook any more food than I’m already cooking. I’ve been looking at items in a whole new light and asking myself whether that purchase is worth its environmental degradation. I’m asking myself if that product is worth destroying the health of my children, my children’s children, and whoever comes after me.
I know that I initially started this post by talking about food and it’s impacts on health, but our ability to eat healthfully is so intricately entwined in consumerism that I can no longer think of the two as being mutually exclusive. We’ve chosen superficial values such as dying our hair, painting our nails, redecorating our homes when the current décor goes out of style, exchanging old wardrobes for new, buying party decorations that end up in the trash, and desperately trying to keep up with changing trends over values that will improve our health and the health of this planet. Some would argue that the indulgences I’ve listed aren’t superficial at all, that they’re a valuable part of a person’s identify and self-worth. But I suppose I’m seeing where we’re all just trying to fill a massive emotional and spiritual void with products that actually have a detrimental impact on what matters most – our health and the health of the environment. Sure, party decorations are fun, but you know what else is fun? Feeling healthy. My heart breaks almost daily for my daughter in knowing that her genetic disease will forever be my most difficult challenge. Unfortunately, I know what it’s like to lose health. And to think, so much disease could be prevented if we ate better food and stopped polluting our environment to such great extents.
The hardest part about the awakening I’m experiencing is feeling that my every move is a fault. No matter what I do, it’ll never be enough. I’m so overwhelmed by my own scrutiny that there’s a small hint of self-loathing, and I question whether there’s even hope for the future of humanity. There’s an overall 50% reduction in sperm count and 1 in 3 couples experience challenges when trying to conceive. The natural continuation of our species seems questionable given our huge amount of consumption, its associated pollution, and our lack of appreciation for healthy food and clean water. I admit that I’m part of the problem and quite frankly, I’m not willing to completely stop consuming despite my knowing better. I’m sure that my desires, needs, and wants will shift over time, but I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to completely withdraw in an act of martyrdom.
I certainly don’t have any clear answers for our health and environmental problems, and I definitely don’t recommend that you mimic my own actions since I’m far from the epitome of an environmental steward worth following. But I also know that I’m in desperate need of a bit of hope and something to focus on so that I don’t drive myself mad. I’m having to reel in my thoughts in order to set some manageable expectations and parameters. In health coaching, I always encourage people to focus on small, manageable action steps and I believe that this scenario is no different. I feel too overwhelmed when I try to save the world, but I feel successful when I accomplish a little.
One of the solutions I see as having the greatest impact on our environmental footprint is directly related to a specific type of consumption that no one can stop and that is the direct consumption of food. In that respect, I’m going to keep trying to grow as much of my own food as I can and continuing to make time in my life for this practice. There’s no plastic packaging, shipping costs, tilling, transportation, spraying of toxic pesticides, manufacturing, or hardly any environmental inputs that go into gardening and growing food. It’s honestly the best thing we can all do for our health and the environment. I’ll also continue to rely on my local farms as much as I can in order to meet whatever needs I’m unable to satisfy with my own efforts. When it comes to packaged foods, I’m going to try to use bulk purchasing, reusable containers such as glass jars for bulk bins, and a whole new set of criteria that thoroughly evaluates the worth of a product and the value that it adds to my life.
I know that there are numerous solutions to our environmental conundrum, but I’m certain that it starts with each individual reflecting on their own life with serious consideration and asking what they can do as just one person. As individuals, we’ll accomplish very little, but we’ll accomplish a whole hell of a lot more as a society with the common goal of protecting our environment and creating a world that’s capable of sustaining a healthy human population. I hope you all agree that we need to realign our values and start asking ourselves whether our health and happiness can be truly sustained with our current actions, and if not, how do we start to change? No one person can do it alone, but maybe if one person takes a stand, the rest will start to follow.
Thank you, Leah, for this thoughtful heartfelt post. I find myself in much the same place; and it is only by stepping up, one person at a time, that we can hope to make a difference. Will that be enough? Is it too late? My biggest hope is that it’s not too late, but our planet can only withstand so much toxicity…just like our bodies and minds.