Countless research projects have proven that American food, particularly food associated with “the Western diet,” is one of the leading causes of health disease in the nation. Obesity and diabetes are the two epidemics we tend to focus on in regard to food. But how far does sickness go, and how much of our food intake can we control? Almost everything we eat has such high amounts of sodium and sugar that one serving of a canned vegetable might be all you need to fulfill your body’s needs for these substances.
College students especially have vigorous schedules and limited resources to buy or prepare healthy food. As a result, we resort to eating microwaveable foods with little amounts of healthy nutrients or stopping by the nearest fast food restaurant. What most students do not consider is the significant effect food intake can have on the body down the road.
If there is anything people are afraid of losing control over, it is their mind. Alzheimer’s disease destroys the mind and was previously thought to be a non-preventable disease. The cause was thought to be the gene APOE epsilon-4 passed from parents to offspring.
In 1993, however, the Chicago Health and Aging Project revealed a different story. Thousands of healthy individuals came in for the project. They recorded their daily food intake and lifestyles over a long period of time. Their long-term health statuses were noted in comparison to these factors. Researchers watched for several diseases, and Alzheimer’s was among them.
Dr. Neal Barnard gave a presentation at Healthy Lifestyle Expo in 2012 that provided an interesting correlation between foods high in saturated fats and Alzheimer’s disease, initially discovered by the Chicago Health and Aging Project. Barnard uses the example of bacon grease to explain the concept of saturated fats. Most people use grease to prepare bacon, and some empty the already used grease into a container to use for the next time they prepare a meal. The hot grease soon cools off and solidifies, which is a sign that bacon grease is high in saturated fat. Butter, milk, chicken and pizza also fall into this category.
According to Barnard’s presentation, the study revealed the participants who consumed less than 21.6g of saturated fat on a daily basis had significantly lower rates of Alzheimer’s than people who consumed over 21.6g of saturated fats per day. The researchers in the study also measured saturated fat intake among people with APOE epsilon-4 and got the same result. People with this gene who consumed lower amounts of saturated fat had much lower Alzheimer’s risk than people who consumed high amounts of saturated fats. In other words, the Alzheimer’s disease epidemic is controllable. It is not all genetics.
“[There is] something about bacon grease and dairy fat and so forth that is harming the brain,” Barnard said. Many doctors were horrified by this study, and the food industry still operates as usual. But some people, like Barnard, were thrilled about this discovery.
“It means we can choose what we’re going to eat right this minute,” Barnard said. So we see thatto choose a healthier lifestyle is to take control of how high your risk is of obtaining a health-damaging disease.
On the other hand, convenience is key for college students. A complete change in diet is not always a practical goal for students. Barnard, however, recognized that no one eats perfectly healthy. Students can control their health by limiting portions, substituting one type of snack or even walking further to class. It doesn’t have to be a complete change in diet.
“There are three things can do to control your health: one is to skip the bad fats, next is to knock out free radicals and next is to exercise your brain,” Barnard said.
Awareness is the key. As of now, the food industry is still the same. This is getting so much public attention that documentary films, such as “FED UP” are being released on the topic of the food industry and health. On an individual basis, little changes can lead to significant control over your own health.
