Stop Eating the SAD Diet

 The Standard American Diet (SAD) is considered to be one of the worst diets in the world, and yet it is the most common diet for Americans regardless of social standing or financial situations.  Many people quibble about the fact that the diet is really more of an industrialized diet and is actually similar for many countries, so they prefer calling it the Westernized or Industrialized Diet. 

Regardless of what you call it, this diet is tied to increased risks of cancer, heart disease, muscle and tissue issues, strokes, stomach issues, diabetes, and nearly any other illness you can think of, including inflammation in patients with Fibromyalgia.  

In fact, the SAD diet is:

o   High in saturated and hydrogenated fats (the unhealthy ones)
o   High in Animal Fat
o   Low in Fiber
o   High in Processed Foods
o   Low in organic plant-based foods
o   Low in complex carbohydrates

Personally, I like the SAD acronym because it reflects the truth about the diet.  In America, we spend more than 1.4 trillion dollars on health. We are by far and away one of the wealthiest and most powerful countries on earth, but we rank the lowest of all of the industrialized nations in terms of our life expectancy.

Perhaps the saddest part of this diet is that it is most common in cultures where people can afford to eat the healthier foods, but simply choose not to due to convenience, choice, and in many cases ignorance.  Cultures that eat the reverse of the SAD diet have much lower incidences of cancer and heart disease and diabetes.  These healthier diets focus on foods that are low fat, high in fiber, plant based, and high in complex carbohydrates.

In 1988, the former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop stated that the American diet was the cause of about two-thirds of the deaths due to disease.  Americans are not dying from starvation like many third world countries, they are dying of diseases often caused by malnutrition.   

In general, Americans eat far too many calories for our activity levels and most of those calories are imbalanced nutritionally.  Our American diet today consists of very little fruits and vegetables. Instead most of us subside on junk food, processed foods, fast foods, and meats (much of which has hormones injected into it). 

Here’s the basic overview of all the imbalances and bad stuff in our SAD diet.

1.  We eat an excessive amount of meats, fats and sugar. 
2. We do not eat enough fruits, vegetables or raw plants in general
3. Our food is cooked and/or processed to the point that the nutrients we need like enzymes are removed.
4.  Many of our foods have toxins in them including additives, preservatives, and hormones.

Here are some starter changes to move away from SAD diet:

1.   Eat Fruits and Vegetables
2.  Replace processed white rice with unprocessed long grain rices
3.  Replace white bread with quality whole grain breads
4.  Avoid frozen and box meals
5.  Exercise 15 minutes more a day (this means consciously add 5 minutes of walking, yoga, running to you rdaily life)
6.  Watch your portion sizes (Feel free to eat as many fruits or vegetables as you like, but do be careful of any meats or processed foods)
7.  Eat at least 3 times a day (Stop skipping meals)
8.  Cut back on caffeinated drinks (coffee, soda, pop, coke, pepsi, whatever you want to call it)

So like many Americans, I used to skip breakfast and sometimes lunch.  At the end of the day, I would be tired and make something fast often frozen for dinner.  I did not exercise nearly enough and I rarely ate fruits and vegetables.  I drank way too much soda.  The worst part of these behaviors is that I was modeling them for my children and they were also eating poorly. 

I started implementing the starter changes listed above and I already feel better, happier, and healthier.  I still have a ways to go, but just being aware of the SAD diet and the health consequences for myself and my family if I continue to follow it, help keep me motivated to make better choices.

Have you been to a fast food restaurant today? This week? This month?  Have you eaten processed foods (this includes white rice, frozen dinners, many cereals, white breads and more)? 

My call to each of you is to stop eating SAD (as much as possible) and start simply making healthier choices!  Starting with small changes to your diet and lifestyle can have a huge impact!

Diet is an important part of managing Fibromyalgia and being aware of the SAD diet and learning some ways to change our diets can help Fibromyalgics considerably.