Is our community up to the challenge of creating a “culture of health?” According to the Advisory Council on Nutrition, “It will take concerted, bold actions on the part of individuals, families, communities, industry, and government to achieve and maintain the healthy diet patterns and the levels of physical activity needed to promote the health of the U.S. population. These actions will require a paradigm shift … to achieve a population-wide ‘culture of health’ in which healthy lifestyle choices are easy, accessible, affordable and normative — both at home and away from home.”
I think if any community can commit to a culture of health, it is Vashon. But to do so we need accurate information.
Did you know that eating too much sugar causes cancer, dementia, liver disease, heart disease, diabetes and ovarian cysts? More than half the people in this country, whether they are thin or fat, do not know they already have some health damage from eating sugar and processed carbohydrates.
Don’t take my word for it. Watch “The Skinny on Obesity,” available on YouTube. Dr. Robert Lustig is a pediatric endocrinologist who spent decades working with obese adolescents. He realized that sugar has a different effect on our bodies than any other food.
Most sugar is made of two molecules, glucose and fructose. Fructose can only be metabolized by the liver. When the liver is overwhelmed with fructose, we develop “fatty liver disease,” much like cirrhosis of the liver that alcoholics get. To get rid of excess sugar in the blood, our bodies produce insulin. After repeated surges of insulin, our bodies become resistant to it. That leads to diabetes. Low insulin levels cause brain damage, which is why Alzheimer’s is often called Diabetes-3.
The American Heart Association advises that women consume no more than 100 calories of added sugar per day and men no more than 150 calories. The average American adult consumes about twice that much, and teens consume about three times that amount. Many foods we think are healthy are packed with added sugar. Some popular brands of low-fat flavored yogurt have more sugar than a Twinkie.
Just as sharing a cigarette is no longer how couples show their love, we can develop alternatives to sharing cake and cookies. What if we no longer used candy to reward children for good behavior? Or to make ourselves feel better when we are bored, lonely or tired? There are alternative activities, like walking, and alternative foods, like blueberries, that can help us feel better without hurting us. Come walk with one of the Vashon groups through MeetUp.com, for instance. Walking reduces the stress hormone cortisol and causes your brain to grow new neurons. You can get relaxed and smarter at the same time!
My current focus is on nutrition and physical activity in our schools. A well-being committee is looking at how we can help students and staff be healthier. How can we encourage more physical activity by all students, not only athletes? How can we provide staff with time and space to be physically active? How can we fundraise and celebrate without sweets? Ideally, every graduate from our high school will have a solid start on a healthy lifestyle and will know how to monitor and maintain his or her health.
The choice is yours. Will you help create a culture of health on our island?
— Laura Wishik is the volunteer coordinator for Shape Up Vashon and teaches Food for Life, a class on developing a healthy relationship with food. She is also chair of Vashon’s school board, an attorney for the City of Seattle and mother of two.
