It seems like this “whole food, get healthier” movement is actually starting to build some steam {ironically, kind of like the whole extreme couponing thing sky-rocketed a couple of years ago}. According to a recent article on NPR, rates of type 2 diabetes is finally on the decline.
Studies showing that healthy eating {read: eat real food} combined with moderate exercise reducing the risk of diabetes have been cropping up over the past decade. Finally, those studies are starting to sink in {change is slow, eh?} and people are taking the information to heart. Rates of diagnosed type 2 diabetes {formerly adult-onset diabetes} are down from 1.7 million new cases in 2009 to 1.4 million in 2014. Obviously, the problem still very much exists, but the numbers are at least going down. Researchers attribute the decline to aggressive campaigns aimed at educating physicians and the general population on the importance of eating healthy and staying active.
I’ll admit, in the height of the couponing-craze, I really didn’t understand the impact of eating lots of over-processed foods. Don’t get me wrong, I totally knew it wasn’t as healthy, but I didn’t really fully grasp the long-term implications. I think one of the biggest reasons my family stayed so healthy during that period was the free produce from Mr. Produce guy and our garden. I’ve always canned and cooked a lot from scratch, and it supplemented our pantry pretty significantly during that time. While I can’t say whole foods are the only thing we put in our mouths, ultimately, I’ve kind of come to the understanding that there needs to be a balance–eat mostly real foods, and indulge a little less.
I don’t know about you, but it’s kind of nice to read about how we are moving in a positive direction from time to time.
How about you, has the campaign promoting whole foods hit your house? Or were you always on the whole food bandwagon?
~Mavis
Andrea says
I wasn’t always on the whole food bandwagon. My ex-husband and I were typical busy lifestyle people who ate out a lot. Unfortunately, after our divorce, I ended up with a completely different financial portfolio. I started gardening to help cut down on the food bill, but got into the coupon craze. One heart attack at the age of 37 had me looking at labels and being very careful what I eat. So I have done a complete change in the way I eat. I grow a majority of our food, preserve it, and eat a lot of raw food. The campaigning didn’t work, but the end result of not eating a whole food diet is what changed the food at our house.
Marcia says
My whole foods trends probably closely followed yours. I had the couponing thing going on (though not extreme couponing) and gradually changed over. I’d say in around 2001, I really got frugal. Tended to coupon then. In 2002, I got healthy and lost a bunch of weight (over 50 pounds), so I started eating less processed food.
2001 we also joined a CSA.
My first son was born in 2006, and I’d say that gradually from 2002 to 2006, we went more towards whole foods. I had a year or two in there after our son was born where I was pretty militant, and nearly vegetarian. I started buying more local and free range foods.
Of course all that made my budget go up. Add a second kid in 2012, plus no raise at work, and now new daycare bills of over $16k per year…
So yeah, I still eat local produce and some local meats, but much less than before. I’m much less militant about it. We eat more meat. We also eat white rice and bake with white flour sometimes too. I’m less extreme than I was for awhile there.
Laura Z says
Yep, that’s me too. It’s better to eat local/more organically if possible, but it’s also better to eat any veggies than none if you can’t afford the organic variety. I started to realize that white rice in small amounts, if eaten with a boatload of healthy vegetables and lean meats, isn’t really going to affect your blood sugar that much. The foodie in me wants jasmine rice with a Thai curry, not brown! My homemade bread is usually 100 percent whole wheat, but if I bring home an excellent baguette, it’s going to be made with white flour. We eat lots of greens (we are in the South) and cabbage/cruciferous salads in the winter and generally eat in seasons, but if Aldi has pineapples for 99 cents in the middle of January, I am gonna buy one. You know? I try to never buy meat that has been raised with antibiotics, and grass-fed /organic when we can — when that is not in the budget we will eat less meat and more tofu or beans. Of course, growing your own is the cheapest way to get organic produce, so we are working on that!
Hawaii Planner says
I’ve gotten much better about my own diet, but mostly because I can tell the difference in how I feel when I eat less processed junk. Also, we cook at home almost every night, which is a huge advantage. We’re not perfect by a long stretch – we still allow the kids to have mini protein bars before their long soccer clinics, they have cake at parties (we have cake at parties!), etc.
We are on the healthier side of the spectrum, but by no means perfectly clean eaters.
Amy says
I first thought what sparked my lean towards more whole foods and homemade staples was budget but the more i thought about it the more i kept thinking back to how i yearned to have a vegetarian diet again. I feel amazing when I eat less or no meat. Budget was a big factor but i just really missed feeling my best.
Karin says
This is a lifestyle that I want to adapt to so much, and need to so badly, as I’m pre-diabetic and have been told I need to get the carbs and sugar out of my diet, especially the processed kind. There’s one drawback though. I hate vegetables and most fruit. Its weird, my husband likes them and I understand the flavor profiles and make some good veggie dishes for him, but I just have this mental block when it comes to actually putting them in my mouth. Not sure how to get around it, but one of my goals for 2016 is to find at least 5 new healthy, natural, grown in dirt foods that I would be willing to eat on the regular.
I did the whole “extreme couponing” thing when all the cool kids were doing it. I still have a ton of the crap! Its now my zombie apocalypse emergency food (or I could open up a Yakisoba outlet store). I should probably throw it out, but I figure its so full of preservatives it will probably outlive us all, its not like its actually… you know… food…
Jen Y says
My husband was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 17 yrs ago. He was mistakenly diagnosed as type 2 initially because he was 36 at the time but was later confirmed a type 1. He was born into a family full of juvenile diabetics so he recognized the symptoms before he became very sick at all & immediately made serious changes. Diet was the biggest change.
We never called it a whole food diet, we just stopped eating carbs (no bread, pasta, potatoes, beans, ect) & we eat real sugar in moderation. Now we eat one or two salads a day (lunch & supper), a high protein breakfast, snacks are yogurt, nuts, fresh fruit or cheese. We do still go out for burgers or pizza occasionally but usually for lunch & we plan to be very active immediately after the meal. Chips & fries have been the hardest things to give up for us – we still eat them more often than we should.
On the good side, our son was 5 yrs old when my husband was diagnosed. He grew up becoming familiar with finger pricks, blood levels, measuring food servings & counting carbs & calories. He thinks about what he eats much more than I did at 22.
Another thing I’ve noticed; I teach a children’s class at my church & serve a snack. I rarely serve sweets or carbs because the children will not eat them! Usually I serve fruit or cheese instead. So, it must be sinking in if children are showing such self-control.
Mavis says
I love all the healthy changes you made and the example you set for your son. Clearly it worked!
mandy says
With the couponing craze, I loved it, but we just didn’t eat many of the items available. I have always liked to cook from scratch. I did find deals on meat, and cheese, I just didn’t want soda or junk food around unless we were having a party. All of our uncles have had late setting diabetes. I started telling my son when he was on his way to college and was looking forward to eating whatever he wanted. I just tell him with both of us it’s not a matter of if we get it it’s a matter of when. So we have to be careful with what we eat. I’ve come to realize lately also that it’s on me to make good examples of what to eat for him. I was home over Christmas and it was nice to see how my dad was eating. (for lunch he had a mandarin then grapes, then yogurt.) He’s being careful these days too. He’s always been good, just keeps gettin better.
Mavis says
The coupon craze certainly changed the contents of people’s pantries and how they were feeding their families, that’s for sure! I miss saving money but not the way we ate because of it!
RebekahU says
I also have heard that cancer rates are really down, and that they could go down by about 25% more if people would stop smoking, try to get closer to a normal weight, and walk 30 minutes 4 – 5 times a week. All of this is really good news!
I’m a beekeeper, and through learning about the bees, I’ve become uber interested in our food supply, and in all of the chemical pesticides that are sprayed on our food. That knowledge has really made me turn to trying to grow more and more of our own food, and being picky about the foods that I do not or cannot grow. I do not go to Whole Foods (too expensive), but I do try to buy local and fresh, and if I know the grower, I am willing to pay more.
Mavis says
You’re a beekeeper? That’s so awesome!!