A Serious Look At Lifestyle Choices—The Tip Of The Iceberg

By: Kevin J. Andrews, R.D.

When I sat down to consider the exact topic that I would focus on for this article, many ideas came into consideration, though none seemed to give me passion.  Passion, in my opinion, is the first and foremost ingredient in any endeavor, and as such, I asked myself “What is it you want to achieve first and foremost?”  Secondly, provided I am able to give an answer, “Is it realistic?”  Taking these questions into consideration, my topic was an obvious choice - to help people.  The answer to the latter question was not as clear-cut. 

In trying to quantify the latter question, I ask that you close your eyes after reading this completed paragraph with the goal of visualizing a standard segment of the population at any commonly visited public place. Visualize the type of person you see and watch their habits.

Did you see any of the following?

• Overweight or obese people, including children
• People, including children, eating at fast-food restaurants
• People smoking
• Your office peers “scarfing” down sweets brought in by someone
• People drinking sodas
• You and your peers going out to eat huge portions of food
• People drinking at the local bar

Our society - as advanced as it is (and as advanced as it will ever become) - offers us choices which may be a positive step forward or a detrimental step backward – so to speak.  People, in general, strive for comfort, ease in living and convenience.  We eat hot-dogs, don’t exercise, eat all the “goodies” brought in by office staff or others, frequent the office lounge and enjoy  “500-calorie” coffee and giant sized muffins, and welcome someone going to the fast-food restaurant who kindly asks “What can I get you?”  These types of habits compounded by years of ritual form the “tip of the iceberg” that will surely follow if lifestyle modification is not addressed and poor patterns corrected.

As a Registered Dietitian, I have the opportunity to see on a daily basis the end outcomes of poor lifestyle choices resulting in disease states.  While the end disease states are not the topic of this article, I will touch on a few that are highly prevalent: Diabetes (Type 2), Obesity and Morbid Obesity, Coronary Artery Disease, Stroke and the need for tube feeding, Peripheral Vascular Disease and amputations (from PVD and Diabetes), Renal Disease and the need for Dialysis (high prevalence secondary to Diabetes), High Blood Pressure (HTN), Osteoarthritis secondary to Diabetes and Obesity, Liver Disease secondary to Alcoholism, Congestive Heart Failure, Emphysema and End-Stage Lung Disease (secondary to years of smoking) and lastly, Respiratory Failure as a complication of Obesity and Upper Respiratory Infections.  I capitalized the letters in these disease states for emphasis! 

I urge you the reader to visit many of the institutions that house these individuals that once were “just like you.” Visit a skilled nursing facility, an acute hospital, a sub-acute unit, a rehabilitation hospital, an outpatient clinic or any other institution that will welcome you (i.e. bring a gift to brighten a resident’s day) and then visualize yourself in their shoes – so to speak.

You may think these diseases can’t happen to you, but LISTEN, the above disease states occur in people who were just like you!  They said the same things.  This is not just the author’s opinion.  It is known truth from many years of working with these individuals.  Yes, I have helped them to improve the quality of their lives, but the goal is to improve the quality of all people’s lives by prevention if possible.  To effectively do this does not mean to live the life of a recluse and shelter yourself from all of society, but what it does mean is to make good lifestyle choices and do not let the periodic resting on one’s laurels, eating a high-fat, high cholesterol meal, or drinking alcohol in excess to become a habit.  The following guidelines are appropriate to follow:

• Eat an overall diet high in fiber (25 grams), lower in salt (less than 2000 mg.), low in saturated fat and overall fat (less than 30% of total calories), low in cholesterol (less than 300mg) with the predominance of calories in your diet from complex carbohydrates, next highest in protein and lastly fat.  Water/fluids should be around 1500-2000cc/day (app. 6-8 glasses a day). Overall calories should also be appropriate
• Alcohol is acceptable generally at 1 serving a day for most women and 2 servings a day for most men ( 1 serving is 1 beer, 3-4 ounces of wine, or 1 ounce of liquor)
• Exercise 3-4 times a week moderately to include aerobic, anaerobic and muscular training (see prior articles by this author)
• Minimize stress to minimize muscle loss, illness and free radical damage
• A general multivitamin with minerals may be a great value and generally poses no risks
• Make exceptions as exceptions (most people’s “exceptions” are generally “the rule.”)  (i.e. make good decisions about your diet most of the time)
• Remember, your body appearance is strongly associated with your habits (good or bad) and habits stem from daily decisions which stem from attitudes and judgments which stem from your past experiences and your knowledge base
• Make sure your knowledge base is correct and founded on scientific research, not based on what your friend said!

Remember, life can be enjoyable well into your elder years without the aforementioned disease states, and that “in-shape” appearance that everyone desires to achieve, need not be the “iceberg” that  so few perceive!