The other day I suggested to a friend that we go out to dinner. He said, “No one goes there, they always have a wait!” We went and were served immediately. A few weeks later I said to another friend, let’s go shopping at L.L. Bean, he insisted, “I don’t like that store!” We went and he bought 2 pairs of shoes.
Why do some people see the glass as half empty or when it’s partly sunny they say it’s cloudy? Is it our nature to see things from a negative viewpoint, or could there be other factors? When it comes to simple reasonable lifestyle changes to improve the quality of your life, what do you say to yourself? It’s too hard, it won’t work for me, I’ve failed at every other diet, others might succeed but not me. Could your present lifestyle be affecting your attitude, behavior, or ability to change?
There is a connection between diet and attitude. Hormones initiated in the brain (hypothalamus) dictate how your body will respond. There are hormones that cause pleasure and other hormones that can affect behavior and even cause depression. Both are under the influence of either “good” or “bad” eicosanoids (super hormones). Therefore, eicosanoids are controlled by the food you eat and what you eat affects your emotions and behavior. A diet consisting of cheap carbohydrates, vegetable oils (processed and fast foods), and low in omega-3’s results in increased inflammation below the perception of pain (e.g. cellular inflammation) in the brain causing the disruption of neurotransmitter signaling patterns. Since you have no idea what’s going on, cellular inflammation will continue until there is enough accumulated damage that you will be diagnosed with more than a bad attitude. Most likely it’ll be a chronic disease such as Alzheimer’s, obesity, heart disease, arthritis, or cancer, wherever your weakest link resides. Remember the last time you had a high carbohydrate meal, how did you feel a few hours later, tired, surly and moody? Next time ask what could this be doing to my mind and body.
Maybe you’re thinking, “I’ll just eat fewer calories and exercise more.” Unfortunately, the urge to eat becomes overpowering due to a rise in very powerful hunger hormones in the brain.
The best approach is to follow an anti-inflammatory diet for your lifetime. One that maintains a balance of low-fat protein, low-glycemic carbohydrates (fruits, like mixed berries and colorful non-starchy vegetables), and moderate amounts of monounsaturated fat (i.e. olive oil) that are low in both omega-6’s and saturated fats at every meal, as both can increase cellular inflammation. This is because the hormonal response of any meal will last only four to five hours. Such an anti-inflammatory diet should be supported with anti-inflammatory supplements rich in both omega-3’s and polyphenols, the chemicals that give fruits and vegetables their color. Clinical data suggest that cellular inflammation can be rapidly reduced with such a dietary approach within 30 days. The secret is to adopt this as your lifestyle.
The simple decision to visit the Zone’s website could change the course of your life. Simple and easy adjustments over just 30 days can create a lifestyle that will reward you and your family with a longer healthier life. I bet you’d agree that your health and the health of your loved ones is worth making a few changes.