It's Time for Timer!

For many in my generation, Schoolhouse Rock was a regular public service announcement splattered amongst our Saturday morning cartoons.  These commercials taught us things about a wide variety of topics.  I remember "I'm Just a Bill", which taught about how Congress works, "Conjunction Junction" teaching about grammar, and "The Shot Heard Round the World" helping kids understand about the Revolutionary War.  A lesser known cousin to Schoolhouse Rock was "Time for Timer", a round yellow blob with a top hat and bow tie, Timer was in charge of helping us learn what our bodies were telling us, like it's time to sleep or eat.  He had several different ditties he used, but the one I always remember was "You Are What You Eat".  At the time to a kid, it was just an interruption, but as an adult, it takes on meanings that were way beyond what was originally taught.

One thing I try to help my patients understand, is that Timer's basic concepts need to be given some deeper thought.  When I say "we are what we eat", I usually get "ya, I know", but do most of us really "know"?  I argue that if most of us had a good understanding of Timer's message, we would drastically change not only what we eat, but how we allow that food to be treated.

Timer taught us that our food has three basic components to it: fats, protein, and carbohydrates.  Each has it's unique function and we need all three components to be healthy.  Carbohydrate has one basic function, and that is an energy source.  Lumped by some into a general "sugar", carbohydrate is our body's preferred fuel, especially for our nervous and muscular systems.  Some carbohydrates are better for us than others, as most have to be processed in the body and converted to glucose, which is useable energy.  Some can be converted fairly easily with little problems for the body.   Fructose, however, is one that can create significant issues for many.  To convert fructose to glucose, the liver has a complex pathway, and we normally create more triglyceride (fat) out of fructose than we do glucose.  Too much fructose clogs the liver's pathways, and can lead to increased levels of fats stored there as well.  Carbohydrate is necessary, but we tend to overdo the amounts in western societies, especially of the "white" group; white flour, sugar, rice, potatoes, pasta, and bread.  Whole grain alternatives to these are much better for us, providing necessary energy without the blood sugar spike.

Besides energy, there is really only one other reason to be consuming food: building and repairing our bodies.  This is where we need to understand Timer a little more.  By eating proteins and fats, we are providing the body with the raw materials to either build or repair, depending on our age and health.  The majority of our organs are built from protein and our nervous system is mainly fat.  Without proper quality and amounts, we cannot build or repair normally.  Consider building a house.  Your architect requires exterior walls built from 2x6's of a certain length, trusses that have a specific configuration, and just the right thickness and amount of external wall board.  If your builder uses these materials correctly, your house will be have the qualities the architect intended.  If instead, you give your builder 2x2's, random trusses, and cheap buffalo board, he will still be able to make a house.  It won't, however, have the quality intended by the architect.  It may look like a house, but it won't stand up to the first strong gust of wind without having structural problems.

When I say "we are what we eat", I apply the concepts that your architect applies to your house.  If you eat correctly, exercise regularly, and reduce your stress level, your body can work magnificently.  As a biochemical architect, that is what I teach my patients.  If you decide to cut corners, though, and eat a standard American diet (SAD), be a couch potato, and let stressors overwhelm you, I can tell you what results you'll get, and I'm guessing it won't be to your liking.  High quality building materials in a house make a quality house.  High quality building materials (protein and fats) in your diet make a quality human.  Cheap, low quality ingredients in your diet make a standard American; overweight, lethargic, stressed, and sick.

Providing ourselves with quality building materials, unfortunately, requires us to be informed consumers and pursue foods grown outside of the conventional farming techniques.  Currently, many foods have been genetically modified in a laboratory, which changes the kind of protein and fat that we get.  Instead of ratios that we've been eating for hundreds of years, we now are eating foods that are literally foreign to our bodies, even though they may look similar.  Genetically modified foods are not high quality.  They are no different than the 2x2's compared to the 2x6's.  Are they both wood?  Yes.  Do they have the same strength?  Not even close.

Listen to what Timer had to tell us: "You are what you eat".  That which you put into your mouth will soon be what you are made of.  To have a high quality body, you must provide yourself with high quality foods.  Listen to what the architect tells you and build with the recommended building materials for a long healthy life.

Look for future blogs that will give more information and insights into improving your health with natural health care.  You can also visit my website, like me on Facebook, or follow me on Twitter.