Last night I attended a special movie screening of the documentary, “Food Matters“. Here’s the trailer -
The gist of the film is that our medical system at the moment is not good at dealing with diseases. We focus on symptoms rather than the root cause of the problem and - here’s the big deal - doctors rarely consider nutrition as a cure or preventative solution, instead it’s all about cutting things out, or radiation treatments and drug therapies after the fact.
The drug companies like this because they can sell more product. If you have a culture like ours, which tends to react to problems only after they occur and then treat them using drugs, you have a formula for a billion dollar industry. We tend to think about popping a pill when something is wrong, rather than eating good food to stay healthy.
Food Matters looks at nutrition - the food we eat - as the best prevention and cure for health issues. It’s ridiculous how much sense this makes, yet people don’t follow the advice.
What’s The Key Ingredient For Business Success?
You might think the answer to the question in the heading above is marketing, or customer service or a superior product, but for every business in existence today, the key ingredient is people. If you don’t have healthy functioning people, then your business is not going to thrive.
In the home business, solo entrepreneur and professional blogging world, it matters even more because you work independently as the main cog that keeps the business going. If you can’t work, you can’t earn a living.
The message in Food Matters is a simple one: Eat organic foods, if you can - eat raw foods, and add superfoods to your diet too. Look to food as the best prevention and even the cure to any ailments you suffer from.
I’m not saying take on board the ideas in the movie as fact, you can make your own mind up, but the core message - you are what you eat - is just so obvious, yet it needs to be stated. Even those of us with the best intentions have trouble sticking to healthy eating all the time.
How Hard Is It To Stay Healthy?
Back in 2006 I wrote - 6 Tips To Reduce Your Stress - and the tips there are still really important in my life.
These are some of the key ingredients for a pleasurable existence taken from the headings in that article -
- Exercise
- Music
- Personal Development
- Food
- Sleep
- Balance
I eat organic food. I do Yoga. I go for bike rides and rollerblade. I love to get at least 8 hours of sleep and I feel awful if I don’t.
Lately because of the people I associate with (quite a few vegetarian healthy people) and education from documentaries like Food Matters and people like Tony Robbins (though as a third party - I’ve yet to attend a Tony Robbins event) and of course, the ever present Steve Pavlina, I see vegetarianism as something to strive for (I’ve cut red meat out like beef and lamb, next is white meat like chicken and pork).
All of this is not easy to stick to and takes discipline, but it results in a productive work day and thus, benefits my business too.
Can You Afford To Be Healthy?
There was a funny comment in Food Matters about how people today use their money to buy cars, houses and other material objects, yet eat crappy food because they are so cash-strapped paying off loans to pay for all these things.
Sadly, if you neglect your own body, you won’t live long enough to pay off the mortgage, or you will be selling the house for your medical bills. There’s definitely a need to re-adjust priorities.
What’s the point of working yourself so hard that you’re unwell by the time you achieve anything? It’s a lot smarter to invest your financial success first into your lifestyle. How you live and what eat must come before anything else.
The problem, as always, is that people don’t see a correlation between eating healthy today and not getting sick tomorrow. They eat badly, don’t feel 100%, but get by, maybe popping a pill to deal with some ailment. Do this long enough and eventually you get a major breakdown.
Stress is an issue too, hence that last point in my list above about Balance is very important. If you don’t take the time to become aware of your bad habits and force change, it might take something more uncomfortable for you to finally take notice. Prevention is always better than fixing something you broke.
Questions You Need To Ask Yourself
One of the key determinants for success with your business is your ability to work consistently and productively. The time you spend working should be purposeful, efficient, concentrated and focused. You enjoy leveraged outcomes from short bursts of high-return activities.
In order for you to be able to do this you have to be healthy. You need to be able to think straight. Your body can’t be slowing you down with aches and pains or energy deficient by the time the afternoon roles around.
You don’t have to be perfect, but you have to make smarts decisions when in a position to do so. Starting with what you eat is the easiest place to make adjustment. Followed by how you work and how often you exercise.
Take a look at your day. What do you eat? How often do you eat? How long do you work? What do you work on? When do you exercise and how often? Do you take time to relax? Are you prioritizing material possessions over healthy eating and living?
Sadly a lot of people working online are driven by a mad-scramble to accumulate as much wealth as possible, because they are addicted to the short adrenaline rush that comes from making money or achieving a goal. Buying a car or house is a fine motivator, but it should not push you to the point of sacrificing your body so you can get to these goals faster.
If you feel a little out of balance, start by watching Food Matters (it’s $5 to watch online) and then stop for a minute today or tomorrow and take a look at your behavior, in particular what you eat. It’s never too late to slow down and adjust priorities.
Yaro Starak
Yoga Practicer
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Hi Yaro,
I am a long time reader, first time commenter!
Great post. I loved this film and it really does make you think twice about what you are putting into your body. I wrote a short review (http://www.simonezard.com/2008/05/30/food-matters-in-sickness-and-in-health/) back when it was first released online.
It sounds like the film is still building momentum. I hope it can secure a more mainstream release and touch more people.
Hi Yaro,
this is a great post,i also think that supplements are good for our health,as most of us don’t get balanced meal that is enough nutrients each day.
cheers
As someone raised by a nutritionist in the ’70s, I agree! You are what you eat was our slogan.
And yet, as a business model, we’re told we have to solve a problem people KNOW they have vs. what they might need but not know it yet. Too bad we can’t make a lot of money selling wisdom to the masses - yet.
I’ve recently been introduced to the term ‘free range’ - and no it wasn’t from that Jamie Oliver show. I’ve always been a big believer of eating whatever i want as long as i exercise enough. Only recently when someone close fell sick at a tender age of 24 that i realized how much the lifestyle and diet intake will affect the body. Since then, I’ve slowly change to a healthier diet and controlling my occasional urge for deep fried chicken! My only rant from this is that eating healthy food is so expensive! fresh vegetables, wholemeal bread, organic poultry, lean meat and the whole lot is not cheap. Alot of people i know actually realised the importance of eating well, but are not ready to ‘invest’ to do it especially with the high inflations and economic slowdown..
Debbie,
If eating healthy organics foods is expensive, have you ever thought how much more expensive is being sick because of the “cheep” food we eat? I work a day job in a cancer clinic, in Los Angeles, CA, USA (I am an electronic engineer). Busy, noisy, and polluted city. The patients who get well are the ones who eat well, usually vegetarian vegan (no dairy, no eggs), think well and positive, exercise if possible, and have some kind of surrender. The patients that so far ALWAYS get cure, are the ones who include a great percentage of raw food on their diet. The guy with curly hair that start talking at 0:52 on “Food Matters”, and shows up at 1:07, is David Wolf. He is big in the US and world wide know, on the raw movement. Read about that, and you may find some inspiration and knowledge that was hidden by the government and pharmaceutical industry
Yaro,
Great post. Obesity has risen more today then it was 30 years ago, despite all the new research. The main reason is that people are bombarded with advertising from fast food restaurants and they’re not eating proper meals…
Society is depriving us of time and we resort to the quick fixes like processed meals, pre-made meals, and diet pills. People don’t realize that by eating well you feel much better, have more energy, and live life to the next level!
By eating right you’ll also kickstart you’re metabolism and transform your body. Personally I’m on a mission to change our eating habits for the better. Don’t accept you’re current status, make a change for the now for the future!
Thanks again Yaro,
Michael Carels
http://www.trophynutrition.com
The two biggest determinants of health (for those in most of the West) are a sense of agency and connection. (See Michael Marmot’s The Status Syndrome - should be available on Amazon.)
If you want to go vegetarian (especially vegan) watch how much soy and tofu you consume - it can upset the thyroid: if you are having trouble with weight control or temperature regulation and eat a lot of tofu get your thyroid checked.
Eating healthy and being healthy can be easy and delightful (and not terribly expensive either). As is often pointed out - most of us look after our cars better than we do ourselves.
Evan,
After 20+ years being vegetarian and eating tofu, we realized, by reading raw food books, that it may be something not so good with tofu. We stopped eating it, and all allergies, skin rush, and other minor problems were gone in my wife and children.
I’m so glad your brought this up!!
Hi Yaro,
This was a great article! I espouse many of the same things myself. You make a very good point about needing to be healthy to be successful. In Robert G. Allen’s books is a section on being healthy and taking care of yourself first. Very good advice. And oddly, things really do seem to pull together more when we are proactively taking care of ourselves. It’s like magic
Then how come all the rich millionaires look like mafia bosses with big bellies…
Eh, I 100% agree that food matters. Food and exercising gives one energy to be more productive.
Plus brain activity increases metabolism - simply put, people who think a lot also eat more, which is why what they eat is more important.
Thanks for a very thought-provoking post Yaro. I believe one problem is that most of us have forgotten what ‘real’ food tastes like! We’ve got so used to the artificial flavourings in fast food that meals seem bland without them.
Another obstacle to overcome is that the major supermarkets feature some of the worst foods, nutritionally, when they reduce prices. They pay lip-service to healthier eating by shaving a tiny amount off some fruit & veg prices but, let’s face it, they want us to buy unhealthy foods because that’s where the biggest profit margins are!
I am a great believer in the holistic scheme of health which starts with proper nutrition and the new fads do not surprise me at all. In all walks of life, getting back to nature and simplicity seem to be coming back into vogue and I for one am very pleased with this development.
Great post Yaro
Being a isabled marketer with health problems, I recently blogged about a similar area, and why looking after myself is so important. For me though, I have built a small outsource team which manages my business so that I can my daily physiotherapy etc meaning I can make money and be away from my business.
I recommend your readers should try same - combine healthy living, with outsourcing and watch your profits soar…
Thanks Y,
Great post Yaro and the film looks good, I’ll be sure to check it out this evening. I’ve read a couple of books in the past couple of years that would definitely appeal to anyone interested in this.
Not On The Label by Felicity Lawrence is the best and is a real eye opener about what REALLY goes into the food we eat, the state of the food industry, and what can be done to eat healthily.
The other is Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser which is mostly about American food culture but just as relevant in other countries.
Both books were real eye openers for me, and after recommending them to friends and familiy I’ve had loads of comments back telling me how glad they were of reading them.
Both books are on Amazon and if you have to choose just one go for Not on the label!
Bill
Great post Yaro. I guess a lot of businessmen need to be told this frankly “Dead people don’t make profit!” The greatest wealth a man can ever have is the breath of life. Once that is gone, all ambitions come to a full stop! Thanks for the reminder. My partner will really love to read this. I guess I will just print a copy. Cheers.
Yaro,
You don’t know how happy it makes me to hear somebody in your position educating their readers about this incredibly important topic. I hear so many people tweeting and blogging only about how hard they’ve been working and how well a project did for them that I have to ask “Are you paying ANY attention to what this is doing to you?”
Of course, it’s not all our fault-governments allow dangerous toxins to build up and end up in the food supply, dangerous chemical compounds to become the next “wonder drug” and then we’re supposed to be surprised when they talk about the healthcare crisis.
This all starts, as you say, with a personal decision about priorities. Yes, when you go to the store or market you WILL pay more for better food-period. I know a lot of people see this as an easy way out and blame the whole foods industry as a whole. This is not a conspiracy to extort by them. It simply costs more to produce better food.
One of the things that I need to constantly remind myself of as a relatively new blogger and internet marketer is to seek balance. That’s why I have recently implemented my “five things” daily regimen where I select only five things that I must accomplish that day and make sure to finish them. These things can be drawn from any area of my life(not just a website launch or product development).
I urge your readers to take more than a 30-second look at their lives and ask themselves how they stack up in the areas you’ve outlined and then take positive action to correct imbalances and deficiencies.
Keep up the great work, Yaro!
Jeff
This is a great reminder, Yaro. I’ve recently added a little fluff to my waistline and have really started to think about my lifestyle. I’m already a vegetarian, but one with a HUGE sweet tooth. Raw foods are definitely going to be a larger part of my diet going forward.
I was drinking a cup of coffee while reading this post, but I have since thrown it down the drain. I have a house guest coming over tonight, so II’ve decided to cook a healthy organic meal to help get me started on a 30 day organic food and exercise trial. Thanks for the great article and tip!
I just finished “The 4-Hour Work Week” and really liked Tim’s perspective on exercise and happiness. What do we really gain if we build a great business to fund our dreams, but are unable to enjoy it because of health. That’s why I’ve made running everyday a part of my lifestyle.
Working from home especially, it’s easy to work for hours at your desk without taking a break. Many people don’t realize how important and effective it is to get up every hour or so to stretch and get the blood moving, as well as regular exercise. Not only does it help your body, but it supplies more blood and oxygen to the brain, increasing creativity and productivity!
Great post Yaro, and thank you for posting about a topic that is not discussed enough in blogging and business. We can prioritize, manage stress and take vacations all we want, but if we don’t take care of our health we can’t take care of our business!
Yaro,
You are so right! Healty life-style needs to be made a priority. I imagine that people who work from home are disciplined enough to have a routine - well, it should include sports and healthy meals. The most important thing is to insist on exercising no mater how urgent the other work-related matters are. Money doesn’t mean much when we spend it on doctors, does it?
Cheers,
Chris.
absolutely spot on, you are what you eat and it is really important to be physically healthy. If you have a fit body through a combination of the right food and exercise then you can have a fit mind too….anf then you can write great blog post like this one
Yaro, You make some excellent points, We recently moved to a home that is located near a lake. So I went out a bought a kayak, and I can speak from experience, I haven’t felt this good in years, Every night i take the kayak out and paddle around a bit, at first i couldn’t make it very far, but after a while it sure came along and i can go for hours now. I have even started eating better because I feel better, we stopped eating out as much and things are great!
Yaro,
Another Great Post!!
Following on your question “How Hard Is It To Stay Healthy?” and your very good post about “6 tips to reduce your stress”, we have recently compiled a list of “30 tips for better health”. The list is in the same lines as your post but also adds some easy stuff we can easily do to improve our health.
Thanks again!
Wow - I really needed to read this right now!
I love sitting by my laptop all day, but it’s time for some yoga or something. Work much better then. Thanks!
“Sadly a lot of people working online are driven by a mad-scramble to accumulate as much wealth as possible, because they are addicted to the short adrenaline rush that comes from making money or achieving a goal. ”
This is a potential pitfall for entrepreneurs, who are often attracted by the idea of abundance, for which overeating acts as a symbol. It’s especially important to eat less and exercise more for those of us trying to make money online, since it’s very deskbound, sedendtary work. I’m glad you’ve posted periodic reminders to the entrepreneurial community to take care of ourselves.
I haven’t seen that movie yet, but will do.
I think some people are of the thought that its “all or nothing” when it comes to exercising.
Choose to be consistent, intense (when possible), eat clean…and you’ll see good results.
Don’t over complicate things.
Best,
Coop
Thanks for reminding us to reset our priorities. I’m just resuming exercise and healthier eating after neglecting it for years. Fortunately I’m in good health, but if I had stayed on the old path it wasn’t going to stay that way.
Coop is right re: all or nothing belief. Many of us hesitate to get started with exercise thinking we need to make some grand effort. Even taking the stairs instead of the elevator is a good first start, then a walk around the block regularly turns into a longer walk, and so on.
This message needs to be shouted from the mountain tops.
Well, Yaro - This is a fine post - not many really care about their own health, pursuing their goals recklessly, abandoning their health.
I agree health is important because being healthy you can do more. Simple and true.
Good health to you, Yaro!
This makes so much sense, often I spend over 16 hours working and smoking cigarettes and not eating anything, I do this for a couple of weeks and it never fails I get sick and then I am down for a few days, overall my eating behavior is atrocious and I do not get enough good rest at all and eventually it affects my work.
Thanks Yaro, I will take a look at what you are saying.
Magnificent Post, Yaro! I am so glad that someone finally wrote about it. This is actually great since you have so many readers here. I was thinking about this issue for a while and I totally agree with everything that you said. I think that proper nutrition is the foundation of good health, and everyone should be aware of it.
THIS IS SO TRUE!!!! People do not understand the severity of some of the toxic things they are putting in their bodies. Fasting, cleansing and changing your diet will make a tremendous difference in the way you feel and look.
It’s a great post.
Obviously, we all are so concerned about our business ventures that often times we simply overlook our own eating habits.
I do agree with you that if you would like to have stronger business, you must have to have a stronger body.
That video gave me chills. I grew up knowing these things, we were not allowed to have white bread in the house, we shopped in health food stores, and when I was 9 years old I examined candy labels to find something without sucrose. We’ve known for a long time that the pharmaceutical companies and medical industry have a financial monopoly which ousts competition. I’ve seen cancer be cured with herbal remedies and to make a long story short, this isn’t new.
But what’s amazing to me is to see the general public becoming more aware of this.
The worst of the pharmaceutical drugs are psychiatric drugs. Vitamins, nutrients, excercize, getting sufficient sleep, or just getting to work, can do wonders for people. Drugs only make it worse. Do a bit of research some day on those odd ball shootings and crazy killers. Almost always on “legal” drugs. As perscribed.
Anna,
About 160,000 people die in the US because of taking THE RIGHT PRESCRIPTION given by the doctor…
Yep. Not that surprising unfortunately.
At least some people are waking up to it.
It is well known that our food is contaminated with pesticides and poor in nutrition. Our food is grown for appearance and not for nurient value or health. Man made molecules are being added to our food to increase shelf -life (trans-fats), but these same molecules are hardening our cell membranes and taking a toll on our health, Another man-made molecule, high fructose corn syrup, is making America the fattest country on earth by tapering with insulin resistance and making us hungry for more. We are being given pharmaceuticals that put bandaids on disease and harm us in the process. We are highly chemicalized daily. Remember the Prozac in the water? Yaro is right, lifestyle and dietary improvements are the basics of disease prevention.
When Eisenhower left office he warned to beware the military industrial complex. We are experiencing the realization of that warning. Food and pharmaceutical companies have a vested interest in keeping us eating and sick. Doctors are getting their education from drug companies as they buy influence in studies and journals. Remember drug companies can only make money by patenting a new molecule for medicine not previously found on this earth. They continually look for new compounds that can accomplish one small effect, and if it doesn’t they pay to make the studies come out right (remeber Viox).
The basics of health are diet, exercise, and nutrients. Beyond that, we age and get sick because we lose our hormones. After age 30, all our hormones, in men and women both, decline. This is correlated with the increased incidence of the diseases of aging including hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, osteoprosis, cataracts, macular degeneration, and Alzheimer’s. Hormone loss in addition to free radical production and inflammation (correlated with increased fat) bring on disease. What hormones are lost? Estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid, and growth hormone. Insulin and cortisol (stress hormone) tend to go up.
You don’t have to be over 40 to start experiencing this. I have several patients in their 20’s and 30’s who due to hormonal birth control, stress, abuse of gym steroids, or just plian poor lifestyle, have hormone deficiencies. What are the symptoms? Fatigue, depression, insomnia, irritability, increasing cholesterol, weight gain, aching, poor concentration, poor memory to name a few.
Many things can be fixed with good diet and added nutrients…yeah vitamins. Even organic food is grown on depleted soil. Elimination of chemicalization can also help, and if deficient, adding bioidentical (same molecule as in the human body) hormone replacement.
Candice,
My son was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome (kidney failure, for the readers) at age 3, caused by excessive vaccinations. We live in the US, where parents are forced to vaccinate their babies. My son got TWENTY SIX vaccinations when he turned THREE!! INSANE!!
After 6 months of following the western medicine prescription, given by the BEST Pediatric Nephrologist in Los ANgeles, and not getting anywhere, we contact three homeopathic doctors, one in India, two in Argentina. By e-mail and phone conversations, we got the homeopathic medicines, totally inoffensive to the body, they restore the normal immune system functioning, and 9 months later my son was TOTALLY out of trouble. He is seven now.
Excellent topic Yaro. I just recently signed up for your newsletter and am findin