Hippocrates, known as the father of medicine, said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food,” but what did he mean by that?
The term “you are what you eat” comes to mind. To put this in the most simplistic terms: if you eat food that is lacking in nutrients and rich in “bad” fats, your body is going to end up lacking in nutrients and rich in fat. This, in turn, is the root cause of almost every health issue known to man.
Over the last few decades our food has become less and less nourishing and healthy. Our cities and towns are overrun with fast-food outlets, and our grocery stores are filled with poor-quality vegetables and hormone-laden meat. It’s a bit of a mess, which makes it understandable why the rate of lifestyle diseases has skyrocketed. By “lifestyle diseases” we mean chronic illnesses that are directly related to the way we live our lives – the impact of eating an unbalanced diet, not exercising, smoking, drinking alcohol etc. etc. You get the picture. Doing this long term can result in a range of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, digestive disorders, you name it, and you don’t have to look very far to find someone who’s already suffering from these and other related conditions.
Based on the body mass index (BMI) score, 68% of women and 31% of men are overweight or obese. Of major concern is the high prevalence of severe obesity among South African women; one in five women has a BMI of more than 35.0, placing her in the severely obese category.
According to the South African Demographic and Health Survey (2016): “Based on the body mass index (BMI) score, 68% of women and 31% of men are overweight or obese. Of major concern is the high prevalence of severe obesity among South African women; one in five women has a BMI of more than 35.0, placing her in the severely obese category.” More worrying is the statistic that 13% of South African children are overweight or obese, which is more than double the global average of 5%.
The Food Medicine Solution
So what’s the solution? How do we get out of this deep hole that we’ve dug ourselves into? We believe that we need to get back to basics by examining and monitoring what we put into our bodies, and this starts with food. Without the right fuel, our bodies simply cannot fire on all cylinders. Imagine putting diesel into a petrol vehicle… Our goal at Abundance Wholesome Foods is to help you find your way back to health, starting with food, so join us on this journey as we provide you with the information you need to make the right food and lifestyle choices.
Our vision is to inspire healthier, more active and happier versions of all South Africans, so that they can enjoy every day that lies ahead of them.
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