HEALTH IS THE NEW HAPPY! Sound the Alarm!

Sound the Alarm!

BY TIFFANY McNEELY

Most people express a common desire for their lives: happiness. They want to live a life where every day feels good — but most don’t know how to achieve that.

The knowledge that happiness is fleeting tells me that it takes work to keep it. In a world where we are weighed down with work, phone calls, business transactions, worries about keeping our families healthy, and the normal day-to-day hustle, it is easy to become distracted from taking care of the most important element: you! You are the center of it all! You are what makes it happen — and without you what will there be? Nothing. Everything that you deem important and stand for will not be carried out by someone else — because only you were made to do that very thing you seek each day.

Since we now understand that we want to be happy — and that happiness starts with taking care of ourselves — then how do we get there? We get there by taking care of our bodies and the rest will follow. The CDC reports that 40% of African-Americans suffer from hypertension, with obesity at 37% for men and 56% for women. The leading causes of death are heart disease and cancer.

This is alarming and a huge red flag to me. What stands out most of all is our diet. We are eating foods that are high in fat, high in sugar (which turns to fat) — causing diabetes. Our diets are high in genetically modified foods, and simple carbohydrates such as candy, soda, pastries, sugary cereals, and white bread.

We are killing ourselves because we have allowed the media to trick us into thinking the foods we are eating are good for us. They use aggressive marketing tactics to target our emotions in commercials. We see something that we identify with, and when we go shopping we are more attracted to what we have seen before.

I want to challenge you today to make a change and break the cycle. Here are my top tips to start the process of change for your family:

• Write a grocery list before you go to the store — and stick to it. Planning your meals for the week allows you to eat healthy options because you prepared for it. Whole clean foods will bring energy, promote repair in the body, and will make you feel good overall.
• Make your entire family a part of this process. A family that eats together thrives together.
• Go through your pantry and refrigerator as a family to throw out items that are processed, have GMO, and words you cannot pronounce in the ingredient list. These foods create anxiety, depression, and sickness.
• Learn to make something from scratch rather than buying it already made. This will allow you to use whole clean ingredients rather than consuming harsh preservatives.
• Treat yourself for accomplishing these healthy goals. When you love yourself by taking care of your body it will show up in other areas of your life. The happiness you are searching for is one healthy meal away!