Health and the environment we created
By Clara and Justin Hamel
Last week, we explored the discrepancy between the United States’ current healthcare expenditures and the health outcomes we should reasonably expect given the enormous amount of money and resources devoted to healthcare. This week, we are going to look beyond the cost and begin examining why, despite all of these resources, so many Americans continue to struggle with chronic disease and poor health.
The first thing to remember in this conversation is that our bodies have not suddenly changed. There has been no massive shift in the way our bodies process food, respond to physical activity, require sleep or manage stress. So what has changed? The environment our bodies are expected to function in has shifted in profound ways over the last century, and our biology has simply not been able to keep pace and adapt.
Over a relatively short period of human history, the way people eat, work, move, sleep and spend our time has been significantly altered. Food is more abundant and convenient, physical activity is less necessary for daily life, many jobs require us to sit for hours at a time, screens occupy an increasing portion of our days, and stress often begins when we open our eyes and ends when we shut them (and that is if you are not one of the 20% whose stress follows them to bed).
Let’s start with one of the most important factors in our health: our fuel. How we fuel our bodies matters immensely, yet too often we are filling them with the nutritional equivalent of sludge-filled gasoline. We would never fill our vehicles with something comparable and expect them to run smoothly. While our bodies are amazingly engineered and highly resilient, even our built-in systems for filtering and eliminating what we intake can only compensate for so much. The abundance of highly processed, nutritionally deficient food staring us in the face at every turn is taking an enormous toll on our health.
To highlight how dramatically our diets have changed, consider the following statistics: Between 1970 and 2010, our average caloric intake increased by 500 calories per person, ultra-processed foods currently account for over 6% of the average American’s caloric intake, and our intake of sugary drinks has increased a whopping 135%. We are not just eating more, we are eating more with no nutritional value.
Not only has our food changed, but the frequency and intensity at which we move our bodies has changed substantially. Moderate physical activity was required for over 50% of jobs just 50 years ago. That number is now closer to 20%. Beyond work, our entertainment has shifted from activity-based to screen-based, chores require less exertion as technology replaces the need for human input, and cars have replaced much of the walking that was once naturally incorporated into daily life. Even relatively short distances are now more likely to be traveled by car, with research showing that Americans frequently drive trips that could reasonably be walked. We can also see the change across generations. In 1969, around 48% of students walked or biked to school, that percentage is now closer to 4-11%. Movement was once just an everyday part of life, now it requires forethought and intention.
With these two factors alone, it seems that modern life is working against our health. So, what can we do about it? Check back in next week to find out.
*Dr. Justin Hamel and Clara Hamel have a combined over 30 years of experience in health fields. Reach them at 1° Performance & Longevity, located at 46 N. Central Park Plz., Suite 101, in Jacksonville, on Facebook or by phone at 217-243-6358.
