Food to live by

By Published by The Editorial Board

Published: August 7, 2008

You are what you eat. Good food choices will give the body enough energy to function properly and maintain good health. Bad choices have a cumulative effect that can affect a person’s quality of life long before they die.

Everyone eventually dies, of course, but the message of nutritionists, doctors and public health experts has always been that the food choices people make can have a profound impact on their health while they’re still alive.

Bad food choices not only shortens lives, but leads to higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and obesity, among other health ailments.

It doesn’t help matters that some of the cheapest value-meal food is also some of the worst for our health in terms of fat, sodium and cholesterol content, or that it can actually cost more to eat the fresh fruits and vegetables that are the foundation of a healthy diet.

There’s an obvious link between poor nutrition and poor health. Combine those two with the low incomes that leave people without health insurance — or enough coverage — and that only compounds the problem.

“Many of our patients are from low incomes, and when you are from a low income, you don’t get to make the same choices to spend on the fresh vegetables and fresh fruits,” said Kay Crane, chief executive officer of Piedmont Access to Health Services.

The problem is even worse these days because of the higher cost of fuel, which has raised the price of food. That not only makes it tougher to eat right, but it makes it easier to continue to rely on the wrong kinds of foods.

Nutritionists, doctors and public health experts aren’t trying to turn us into vegetarians, but they are fighting an ongoing campaign against bad food choices and the health problems caused by those choices.

Not much can be done for people who let their taste buds outvote their doctor’s advice. But that doesn’t mean the medical community should give up.

The Dan River Region lags behind the state in major public health indicators. Changing that will take a lot of time and effort, but it starts at the table.