Americans are literally running out of time. Achieving a work-life balance, which is still a luxury for tens of millions of working parents, has been overtaken by an even greater demand: a work-life-nutrition balance. Unfortunately, this increasing demand for nutrition has not been accompanied by a useful strategy that enables people to reclaim time from their harried lives.
The result of this dilemma has been an additional layer of stress applied on top of an already stressful life. This has further highlighted stress as America's top health problem something that was first brought to public attention in the early 1980s, and has since more obvious in the 2 decades since then[i].
Once the link between time mismanagement and stress is made ? and it is virtually axiomatic at this point that this link exists[ii] -- a range of adverse health and nutrition consequences often result. The vicious cycle that ensues is harrowing and known to most people through direct experience, or via painfully seeing it manifest in the life of a family member, friend, or colleague.
Stress can -- and often does -- lead to unhealthy eating[iii], which in turn, leads to even more stress because the body is not receiving the essential micronutrients and vitamins that it requires. While this is happening, since poor eating is often associated with undesirable weight gain, another level of psychological stress ? this one associated with body image problems ? is unleashed.
Although if the cycle ended here this would be enough to solidify this as a major problem, it continues beyond this point and becomes worse.
This psychological stress due to body image problems/weight gain often leads to "emotional eating". It is estimated that 75% of all overeating is the result of emotional eating[iv]. This, in turn, leads to yet more nutritional deficiency, since the emotional eating is typically of unhealthy comfort foods that are rich in saturated fat. This ? as can be inferred -- leads to yet more stress, and the cycle continues, unabated, often resulting in malnutrition, obesity, and in more cases than most average people realize, even suicide.
The almost clinical description of this negative cycle in the preceding paragraphs does not remotely capture the indescribable pain and suffering that tens of millions of Americans experience each day due to the collision of stress, lack of time, and poor eating habits. While no description could accurately capture the devastation that this negative loop causes, it is enough in the context of this article to firmly declare that it is a profoundly significant crisis.
No quick-fix solution to a problem of this magnitude is possible, and any attempt for an overnight solution should be met with the most aggressive skepticism. The key to addressing a situation of this immense complexity is to identify the root cause, and then provide remedies that mitigate or in some cases, avoid the negative loop from beginning in the first place.
One of the root causes of this problem has been noted already: a lack of time. If more Americans had more time, or felt that they had more time, the stress associated with not having enough time would not be able to pull them under and into a negative nutrition spiral. Therefore, a solution that works on this level ? the level of time ? is going to be help solve this problem to some extent.
It is within this awareness that time is of the essence that a number of nutritional supplements have been created. Unfortunately, while many of these supplements take mere seconds to ingest, an array of them are not providing the body's requirement for micronutrients and vitamins.
Furthermore, and quite irresponsibly, many so-called "energy bars" are very high in calories and carbohydrates, and as such can lead to emotional eating and trigger weight gain. It is even more unfortunate than this to observe that the race to market many nutritional supplement products has been more about making money through clever advertising and slogans, than it has been about helping people save time, eat healthy, and avoid potentially life-altering negative stress cycles. This is evidenced by the number of so-called nutritional supplements that are little more than expensive and pretentious candy bars.
However, there are some products that have risen to this ethical challenge ? products that have been truly inspired by actual nutritional scientists who see a dire need in society, and have engineered a useful product to help meet that need.
The easiest way to identify such products is to find those that deliver a complete, balanced source of nutrition for time-starved individuals, including: adults, kids, athletes, sedentary individuals, and all those in between. At the same time, these elite products should provide a range of essential nutrients so that, in effect, the nutrition source can be relied upon as a complete meal when time is severely limited.
Solving America's time-starved dilemma is bigger than any one product, or series of products, to solve. However, though the perfect solution to this complex problem remains elusive, it is clear that part of that eventual solution will depend on resolving causes, and not chasing symptoms. Nutritional products that offer scientifically developed meal and supplement solutions will be a major ally in this resolution.
About Protica
Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm with offices in Lafayette Hill and Conshohocken, Pennsylvania. Protica manufactures capsulized foods, including Profect, a compact, hypoallergenic, ready-to-drink protein beverage containing zero carbohydrates and zero fat. Information on Protica is available at www.protica.com. You can also learn about Profect at www.profect.com.
References
[i] Source: "America's #1 Health Problem". Stress.org. http://www.stress.org/problem.htm
[ii] Source: "Stress Management". WebMD. http://my.webmd.com/hw/emotional_wellness/hw153409.asp?pagenumber=3
[iii] Source: "Nutrition". SVCMC. http://svh.nymc.edu/quickcheck/mstress/nutri.asp
[iv] Source: "Are You an Emotional Eater?". About.com. http://exercise.about.com/cs/nutrition/a/emotionaleating.htm
Copyright 2004 - Protica Research - http://www.protica.com
bedroom cleaning professionals Bannockburn ..Come on, guys and gals. Those Trix are for kids.And... Read More
The most incredible thing you can do for yourself is... Read More
How many times have you tried to diet/lose weight in... Read More
What if you could actually slow your rate of aging,... Read More
Heart disease results when plaque builds up inside the arterial... Read More
With so much 'diet advice' around today it is little... Read More
The fact that diet directly affects behaviour is no news,... Read More
Who suffers from Eating Disorders?Eating Disorder sufferers are male and... Read More
The importance of protein in a healthy diet is well... Read More
I know that the headline is a oldie, but it... Read More
About 12.6 million Americans currently have heart disease.1.1 million Americans... Read More
Can the colors on your plate tell you what health... Read More
It is believed that cane sugar was discovered before the... Read More
There are a lot of very good reasons to eat... Read More
I first learned of Milk Soy Protein Intolerance (MSPI) in... Read More
Bye Bye HolidaysHoping everyone had a fun, fantastic, exciting and... Read More
The first place that we cut corners when we are... Read More
For most people, the concept of capsulized food? usually conjures... Read More
All of my life I believed the best way to... Read More
As a low carb dieter, your diet is undoubtedly high... Read More
Salt does Not Cause High Blood Pressure. Some things you... Read More
I'm always amazed at how many people seem to know... Read More
This is usually the forgotten element of most mass programs.... Read More
The most incredible thing you can do for yourself is... Read More
Ambrotose? - the Nutritional Alphabet of the "Sweet Language of... Read More
Airbnb cleaning service Bannockburn ..The topic of food additives is not quickly addressed in... Read More
The Omega Zone Diet and specialists' opinion"Omega RX Zone -... Read More
Apple cider vinegar is a product of apple juice fermentation.... Read More
People who consume too much alcohol have good chance of... Read More
Information on potassiumWhen you read about potassium and senate document... Read More
We know we need to eat a minimum of 5... Read More
Question from Jack:A question from Jack, one of the subscribers... Read More
I'll preface this article by saying that it will help... Read More
Apart from eating many of the wonderful vegetables and fruits... Read More
Instead of Butter: Use top quality, cold pressed, extra virgin... Read More
Arthritis - if you suffer from this illness, I don't... Read More
What is health? Everyone wants this thing called health, and... Read More
The debate regarding Fluoride continues to rage, is it good... Read More
The word herb is used to refer to any part... Read More
Acid reflux disease, or GERD, is a common compliant of... Read More
Most of us are "regular" people. We don't eat the... Read More
Fire ElementAccording to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) there are five... Read More
In parts 1-4 of this series of articles titled "Take... Read More
Americans are literally running out of time. Achieving a work-life... Read More
I'd like to explain an important concept that most online... Read More
While there are many effective ways to get more energy... Read More
Milk is highly underrated. Experts say, America finds itself in... Read More
Meal replacements have been part of the diet landscape for... Read More
Here's food for thought! Did you know the average restaurant... Read More
Come on, guys and gals. Those Trix are for kids.And... Read More
Nutrition |