Food Is Making You Sick
I ignored the thought that food is making you sick. Early on, I was lost in the fog, intimidated by the noise and the competing opinions—each claiming to offer the best answer. It is true that the more clearly we see reality, the better equipped we are to make wise choices and make progress. But I could not recognize what was real. That was my problem.
Carnivore. Vegan. Keto. Low-fat. No-carb. Each promised dramatic results. Snake-oil certainty and dietary extremism left me bewildered. I ran the other way at full speed, avoiding what I knew deep down was necessary.
Finding clarity in that fog was an uphill push. After hours of researching, reading, studying, and experimenting, I came to a simple conclusion: we must use science and clinical evidence to make informed personal choices—while recognizing that research is static and real life is dynamic. Formulaic, cookie-cutter nutrition will not do.
With low confidence in modern nutrition messaging, I looked backward. More than 2,000 years ago, Hippocrates declared that all disease begins in the gut. Modern science is, in many ways, rediscovering what he observed.
Here are three findings that influence the nutrition component of my training lifestyle:
- “All disease begins in the gut.” — widely attributed to Hippocrates; echoed in British Society of Rheumatology
- “High intake of sugar and the balance between pro-and anti-inflammatory gut bacteria.” — Nutrients
- Higher daily intake of citrus, melons, berries, dark-green vegetables, and total vegetables is associated with reduced risk of frailty in adults. — Nutrition Research and Practice
What we eat matters. I pushed myself to study and experiment, continually adapting my diet as new research emerged and as understanding deepened around the links between nutrition, premature aging, and chronic disease.
I became confident in the nutritional framework I developed.
Then 60 Minutes aired a segment that confirmed what I had suspected……Food Is Making You Sick!
Former FDA Commissioner David Kessler, discussing the public health crisis driven by ultraprocessed foods, stated:
“Over the last 40 years, the United States has been exposed to something our biology was never intended to handle—energy-dense, highly palatable, rapidly absorbable ultraprocessed foods. They have altered our metabolism and contributed to an unprecedented rise in chronic disease: type 2 diabetes, hypertension, abnormal lipids, fatty liver disease, heart attacks, stroke, and heart failure.”
It is misleading to call these foods “empty calories.” Empty implies harmless nothingness. They are not empty. They accumulate in our organs, disrupt metabolic function, accelerate aging, and contribute to disease.
Human organ systems are finite. If we live long enough, kidney function declines. Liver function declines. Pancreatic function declines. Why consume foods that accelerate that decline?
Forgive me. You wouldn’t—if you understood what you were eating. Most of us don’t. The reality is food is making you sick!
Food Industry Tactics
The food industry doesn’t care that food is making you sick. Their for-profit conduct echoes tactics once used by the tobacco industry: shaping research narratives, marketing aggressively, and ignoring public health.
Here is what I wrote in September 2025:
Our medical system is a business—a large one—and our connection to Nature has been overshadowed by pharmaceuticals. When you are sick, revenue is generated. Building health may mean relying less on clinical intervention. That is not a profitable model.
Modern nutrition is another vast industry not primarily oriented toward human performance. The standard American diet prioritizes convenience and profit over prevention, health, and longevity.
Our biology is mismatched with modern sedentary life. Add poor nutrition and a reactive medical system, and aging can become a collision rather than a progression.
Pause and reflect: within this context, are we entirely responsible for the obesity epidemic and our current health crisis?
No one can care for your aging body the way you can. Push yourself. Work to build health. Become your own advocate. The small investment of effort, time, and discomfort can yield a lifetime of strength, vitality, and independence.
Categorized in: Art of Aging