I’ve been explaining to patients over the years, that we are eating ourselves sick. With all of the chemicals, dyes and preservatives in foods these days, it’s nearly impossible to purchase a real food item in the grocery store.
Even produce is laden with pesticides. These chemicals are known to cause diabetes and cancer. So we shouldn’t be eating them. We should eat only the highest quality of foods because our health is at stake!
But recently, I experienced a gluttonous malady caused not by faux food items, but from the most exquisite dining experience.
A favorite couple booked an 8 course chef’s tasting meal for us. The beautifully displayed morsels kept us “oohing” and “ahhing”, delighting in the tastes, but by the 5th course I was ready to ‘tap out’. Of course that wasn’t going to happen. I kept shoveling in these rich flavors. And while it was of the highest quality, the next day I was sick. I felt horrible. When I was not in the bathroom, I spent the whole day in bed, sleeping off this gorge-fest. I didn’t have a fever, it wasn’t food poisoning (though the thought of food was repulsive), but I had literally eaten myself sick. I think what this episode of prolonged abdominal cramping and nausea taught me, is that I’ve been overeating the last 30 years, but I had really over done it.
So while you are gathering this week around robust menus and rotund family members, keep in mind the reason for Thanksgiving. The purpose is to gather together, give love and gratitude, not to eat until you have to loosen a belt notch!
We have several holidays of gluttony coming up (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day, St Patty’s and Easter), so take it easy.
And remember, it’s not just the quality of the food that affects our health, it’s also the volume. We all eat way too much.
So, How will you feel post Thanksgiving feast? Full or fulfilled?
[photo borrowed from www]
Dr. Maddy Day 
Good reminder.