Rethinking Your Diet

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National Nutrition Month
Pornpak Khunatorn/Getty Images/iStockphoto

I ate at McDonald's for the first time in 1965, when the number of hamburgers sold was in the me millions.

I was 10 years old and the restaurant had recently opened in my neighborhood to great fanfare. I settled into a booth with my hamburger and french fries, and I gagged after two bites. They were terrible. The meat was tough and the french fries too salty. If only I had stopped for good then. Like most Americans, if I'm in a hurry, the golden arches or another fast food restaurant lures me in, even though I know what I'm eating isn't healthy.

When your mother told, "You are what you eat," she was right. Although not the only cause, in the last 20 years, the proliferation of fast food restaurants has led to a tripling in obesity of our teenagers. One in six is now obese. As a result, childhood hypertension and type two diabetes is common. In addition, fast food is ideal for eating alone and contributes to spiritual isolation. Today is national registered dietician day, and March is nutrition month. I hope you will use today to rethink the foods you eat. Consider adopting a Mediterranean diet. Your mother will be proud of you if you do. This is Dr. Scott Morris for Church Health.

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