Column #250

On April 6, 2020, Reuters introduced a story this way: “The pandemic is encouraging people to give in to baser temptations. Porn, booze, tobacco, weed and chocolate consumption is rising. It’s perhaps understandable: Even the WHO reckons stress needs to be managed. But excesses now will only add to a bleaker and costlier future.”1

Then there is this recent “study” commissioned by Naked Nutrition, a firm that sells dietary supplements. It used an online questionnaire to survey 2,000 Americans and reported that at least half said they would never get their pre-corona body back.2

According to the answers they received, “The average American has put on an extra five pounds since the pandemic started, and close to two-thirds said that COVID-19 has completely messed up their plans for a healthy lifestyle in 2020.” They say weight gain is not due to just exercising less. It’s being caused mostly by unhealthy habits including more pizza, more alcohol, and more carbs. That’s in spite of 54% of the respondents saying they are eating lots of vegetables and 46% are eating more protein.

The consequences of locking down a nation rather than those most vulnerable to COVID-19 may not have been the best approach. The CDC and NIH are big bureaucracies that have grown faster (fatter) over the past 70 years than our nation’s GDP. It got so bad that before they could respond quickly to the pandemic a lot of red tape had to be cut. No matter their expertise, career professionals in government agencies tend to turn into bureaucrats over time. To put it bluntly, bureaucrats can often be “more concerned with procedural correctness at the expense of people's needs.”

Shutting down the economy and demanding everyone to stay at home may at first have seemed like a good humanitarian solution to save lives. But that decision sent 77 million students home, got more than 40 million workers laid off, and millions more furloughed with pay. Then the bureaucrats demanded that almost every outside activity in every corner of the nation be closed down. Overnight life became very dull and also very scary.

The humanitarian consequences of telling millions of people to stay at home looks to be far worse than COVID-19. The more vulnerable were still just as vulnerable and, because of poor health habits from stress and growing waist lines, increasing numbers of people joined the more vulnerable ranks.

From what I have observed from pictures, most of the people under 65 who died of the disease appeared to be overweight to obese. We know that obesity is one of the markers for COVID-19 vulnerability along with heart disease, diabetes, asthma, cancer and other chronic conditions.

I’m also a little dismayed (but not really surprised) that the CDC and NIH bureaucrats did not use this opportunity, where the MSM is scaring the pants off everyone, to get out a message for how people can become healthier by developing stronger immune systems. That’s currently the most effective defense against COVID-19. Diets of grass-fed meats, Omega-3 meats, wild-caught seafood, green leafy vegetables, and other selected vegetables coupled with reducing the consumption of carbohydrates, sweets, and foods high in Omega-6 provide the necessary nutrients in proper balance for losing weight and strengthening the immune system. It’s a simple message.

The NIH website is loaded with very good reports written by scientists in the fields of nutrition and biology. If so minded, the bureaucrats could easily push the MSM to publicize the best reports for effectively fighting COVID-19. For instance, they could publicize this report by Dr. Artemis P Simopoulos which they have on their website. That report specifically addresses how obesity, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, cancer, and other chronic conditions can be suppressed. But we don’t hear a peep about that important message. That’s bureaucrats for you.3

Recently I read a comment by Professor Neil Ferguson of Imperial College London. He had originally projected that there would be millions of COVID-19 deaths and thus he influenced governments everywhere to lockdown their citizens. Now he admits that Sweden achieved the same if not better results than many other countries by not shutting down.4

Instead of solutions, the messaging that we’ve received has been nonstop MSM propaganda that has created fear with the only safe space being to stay at home and make masks. Of course, as it has for more than three years without a break, the MSM has never once given President Trump even one compliment. This one-sided barrage of fear and loathing has been upsetting and divisive by about every measure.

No president has ever been perfect. All of them had faults, even George Washington. But never in my 75 years have I witnessed so much negatively skewed reporting about a president. It’s not good for the economy nor the mental and physical health of all Americans. In fact, it’s downright destructive especially at a time when bureaucrats are dictating to all Americans how they must function. More government has never worked and it never will work effectively or efficiently. Today’s events have Americans under tremendous stress, probably more so than at any time in the country’s history. Every person or organization on the planet can use some constructive criticism. But constant criticism is destructive.

In spite of all that’s going on, it’s not too late for everyone to be proactive in improving their health and well-being while trying to restore their normal daily routines. One of the easiest ways to lose weight is to follow the Ketogenic diet for a few months. Then after getting back in shape one can branch out while still sticking with the real diet of man. The objective is to consume foods that are low glycemic, nutrient dense and diverse, with balanced Omega-6 and Omega-3 essential fats. Then between stints at work, add in a little exercise, proper sleep, some meditation, time spent outdoors, some soothing music, a little singing, and social activities. All of these factors lower stress levels and strengthen body and soul.5

To your health.

Ted Slanker

Ted Slanker has been reporting on the fundamentals of nutritional research in publications, television and radio appearances, and at conferences since 1999. He condenses complex studies into the basics required for health and well-being. His eBook, The Real Diet of Man, is available online.

Don’t miss these links for additional reading:

1. Breakingviews - Today's Virus Vices Store up Tomorrow's Problems by Aimee Donnellan from Reuters

2. Battling The ‘COVID-15’: Half Of Americans Fear They’ll Never Get Their Pre-Coronavirus Body Back by John Anderer from Study Finds

3. The Importance of the Omega-6/Omega-3 Fatty Acid Ratio in Cardiovascular Disease and Other Chronic Diseases by Artemis P Simopoulos

4. Epidemiologist Who Triggered Worldwide Lockdowns Admits: Without Instituting Full Lockdown, Sweden Essentially Getting Same Effect by Hank Berrien from The Daily Wire

5. Too fat? Eat Fat by Ted Slanker