While making the multitude of food changes in our pantry, fridge, and freezer, I'm more convinced than ever before that there is a corporate conspiracy occuring in our country. My husband is probably cringing as he reads this because he thinks I'm slightly mad every time I bring this up, but I'm going to rehash regardless of his embarrassment.
I've suspected for years that something horrible has been happening to the food in our country. It seems like more and more people I come into contact with have been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Even more distressing is the number of kids I know who have developed this adult on-set form of the disease. Two of the biggest factors of Type 2 diabetes are genetics and weight. You can't do anything about the luck of the draw on your gene pool, but you can on the weight. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) (2011), there are 18.8 million diagnosed diabetics in the United States. They also predict there are 7 million others who are undiagnosed.
I had gestational diabetes while I was pregnant with my daughter. I was extremely motivated to immediately get my diabetes under control because I was an older mom, I wanted a healthy baby, and I didn't want to give birth in a hospital. Rather than run to a doctor, the first person I sought help from was a dietician. Thankfully, she was good at her job because I went the full pregnancy without diabetic medication. Plus, I had a healthy baby that weighed a little less than seven pounds. It wasn't always easy, but doing the right things kept me drug-free and ensured me of a midwife birth.
Those of us women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy are well aware of the future risk of getting Type 2 diabetes in the future. According to the NDIC (2011), there is a 35-60% chance that I will develop Type 2 diabetes. Trust me, this is something that is always in the back of my mind, and I have my blood sugar checked annually to ensure that I'm in the clear. In fact, this statistic is one of the motivating factors for my current change in diet and exercise habits. I've escaped the bullet for nearly 13 years, but I know that the gun is still loaded.
So ... let's talk about my conspiracy theory. But first, let's think about the grocery store. Walk into your favorite grocery. What do you see? In most stores, there is a perimeter lined with produce, milk, meat, and maybe a bakery. What about the inner part? It's mostly processed foods, isn't it? Now, let's take a stroll down the snack aisles. You see oodles of enticing treats, don't you? I mean, there can't just be Oreos anymore - they have to coat them in chocolate! Why, my Easter fav Peeps have been defiled by a coating of milk chocolate! What? A candy made entirely of sugar wasn't BAD enough for us?! It's hard to go to the grocery without being assaulted by these types of processed and unhealthy choices. The manufacturers keep making NEW and IMPROVED versions of their treats. All of this adds up to one thing - OBESITY! And where does the road to obesity take us? DIABETES!
Pick up most any magazine and you'll find ads for all sorts of diabetic drugs or testing supplies. It's a BIG business! Ask anybody who's had to buy these things - even with insurance, these drugs and supplies aren't cheap. And the problem is - if you're a diabetic, these products are necessary to live. It's not a choice. I snidely joke to my family that if we had money to invest, I'd put it all in diabetic pharmaceuticals and supplies. According to the NDIC (2011), we spent $174 BILLION in both direct and indirect diabetic expenses in 2007. The medical expenses for a diabetic are double those of a non-diabetic. We're talking some serious money. If you owned Pfizer Labs (Glyset), Bayer (Precose), GlaxoSmithKline (Avandamet, Avandaryl), Takeda Pharmaceuticals America (Duetact, Actoplus), Novo Nordisk (Prandimet), Bristol-Myers Squibb (Kombiglyze, Metaglip, Glucovance, Glucophage), Merck & Co (Janumet), Amylin and Lilly (Byetta), Novartis Pharmaceuticals (Starlix), or Shionogi USA (Fortamet) ... I mean ... wouldn't you want to keep diabetes stats high? Call me crazy, but I'd love to know if any of these diabetes drug folks own or invest in any snack companies. It's definitely food for thought!
Some interesting diabetes resources:
How to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes: http://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/preventing-type-2-diabetes
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse: http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/statistics/#Estimated
Type 2 Diabetes Treatment: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-treatment/DA00089
Monthly Prescribing Reference - just because it's interesting to read all about the drugs our MDs prescribe: http://www.empr.com/
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