To eat like a monkey or not?

*This article discusses the findings of recent research performed on rhesus monkeys. I am not promoting this research in any way, just discussing the findings. The entire article that I'm referencing can be found here: Today’s Lab Rats of Obesity: Furry Couch Potatoes*

For many people, following the American Heart Association's diet is the golden standard of healthy eating. However, according to research from the University of South Florida, it may be time rethink those guidelines from the AHA. Dr. Barbara Hansen, from USF, has been doing research on obese monkeys for quite some time and favors working with these primates that, like humans, become obese over time. She once had the world's heaviest monkey that became that way by eating nothing except the recommended diet from the AHA! Something doesn't seem quite right about that! Honestly, I believe this is where the bio-individuality of a diet comes into play: no one diet works for everyone all of the time! Granted, these are monkeys not humans, but the fact remains that they are the closest to resembling humans and the studies that are done on them are pretty good indicators of what the human body would go through if subjected to the same or similar conditions.

Speaking of what the human body would go through, an alarming picture from this study is what happened to a primate by the name of Shiva that was given the SAD (standard American diet)of surgary drinks and junk food and reflected the standard American lifestyle of sitting around with no physical exercise as well. This primate has a belly that grazes the floor! The other finding that shocked me was the fact that these primates are even more like humans than we realize; when they are bored they tend to eat. How many times have you found yourself reaching for something to snack on when you weren't even hungry, you just didn't have anything else to do? I'll admit that I've done it.

I hate to say it, but sometimes it takes looking in from the outside to figure out what needs to be tweaked in our own lives in order to live a healthy lifestyle, and this article paints a sad picture of what our country is heading towards as a whole.

You have one life to live; do well, eat well, be well!

BS, CHC, AADP

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