Who’s to Tell Us What is Healthy?
Let face it we have so many gurus out there and on the internet telling us what we should be doing to stay fit and healthy but who can you trust?
In the UK our main source of information about all things health related comes from the NHS – National Health Service which is a free service. This links to our doctors and hospitals nationwide. The information provided on their website ranges from basic symptomatic diagnose to dietary and nutrition needs, as well as helpful exercises for rehabilitation. As a service they can give us guidelines to what is expected as ‘healthy’ such as understanding your BMI – Body Mass Index, a phase which appeared in the Journal of Chronic Diseases by a physiologist Ancel Keys in 1972. Ancel Keys and a team of experts developed this index from something that already existed but not widely understood. The original findings from Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet developed the Quetelet Index in the mid 19th Century, measuring height and weight, for population studies. Further evidence from Ancel Keys provided its use in population-based studies of fatness, leading to its widespread adoption for assessing relative weight and, later, as a standard for defining obesity. Something which is still used in our surgeries and clinics today but is it helpful?
In my experience I suffer from a high functioning metabolism with high functioning anxiety meaning I lose weight too quickly if I am not careful with my fitness regime and food intake. I am vitamin D deficient and experience burnouts too often with my dyslexia and ADHA. I was recommended that the pain I experience was from fybromyalgia in 2019 and I was born with a heart condition so I have a few health issue I am use to dealing with.
As a way of my doctor and dietician keeping an eye on me, they religiously refer to BMI. In October 2022 my weight had plummeted to 42kilos, I stand at 5ft 7inches meaning my BMI was dangerously underweight. I was told to stop training and add more protein to my diet. At first I as excused of doing this to myself, she must be anorexic or bulimic, NO I was not! And felt like I was being stereotyped due to my career choice. Before we went to the doctors I was already adding extra protein shakes with banana, peanut butter and manuka honey I blitzed myself every day and eating 3 full meals a day. Through out my life I had experience serve weight drops without explanation only, ‘Add more protein to your diet’. Going to the doctors on this occasion, my husband had to verify I was not forcing sickness after meals and I had stopped training completely yet I still continued to lose weight. I felt weak, lethargic and my mental health was really affected. I considered myself to be careful with what I put into my diet but not over the top, I could never be vegetarian or vegan! I love vegetables and salads, oily fish, lean chicken and once a month a piece of steak. Lentils and whole grain rice and pasta all good things I thought was in my diet. I do love a bacon sandwich for breakfast or lunch and at least a takeaway of Indian, Chinese or MacDonalds twice monthly.
When I was prescribed ensure protein shakes to bulk up my diet to 3000 calories a day, we thought this is going to help but with no training my weight only climbed 3kilos which for the BMI was still not enough to state that I was ‘Fit to Work’. We continued with the advice of the doctor for the next year. My life had become hardly leaving our home eating and sleeping. My PC gaming was my outlet but sitting down too long, not being active, I get bored very quickly and lose interest.
By October 2024 I was still only 45kilos with no answers. In my mind I just wanted to go back to training, I didn’t see the harm in it as I knew as a dancer we do not do cardiovascular exercises, our training is geared to body shape changing, stretching and strengthening. As a birthday present my husband got me a gym membership as he understood this will make me feel whole again and it did! I focused on the very light exercise programmes mostly laying on the floor as I couldn’t stand for too long and climbing stairs was tiring. Slowly and steadily my weight was finally going up. We felt this was to do with building back the muscles that were slowly wasting. With my husbands help having prepared something to eat as soon as I get back from the gym kept me on track and I have finally gained the weight I should be which is 55kilos I am still in the lower range of BMI but I am not classed as underweight any more. I still have health issues I battle with but stopping training was not the right advice. We all need to listen to and understand our own bodies more. As a trained dancer we understand our bodies more than most so trust your gut if you do not feel you are being given the right advice.
So who’s helping us on a global level?
Now, WHO is the operative word! Yes WHO stands for World Health Organisation that, with the UK, mainly interact with global health threats such as the last pandemic we experienced. But who is WHO? And why are they so important? WHO was established in 1948, they are an organisation of 194 Member States that coordinate the world’s response to health emergencies, promote well-being, prevent disease and expand access to health care. WHO focuses on primary health care in every country to improve access to quality essential services. This includes training the health work force, supporting policy development and working towards sustainable financing for health systems.
There really is an array of science out there that is constantly changing opinions. With networks and organisations like these there will always be a better way to live and everyone is different in how they navigate through their own health journey. There is not right or wrong way of living only a conscience effort to understand better.
Bibliography
BMI – Wikipedia
who.int
nhs.uk