The way many people eat is the result of a lifestyle that glorifies immediate satisfaction and neglects the long-term consequences.

Many Americans are malnourished, and/or overweight, and/or dying in increasing numbers from conditions linked with dietary patterns, particularly heart disease, cancer, and stroke. We also suffer tooth decay, indigestion, constipation, allergies, headaches, hyperactivity, lethargy, skin disorders, and poor nails and hair--all diet-related.

Basically we have lost touch with ourselves and therefore our diets and eating habits are unbalanced. We lack information about nutrition, we are stressed, and most of the foods available to us are grown with pesticides, heavily processed, and devoid of many needed nutrients due to poor soils. Besides these problems, many use food to try to relieve emotional and physical pain. In addition to having problems with food, many people are addicted to drugs: caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and a wide variety of pharmaceuticals.

The situation is a vicious circle in which each unbalanced factor leads to another and then turns back to reinforce itself. The more stressed you are, the more you may tend to eat in an attempt to relieve your pain. The more you eat, the more pain you may create through increased weight or compounded guilt. The more pain you create, the more you may want to eat to relieve it. Round and round you go. It makes no difference at what point on the circle you jump in. Anywhere you turn, you lose. This section explores how to break this cycle--to leap into another circle altogether.

Eating is the 4th of the 12 dimensions of wellness in the Wellness Inventory. See the wellness wheel below which represents the Wellness Energy System. The Wellness Inventory is a holistic assessment and life-balance program designed to help you gain personal insight into your state of physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. The program offers guidance and tools to transform this new awareness into sustainable lifestyle change, and a renewed sense of health and wellbeing. Personally subscribe to the Wellness Inventory: www.WellPeople.com Professional licensing: Click here Wellness Inventory Certification Training: Click here