Saturday, October 01, 2011

Sick Employees Cost Us

Dr. McDougall's latest newsletter has an article that argues that the Standard American Diet compromises our competiveness on the world stage, because it makes us sick and less productive. So, then, it is not just the high cost of group health insurance premiums. It's those lost days and inefficient hours on the job.

This is certainly our experience at our law firm. That is, we have had employees over the years whom we like very much, who are faithful and smart, but whose illnesses have compromised their productivity. We know what they eat, and they don't eat well at all. There are other things in their lives, but this is a very obvious factor.

Dr. McDougall writes, in part:

The downhill spiral for the American worker must be stopped, and there is no better place to start than at the dinner table. Replacing the current animal-food-based diet with a starch-based diet will return workers to a productive state of health, almost overnight. You, personally, do not have to wait to be saved by another government-sponsored stimulus program. Take control, get back your health, get off medications, and away from frequent visits to doctors, laboratories, and hospitals. Switching from beef and butter to beans and barley will cut your personal food bill too, from $14 to $3 a day today. That would mean a $44 a day savings for a family of four, which equates to an extra $1,300 a month saved on food alone.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Paul-this is very interesting. Anna Scott has been very sick (Salmonella consumption) this week and it has prompted many thoughts about health care and general American practices. Her restricted diet has made me wonder if you are aware of any studies done on all the protein power that has become so popular. Many of them are technically generated from whey (dairy). Do you know whether these powders find their place on the continuum of healthy choices? Obviously people should eat actual food for optimum health, but as we attempt to put more calories into Anna Scott, I am wondering about the use of this kind of product.
-Rachelle

Paul Stokes said...

Hi, Rachelle, I just now read your comment. I'm very sorry to hear about Anna Scott and I hope she's better. I am sure that studies have been done on the protein powder, but I am not right now acquainted with them. I can point out a couple of things, however. First, the problems with dairy products are generally well documented, and for that reason I would question protein powder that derives from whey. For another, the powder is "processed," where the lodestar is "whole-foods." The whole-food thesis is that proper nourishment does not arise from any single element, extracted and then repackaged through some industrial process, but from the natural combination of elements in a given fruit or vegetable or legume. Let me think about something you might want to read and I will be in touch.