We live in a world that’s vastly faster than the agrarian culture of our founding fathers. The average person processes more information in a week than a scribe in ancient times did in a year. If you’re a commuter, your mileage in a week exceeds the totals achieved by many people in the pre-industrial age during their lifetime. And certainly most of us are not engaging in the vigorous work of planting, plowing and picking that defined the daily routines of people in the past.

Add in the usual tumult of daily living – school, work, activities, commuting, shopping, electronic stimulation – and it’s not a surprise that we’re incredibly stressed and over-scheduled. Higher, faster, stronger may be the Olympics motto, but it’s also the way many of us live our lives. Every second is filled.

Given all of that, it’s no surprise that our eating habits match our daily routine. Grab and gobble has replaced leisurely and socially dining to a great degree, so much so that our national nutrition and health is being severely affected to a great degree.

Of course, that assumes you can even easily access food and can afford to purchase a majority of your choices in natural and unprocessed selections. The United States Dept. of Agriculture reports that 14.5% of households experienced food insecurity at some point in 2012, the last year statistics are available. Seniors, children and the extremely poor are vulnerable, having to rely on food choices that may not be the best.

THE GRIM OBESITY TOTALS

The Center for Disease Control reports that 35.1% of adults over age 20 are obese, with 69% overweight (a total that includes the obese). Adolescents age 12-19 years finds 20.5% obese, with children 6-11 years old totaling 17.7% obese. Even children 2-5 years of age have 8.4% of the population registering as obese.