Things we might know if we used some sense

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I keep trying to understand why Americans find it so hard to have common sense. I always remember my grandparents and my mother being so aware of the obvious. We spend millions of dollars on researching and discussing what we know to be true before we allow ourselves to believe it. Not a day goes by without a news report or article giving us the results of yet another study. Now, I love how adept we have become at understanding how our minds and bodies function and what can help or hinder them, but how far do we have to go to convince people of some simple truths? For example: if you use a smaller plate you eat less. Now that takes at least an IQ of 200 to recognize.

Here’s another one: People who are sleep-deprived have more accidents and poor memory quality. Really! Or: If you get get angry a lot, you are more susceptible to strokes and heart attacks. Imagine that! How about: Laughing makes you feel good. Well, can you believe it? Until I read that, I thought I should go out and wail all night so I could wake up refreshed and happy.

The latest idiotic finding is that people who don’t take time for scheduled meals eat more snacks and seem to lose sight of the difference between a snack and a meal. Lunch hour was part of what employees looked forward to. It gave them that necessary hour to refresh their bodies and souls by refueling themselves through food and conversation. Now, the majority of people either run errands during their lunch hour, work through it or read or watch TV while they are supposed to be eating.

I’ve watched people eating while they’re driving, holding the wheel with their knees while they stuff themselves. It is virtually impossible to satiate your hunger when you are racing to get somewhere while you’re eating and also trying not to get killed. How can you even remember what you ate? You could be eating sawdust on rye and you probably wouldn’t know it. What ends up happening is that you forget what and how much you ate because of being preoccupied with driving and probably talking on your cell phone. And so, before too long, you’re looking to eat again.

This mindless eating segues into our home lives. I am often appalled at how many people have the TV on during dinner. It does not take much to realize that you will eat more when you are preoccupied. It is no wonder that there are so many people with gastric reflux. How can the body cooperate in digesting the fuel it needs when it is competing with your brain watching the news or any other program that may stress you?

When I was a child, I was allowed no distraction while eating. No phone calls, no radio, no TV. The only thing to do was savor the food, compliment Mama and have a good conversation. My grandparents and parents never read studies, they just tapped into a wisdom that seemed to know how the human spirit could thrive and survive. Maybe it’s time we all tried the same thing.

Author, humorist, PBS star and Fortune 500 trainer Loretta LaRoche lives in Plymouth. To share your pet peeves, questions or comments, write to The Humor Potential, 50 Court St., Plymouth 02360, send e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , visit the Web site at www.stressed.com, or call toll-free 800-99-TADAH (82324).

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