<BillNo> <Sponsor>
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION 149
By Lynn
HJR0149
003366
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A RESOLUTION relative to the metabolic health of Tennesseans.
WHEREAS, to Make Tennessee Healthy Again is an admirable goal; and
WHEREAS, the federal government reports that the metabolic health of our citizens is a
growing concern: 65 percent are overweight or obese, 43.5 percent report feeling anxious, and
937,000 adults in Tennessee have a mental health condition according to the National Alliance
on Mental Illness; and
WHEREAS, metabolic syndrome is a clustering of at least three of the following five
medical conditions: abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high serum
triglycerides, and low serum high-density lipoprotein (HDL); and
WHEREAS, in Tennessee, 761,000 individuals are currently diagnosed with Type 2
diabetes, with 51,000 new cases diagnosed annually; and
WHEREAS, ample research exists to help Tennesseans understand how to improve
physical, emotional, and mental health for a more healthful, peaceful, and contented life; and
WHEREAS, there is a growing awareness of the benefits of eating minimally processed
foods, getting regular exercise, getting enough sleep, enjoying outdoor activities, and spending
social time with friends and family to produce contentment, better health, and improved well-
being; and
WHEREAS, there exists in today's modern American diet an unholy trinity of ultra-
processed foods and food ingredients that produce cheap, prepared foods high in calorie
content, chemical additives, and sugars; and
WHEREAS, the federal government has warned for years that a steady diet of such
processed foods contributes to metabolic syndrome, and as recently hypothesized and
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demonstrated by Christopher M. Palmer, M.D., in his book Brain Energy, a poor diet may
contribute to deterioration of the metabolic condition of the brain, all causing long-term damage
to health and well-being; and
WHEREAS, this unholy trinity is the simple carbohydrate processed grains, refined
sugars, and industrial vegetable and seed oils that dominate the ingredients in prepared foods
and play a role in their preparation; and
WHEREAS, the first of this unholy trinity is simple carbohydrate grains, which are
industrially processed grains such as wheat and rice that are stripped of the healthful bran, often
bleached, and sometimes refined into flour to make breads, pastas, cereals, chips, pretzels,
crackers, waffles, pancakes, rolls, and pizzas that make up much of our caloric intake; and
WHEREAS, the human body quickly converts simple carbohydrates to sugar, causing a
person's body to work hard to process and maintain blood glucose levels; and
WHEREAS, highly processed grains are cheap and, therefore, consumed in abundance,
and contribute to metabolic syndrome, weight gain, inflammatory diseases, inflammatory bowel
disease, and connective tissue disease; and
WHEREAS, the second in the unholy trinity is sugar, including white sugar, high fructose
corn syrup, and "sugar free" sweeteners, which are found in abundance in processed prepared
foods, food additives, and drinks, producing an endless variety of simple carbohydrate foods
highly attractive to children and adults; and
WHEREAS, such sugars contribute to weight gain, acne, and Type 2 diabetes, and can
increase a person's risk of several serious medical conditions such as metabolic syndrome;
examples of these foods are candy, cakes, cookies, ice cream, fruit juices, sweetened coffee,
coffee creamers, and soda pop; and
WHEREAS, the third member of the unholy trinity is industrial seed oils and vegetable
oils such as corn, safflower, soybean, cotton seed, vegetable, and canola oils, which are
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ubiquitous on today's supermarket shelves and in today's processed and fast food, making up
20 percent of the American diet according to the United Nations; and
WHEREAS, industrial seed oils are produced by a complicated manufacturing process
to concentrate the oil; the process to produce these oils involves hydrogenation, bromine, and a
chemical called hexane; and
WHEREAS, studies show industrial seed oils with their high linoleic acid content have
increased the level of linoleic acid in our fat cells, and they easily turn rancid, causing an
oxidation chain reaction and free radical damage in the body along with inflammation in the
arteries and organs, insulin resistance, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, and damage to the gut
microbiome; and
WHEREAS, the overabundance of these high omega-6 fatty acids creates an imbalance
due to the lesser quantity of omega-3 fatty acids we consume and are associated with the great
increase of cardiovascular disease, which started in the twentieth century about the time of their
advent as a food ingredient; and
WHEREAS, the great abundance of these simple carbohydrate grains, sugars, and
vegetable seed oils have produced cheap, shelf-stable, prepared processed foods, but at what
cost to the health of Tennesseans; and
WHEREAS, the sad reality is that, despite the fact that we enjoy one of the highest
standards of living in the world and that most people are not starving, we have observed a
continual decline in metabolic health and mental health that has stressed our bodies and slowly
kills us over decades; and
WHEREAS, to Make Tennessee Healthy Again is an admirable goal; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF TH E ONE HUNDRED
FOURTEENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF TENNESSEE, THE SENATE
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CONCURRING, that the voice of Tennesseans who understand the importance of sharing this
information with their brethren is heard through this resolution.