RANT – RANT – RANT

Am I a happy person? I try to be. Do I rant? Yup, I do, but I usually rant to myself or my husband. My rants are usually petty. My rants are usually trivial.

HOWEVER,

the task for the blogging challenge today requires me to rant in public.

One of my truest rants is focused toward health and nutrition. Why? Because some percent of your happiness is directly related to your health.

Far too many people are unconcerned about what they are consuming on a daily basis.

Do you drink a diet soda or any other food that contains the word “diet” on the label? Do most of the meals you consume contain processed foods labeled “diet?” Are you losing weight, maintain weight, or losing the weight you want to? Do you know what is in that “diet” product and how it affects your health?

Recently in the news, they have changed the FDA wordings to allow the avocado to be deemed healthy. Previously, it had been declared “unhealthy” because of the fat it contained. Likewise, research is coming out that whole milk may be better for you than skimmed or 2% milk. Why? Because it is a whole food.

How about the much argued high fructose corn syrup? Advertisers, usually those whose products contain corn syrup, tell us it is perfectly safe. That may be, but by eating pre-processed foods, you alter the digestion process of your body.

My problem isn’t whether or not you eat these foods, but the complaints people make about how they feel after they have eaten them, and that far too many people have no idea what they are consuming. Whether the person believes something without investigating it or could care less about investigating something read, heard, or seen, I get irritated by the extreme gullibility of some individuals.

WHY WOULD ANYONE NOT WANT TO KNOW THE TRUTH?

Why? Because as one of my former students told me one year, “The government wouldn’t let a company sell something that was dangerous or unhealthy.” REALLY? SERIOUSLY?

Let’s take myself for example. I used to eat rice cakes. When they began to make mini rice cakes, I thought they were brilliant. The bite size cakes were easier to eat with less mess. But, after I finished a serving, I felt “off.” I sized it up to a hot day in my classroom. The next day after eating the mini cakes was the same. It was early in my label reading days, but when I went to the grocery store the next day, I picked up a package of the regular size and the mini size rice cakes and examined the front of the package. Both were exactly the same. There was nothing that said “diet,” “sugar free,” or “artificially sweetened” – not even “fewer calories.” The ingredients label, however, was another story. The mini rice cakes included an artificial sweetener that I was allergic to, but the exact same full size rice cakes didn’t contain it. There was nothing on the front of the package to indicate the difference either.

Sometimes our medical experts are lacking nutritional knowledge as well. This makes it vitally important for us to learn about nutrition.

When my mother was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer, she was scheduled for chemo. I pointedly asked the oncologist whether it would be a good idea to include cancer fighting foods in her diet or if they would counteract with the chemo. He had no clue. In fact, he told me he hadn’t really given that any thought.

THE EXPERTS: ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS

According to an article on artificial sweeteners by Dr. Mercola, “methanol a.k.a. wood alcohol/poison makes up 10 % of aspartame.” Alarming, right? Take some time to read Dr. Mercola’s article – “Aspartame: By Far the Most Dangerous Substance Added to Most Foods Today.”

Another piece that highlights the problem with artificial sweeteners supports the idea that they don’t necessarily help with weight loss as cited in a Harvard article.

In the fight against cancer, The American Institute for Cancer Research, Health, and  WebMD, all list foods that fight cancer.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Once you realize that the foods you consume affect your health and happiness, you can begin to take charge. When our health is suffering, we have problems being happy.

Read and evaluate as much information as you can get your hands on. Learn about food, food additives, and food processing.

Learn to read labels and question what you put into your body. Like an old ice cream add said, “If you can’t read it, it can’t be good for you.” Well that is partially true. You may not be able to read or pronounce pomegranate so find out what it is.

Learn the wide variety of ways food companies mask the wording of additives.

Eat whole, unprocessed (by a manufacturer) foods.

Learn to cook and bake. I love things like cinnamon rolls, but rather than purchase them in a store ready made or from a tube to pop into your oven, find a recipe and make them yourself. I do the same with biscuits; I buy whole potatoes and mask them myself; muffin or cake mix – I make from scratch. Especially when there are certain additives that the FDA doesn’t require mentioning on the label. Read “12 Dangerous And Hidden Food Ingredients in Seemingly Healthy Foods.”

AND REMEMBER

HAPPINESS IS LINKED TO YOUR HEALTH AND YOUR HEALTH IS RELATED TO WHAT YOU EAT!