Diet....On Our Modern Diet

            Its upon us again…Holiday Season!

            Last year, about January time…I couldn’t bear to hear one more refrain of “Deck the Halls With Boughs of Holly…tra la la la la”. Nor could I stand to look at one more recipe for 150 ways to use left over turkey.

            Oh, but we are a fickle lot!

            Have you noticed the piles of candy staring at you from the shelves as you first enter the door into the grocery store. They scream, “Take me home! I’m cheap!” as you fight your way to the fruit and veggies!

            It truly is a time to throw your padded body over the top of your cart, and push feverishly to the lettuce and carrots!

             HELP!!

            There are many good things to eat, and we have been fed a host of misinformation about what we should and shouldn’t consume. We have been like sheep. (We are poor little sheep who have lost our way..Baa, Baa, Baa)

            The very best foods that we can eat are foods still in their natural state. They have not been sweetened, preserved, or processed. Remember our ancestors. They ate potatoes, yams, meat, vegetables. They ate food cooked from the garden and from their meat supply. They ate sugar, but proportionately to today, very little sugar.

            But in our modern times, we have become a pawn of the “industry”.  During the holidays we get a glut of rich, sugary food thrown to us. Then, in January, we are overbooked with diets and diet remedies. And that same industry that does this, tells us “untruths” as well. Remember, when the term “industry” is used, it translates “economic”..that there is money to be made. Industry shouldn’t usually be trusted.

            There’s a good article named “13 Nutrition Lies That Made the World Fat”. I will share a few points but you might want to read this: http://www.businessinsider.com/13-nutrition-lies-that-made-the-world-sick-and-fat-2013-10

             Lie 1.(that) Eggs are bad for your health. It seems eggs have been demonized because of the cholesterol which supposedly leads to heart disease. Studies have shown that eggs are not associated with heart disease. In fact, the cholesterol in eggs raise the “good” cholesterol in the blood. The egg is a “perfect food”. They are loaded with protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and unique oxidents that protect the eyes. They also are an excellent source of Choline, a nutrient that is very good for the brain and of which about 95% of the population is not getting enough.

            Lie 2. A calorie is a calorie. It is often said that the only thing that matters for weight loss is “calories in, calories out.”. The truth is that calories matter, but the types of foods we eat are just as important. That is because different foods go through different metabolic pathways in the body .Additionally, the foods we eat can directly impact the hormones that regulate when and how much we eat, as well as the amount of calories we burn.

            Example. Eating protein can boost your metabolic rate and satisfy your hunger where other calories (like the holiday candy) can leave your hungrier and unsatisfied.

            I think I often let my brain turn to jelly when I am dealing with this subject! I know better, but I want to fool myself into believing that a 240 calorie candy bar is the same as a 240 calorie piece of lean meat. Not true.

            It is no accident that 2/3 of our population is very overweight. The amount of food we eat is not the primary factor. It’s the food choice. The industry has given society an appetite for unhealthy food which goes directly into storage as fat. The processed, sweetened, preserved food doesn’t produce an active metabolism and it doesn’t produce muscle. Oh, but it is profitable!

            Processed food goes to fat. The ingredients in the food on the shelf do not metabolize the same way that the proteins and natural foods do. If one were to define “food” as sustenance and fuel for the healthy tissues, then according to that definition, we are not getting much food at the grocery store. Sugar and corn syrup (found in most of our sweetened foods) goes to fat.

            What can we do? Make noise. Refuse to buy the junk. Count the costs.

            And …push your cart really, really fast when you walk into the grocery store!