Would you believe there is a conspiracy concerning the health of the average American! Believe it. Yesterday, in an attempt to be more healthy I chose to buy a gallon jug of tea to drink rather than a 2 liter of pop. Three cheers for me right? That's what I thought until today when I looked at the back of the jug to see what great and healthy ingredients I was literally pouring into my body and saw the three most dreaded words, which amounted to: High Fructose Corn Syrup. This ingredient is one of the worst for our bodies and is literally riddled into almost everything we eat! I think it's used to preserve food, but makes our poor pancreases work incredibly hard (if I can remember my nurse cousin's speech on the evils of High Fructose Corn Syrup).
Not only is this a problem, but I'm sure you've noticed that the real healthy food is so expensive only people with extra cash can afford it! Have you been in any health stores lately? They also make everything in a health store seem absolutely essential for your body. Who can afford to buy the whole store?! The details of vitamins, herbs, supplements, minerals, oils, acids and the like are also so numerous ( and dire) that one is left confused and hopeless.
I want to be healthy, I really do. I just get frusterated with all the details only to find out what I thought was healthy really isn't. This is the conspiracy: To make us think what we are eating and drinking is healthy when it isn't, and to charge lots of money for the stuff that is really healthy if you can first get past the confusion about what really is healthy.
If someone could make this really simple for me, I would give them a huge, and I mean huge, hug!
Maybe I should just invest in the health raquet.
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Sometimes I just feel like...exhaling.
Sometimes I just feel like...exhaling.
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4 comments:
I definitely agree, it's expensive to eat right! Pointers I've gained over the years (although I don't always follow):
Avoid anything with "partially hydrolized oil" and "high fructose corn syrup" (check EVERYTHING - even a loaf of bread can contain both these ingredients!). Fat calorie content per serving should be no more than 1/3 of the total calories. Go lowfat where you can (some stuff just tastes NASTY lowfat!) Any breads, cereals, or pasta look for the highest fiber content you can stand - preferably 3 grams or higher. If you can read the ingredients without having to be a chemist, all the better. When shopping, stick to the outer perimeter as much as possible (ie: produce, meat, dairy, and just as necessary forage into the middle for bread, cereal, & pasta). Oh, and as far as snacking goes, try to stick with fruit and veggies doing your best to keep the dips and dressings to a minimum!
I do the best I can, balancing $ and food compatability with my Mom. (And resisting the temptation to give in to my weakness for chocolate as best I can.)
I don't know if that's simple enough but there you go. I try to avoid health food stores too - they are really expensive (but I really like the coarse chopped grains for a hot cereal)! :)
Oh, and as far as vitamins go, unless you have some special needs, a good multivitamin and for women, calcium too, is sufficient. Softgels or liquid form reach the cells better than tablets.
Intersting - just yesterday on the way home from church, Lisa and I were talking about the high cost of healthy foods, specifically organic foods sold at Meijer, etc. The conversation started with my curiousity and speculation about the causes of cancer. It seems to me that foods are the common denominator among many of those who get the disease. Sure, we all know there are many other contributers, but for example, there are alot of people who don't smoke that have aquired the disease.
Thank you Steph (and Colleen) for the insight! I will now be looking at the labels for High Fructose Corn Syrup and Partially Hydrolized Oils!
wow, colleen that was very knowledgable. thank you.
hugs all around. :)
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