Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.
-Ayn Rand
Healthy Eating
The diet and weight loss industry is big business in the US, and growing each year. In 2012, Americans spent 62 billion dollars to lose weight and this number is expected to grow to 65 billion in 2013.
However, despite the billions being spent on losing weight, we are getting sicker (and fatter) as a nation.
How can this be?
In my opinion there are many causes, but a fundamental reason is our warped understanding of the word “food.”
Lets start by defining food:
Food
- Material, usually of plant or animal origin, that contains or consists of essential body nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals, and is ingested and assimilated by an organism to produce energy, stimulate growth, and maintain life.
The three key points in the definition of Food are:
- Of plant or animal origin
- Consists of essential nutrients and
- Helps the organism produce energy, stimulate growth and maintain life.
This dictionary definition made sense to me. Real foods do preform each of the above three functions.
However, I then looked around at many of things we call “food” and I saw a disconnect. Many of our most common “foods” are highly processed and loaded with genetically modified ingredients (read: science experiment with unknown results), sugars, artificial sweeteners, chemicals, fillers and preservatives . . . the list goes on and on and on.
Clearly, none of these fit the true definition of a food.
So, what word does describe these toxic ingredients?
Poison
- A substance that causes injury, illness, or death, especially by chemical means.
Wow :O
Poison is the exact opposite of a food. If food sustains life, helps us grow and gives us energy, poison does the opposite as it impairs life, causes death and robs us of our energy.
Striking no?
With many of our most common ailments having diet as a direct cause, including diabetes, cancer, heart disease and obesity, what else can we call these edible creations that cause disease?
Have you every walked into the grocery store, seen the “health food section” and thought, if this is health food section, what is the rest of it!
Healthier, One bite at a time
Q: So what can we do to get healthier?
A: Eat real food
Q: What are real foods
A: Real foods have a mother or grows in the ground AND have not been poisoned with chemicals, modified or manipulated.
Why is this on my mind? On the radio last week, driving back from teaching a group of doctors outside of Dallas, I heard the newest Fried “Foods” at the Texas State Fair.
I think “Fried Poisons” might be a more appropriate name but I will let you decide. Here are two of the most outrageous entries:
Spicy Spam Empanadas
Shredded Spam (mmmm), potatoes, bacon, cheese, onions, red and green peppers, jalapeño, chipotle peppers, shoved in a pastry and THEN THEY FRY IT.
Deep Fried Nutella
The consistency of the famed chocolate-hazelnut spread doesn’t seem like a prime candidate for the fryer. But if you wrap it in Phyllo dough, slather some honey on it, sprinkle some almonds on it, fill it with cream cheese – and you’ve got a contender.
This is no April’s fools joke as I found out, these are real creations 🙁
So unless you can show me a Nutella tree, or convince me spam is an essential nutrient neither of these fit the definition of food.
