Yes, our food. Dare I say we all have food poisoning?
If there are any carnivores out there reading this, you might consider stopping, but you should keep reading for your health's sake. Americans eat meat and other animal products, for starters. Hundreds of years ago, it used to be that the rich died of the diseases we all do now. Why? Because they ate the foods that all Americans eat now, things like meat and dairy products. Rich and poor can afford to eat these foods now, because the price of meat and dairy products are artificially deflated (along with certain crops) because they are subsidized by the U.S. government. Don't believe me? Find an independent farmer out there. Ask how much a steak or fryer costs from them wholesale. You'll probably be surprised. It's not just due to the savings of mass production (and I promise not to get on my soapbox about CAFOs here).
More than meat, look at all the refined sugars and other products in our diets, along with chemicals, and so many additives and preservatives, it's not even funny. And today we also have to deal with genetic modification of our foods. It's a wonder we live to be 50!!!
Here's a short list of junk you can find in most "safe" foods:
- Animal fats and proteins (many of them hidden)
- Sugars, and sucrose is no longer the most common
- High fructose corn syrup
- Genetic modification (one of the most common is soy)
- Flavorings (just because it's natural, don't assume it's healthy or safe)
- Colorings (why do we have to add more color our food, for heaven's sake?)
- MSG
- Crazy amounts of additives, many of which are unnecessary and very likely unsafe
- Saturated fats
- Trans fats
For more information, you can find all kinds of articles online. I have written a few articles on what is in our processed food (one such article, for example, talks about the "Common Hidden Ingredients" in microwaveable burritos). Some people purchase foods like this at the store every day. There are so many other horrible things we eat, sometimes things we think are healthy (like many salad dressings!). Frozen dinners and pizzas, soda, chips--yes. We know those things are bad. But even the items labeled "healthy" usually aren't.
Can we go too far? I'm not sure. Depends on how long you want to live but more than, how well you want to live while you're here. Many of these ailments/diseases are caused (directly and indirectly) by the food we eat and the personal care products we use (whether the mainstream media will admit it or not--I recommend checking out the website Natural News for more info). Some of these you'll know, but others you won't, and if you don't believe me, do a little digging. It'll shock you:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Alzheimer's
- Osteoporosis
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Stroke
- Depression
Hullo fellow NaBloWriMo writer! Congratulations on another day of blogging! It's tough to eat right-- and expensive too. My good friend is a veggie who also eats organically and I made a dish for a party at work last week- the meal cost three or four times as much as it would to make as it does when I make it the way I generally do. I wish I could afford to eat that way all the time-- it was delicious but sad to say I couldn't afford it. It's a trap. But I understand what your saying and they are tough words that most people don't want to even think about.
ReplyDeleteI agree.99% of our society illness can be fixed wirh a diet change. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteAs a former carnivore, I have to say I really don't spend too much more on my meals now than I did then. Meat and dairy products are what killed my food budget (well, that and all the convenience foods). It's a hard adjustment to make, I think, but I agree with sithyogini, that we can make ourselves well if we take care of ourselves with diet!
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