What's Eat'n You?

In The Beginning...

When I read the Old Testament, I'm always amazed at the number of years many lived. For example, a man named Jared lived to be 962 year old (Genesis 5:20). I can't even imagine what that looks like (nor do I want to)! So I like to pick brains...I asked a couple of people why we don't live to be that old anymore. No one comes even near those kind of ages. Some of the answers I got were spiritual and others, natural. Increasingly, I have been as equally concerned with the natural as I have spiritual. I think there is something to be considered, that is being overlooked (not that an answer will yield those kind of birthdays again).

Last summer I visited a pilates class at a popular gym and during our exercise, the instructor (whom was kinda hippie-ish) began talking about nutrition and the additives that are in our food. She goes on to say that a common additive in food is one of the properties used in embalming fluid [slowing down the healing and repair mechanisms of your body]. By this time, I was already in the process of revamping my diet, but this made me become more discriminatory of the food I cook and eat and more label conscious. I am by *NO MEANS* a nutritional guru...just a girl on a budget trying to do better. So from one budget-er to another, these are my findings.

Rocket Science...

I'm becoming more and more of a believer that aggressive and progressive illnesses in our bodies are not a mystery or phenom, but correlative to the manipulation/consumption of kryptonite foods. So I decided to fish around [no pun intended] to see what info I could back up my woman's intuition with. Although some of my sources are not from the horses mouth, they have done the research themselves, noting credible sources (why reinvent the wheel).

World Health Organization says, "70 percent of all cancers can be prevented with simple changes in diet and lifestyle."

"Cancer tumors develop, in part, by feeding on sugar in the bloodstream. If you eat lots of sugary snacks loaded with simple carbs, you're loading your bloodstream with the chemical energy
needed for cancer cells (and tumors) to proliferate." (http://www.naturalnews.com/021808.html)

Other articles to read at your leisure (asap) *Disclaimer - left to your own interpretation. Eat the hay and spit the sticks if you must:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39687039/ns/health-cancer
http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/hurtful-food-avoid-these-10-cancercausing-foods.html
http://www.diseaseproof.com/archives/cat-food-safety.html
http://www.13.waisays.com/brain.htm

I'm not 100% organic and I do manage to get some "naughty by nature" ingredients into my diet but that has decreased tremendously. In my research of good vs. evil, I have run across what we ignore daily.

My SMALL list of buyer bewares:
high-fructose corn syrup
Sugar sucrose
Enriched bleached flour
White rice
White pastas
White breads and other "white" foods.
Monosodium glutamate (MSG - nasty villian!)
Food colorings
High concentrations of salt (sea salt a better alternative)
Anything that seems to be spelled with every letter in the alphabet.
Anything that explicitly says "Not a significant source of nutritional value"

I mean the list could go on! And on a lot of packages, it does. If you read the label and it seems like a lot is going on, it's because it is. If it reads like a novel, that's an indication. And don't be fooled by those packages that have you feeling good about your purchase on the front, but has ulterior motives on the back. Even those "healthy" snacks can sneak up on you. I feel a little differently about my granola bars now :-( Maybe they reduced the fat/calories but they didn't reduce the additives:


Look for brands that say "0 grams of trans fat, No MSG, No artificial colors or flavors, No preservatives, Non - GMO ingredients, Gluten free...". My feelings have been hurt over and over as I found out the foods that I thought were healthy, really violated me. To simplify my mornings, I would pop in a bagel and go! Hey, that's a step up from me not eating breakfast at all. Whole wheat bagels...but what's the trade off:



I will be the first to admit that eating healthier can put a dent in my purse but think of all the little ways you spend money that adds up big. Eating out several times, going to the movies during the weekend when you can pay less than half the price during the week, . That money could go towards some fresh fruits and veggies! Even for the vending machine addicts, every dollar counts! Where can YOU cut back? I always manage to find a good produce sale at Kroger (although Meijer seems to have fresher produce for a better price). Even with produce, be mindful. If you look at the carton of strawberries and say "hmmm...those are some big strawberries" put them down and walk away slowly. Buy 100% juice that is really 100% (Juicey Juice/Old Orchard...). Our bodies were made to process food but not process processed food. This isn't about being overly conscious and not enjoying yourself. This is dispelling the notion that ignorance is bliss.

Oh Soy!

For all my soy lovers...especially females...consume in moderation. It does something a little funky to our hormones. When soy is heavily processed, it no longer becomes a healthy alternative: http://www.suite101.com/content/soy-a27818

Crap Happens!

I was thinking of a BMW or Mercedes. Those kind of luxury vehicles don't manage well using Regular gas. You have to use Premium or Silver (the kind we are too cheap to put in our own vehicles ;-) to maintain the life of the engine. It's no different with our bodies. What we put in is what we get out. Crap goes in, crap comes out, and crap happens. Unfortunately, we live during a time where treatment is profitable, not awareness and prevention. That would cut the medical industries profits down tremendously. We can't have that can we?! The bottom line is being agents of our own prevention. Food is for the purpose of keeping our bodies alive, not killing them. God can have the intention of satisfying us with long life (like our biblical counterparts), but we have a part to play in that also. I will post sequel to this blog with healthy meals that play nice with your wallet!