Are we killing ourselves with food ignorance?

How much do you know about digestion?  How much do you rely on the “experts” to guide your food choices?  Have you ever believed any of the following statements?

• “I like diet coke.  There’s no way it can be THAT bad for you.  Those additives have been tested and re-tested.”
• “A high carb, low fat diet is good for your heart.”
• “Sugar has to be okay, it’s in fruit.  It’s natural.  It’s fine as long as the rest of your diet is healthy.”
• “You’re not going to get cancer just because you eat sandwich meat or cheese with rBGH…that’s ridiculous.
• Every time you turn around there’s some study out there telling you something’s bad for you.”

We live in the United States of America.  We have the safest food and water on the planet…don’t we?  I’ve always trusted the people who regulate these things because they know more than I do and it’s their job to keep us safe.

Wake up!  THEY’RE NOT KEEPING US SAFE!

After years of listening to mixed advice and wondering about the unexplained cancers and illnesses of several of my friends, I decided to started reading.  I read Alejandro Junger’s book “Clean“.  He talks a lot about the acid/alkaline affect of food so I read a book by Chistopher Vasey called “The Acid-Alkaline Diet,” however, there are many more books available on this topic alone.  Honestly, the number of books and blogs on nutrition is mind-boggling.  A friend recently gave me Marion Nestle’s book “Food Politics” and I learned how influential the food industry is on government nutrition policies.  And then, this morning I read an article on Mercola’s blog explaining how some of our biggest, most trusted companies put chemicals and additives in our food that are banned by other nations.  Turns out, they provide the same products to those countries without the banned substances!

As a result of the research I’ve done, I believe most of us are dangerously ignorant about our food supply and to make matters worse, most of us have a limited understanding about how our digestive systems work.

It’s challenging to sort through differing opinions and come up with a  food plan that will insure long-term health.  There are no guarantees and it’s much easier to simply eat for pleasure.  But that’s not a risk we can afford to take.  My health is my responsibility so I’m choosing the following:

1. Minimize sugar except the sugar that comes from eating fruit.  Sugar in any of it’s forms…fructose, corn syrup, sucrose, etc… has no nutritional value and it’s acidic in our bodies.  Cancer cells love that (knowledge trumps temptation).
2. Switch to organic meat, eggs, cheese, vegetables, and fruit.  It costs more but I think the hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and genetically engineered crops we ingest thanks to big corporate farming are more dangerous than we realize.
3. Minimize consumption of wheat.  You can’t buy wheat that hasn’t been genetically modified.  The more I read about it, the more I realize I don’t need it or want it in my diet…not even 100% whole grain.  Before you disagree, google  “is wheat bad for you” and read several of the opinions out there.
4. Absolutely no artificial sweetners.  Stevia (not Truvia) is a natural low calorie option and it looks like Nectresse might be okay, too.

These are the choices I’m making.  I recommend you pull your head out of the sand, do some research and make your own set of choices.  You life could depend on it.