We are proud to be health-oriented. With doctors, media and government officials prompting us what to do to be healthier we at least listen. We learn that we should be smoke-free, drop salt, and hit the trails. We know we should eat less sugar and have more protein instead. And although not everyone translates “shoulds” into action, market trends are reflecting our newly gained health knowledge.
We want to be healthy!
We are ditching sugar and opting for “better for us” artificial sweeteners. We search for low-carbs options and put more protein on the plates.
With two thirds of Americans being overweight or obese swapping sugar and fat for zero calorie sweets and low-fat protein would only make sense. So we grab nutra-sweet, aspartame, acesulfame-K, pro-standard whey, sports best protein bars, and delicious protein cereal from special K just to get that body closer to perfection.
We are going…. nowhere?
But despite the efforts we don’t seem to be achieving the expected results. With a history showing that about 97% of all attempts to lose weight fail miserably regardless of the method we are not so encouraged to take our efforts that seriously. And we don’t. According to 2014 Gallup poll although close to 60% of people wish to lose weight but only 25% mean it earnestly[i].
Yet we keep on trying, yet we are not perfect. Recently we mustered enough courage to admit that the healthy part frequently goes out of the window when faced with tasty goodies. As many as 91% of Americans admitted they snack on chips, ice cream, or sweets all day long[ii].
Nutritional confusion
Eating healthy is not as straightforward as one may think. Half of all Americans are so confused about proper nutrition that they can figure out their own taxes before they could figure out what to eat to satisfy the government guidelines[iii]. But artificial sweeteners and more protein is a no brainer as half of the population already adopted these nutritional suggestions[iv].
But aren’t we fooling ourselves? With healthy foods being snatched off the shelves we are even fatter and less healthy than before. What’s also strange is that despite our hearts beating in the right direction our planet seems to be doing the opposite. Environmentalists are crying foul that bees are disappearing, oceans are full of plastic, and soon we will run out of clean green spaces. How come our healthy ways aren’t saving the planet?
Beyond the stomach
Consumers are known to purchase items by impulse without giving it much thought about consequences. Let’s not deny that we buy items that are useless, unfit, overpriced, or frankly stupid. Food is not any different. Lured with perceived benefits we reach for things that seem to help us, at least on the surface, achieve healthy goals. Unfortunately with many misguided choices we only shoot ourselves in the foot. Not only we achieve very little in our health quest, but we also contribute to concepts we strongly oppose. Let’s have a look.
- Are you for or against animal cruelty? Then consider than your whey is likely coming from a factory farm, where animals are treated in a most inhumane way.
- Are you for or against more garbage on the planet? Then consider where your foil wrap or plastic container will end up.
- Are you for or against a huge wealth disparity between individuals? Then consider that processed food products are stuffing pockets of large corporations, not small-scale sustainable farmers.
- Are you for or against pollution? Then consider than any food processing and distribution means unnecessary waste from food processing factories, packaging plants, labeling processes, trucks on delivery, and administration overseeing the profits.
- Are you for or against higher cost of food? Then consider that the cost of processed food includes non-food related costs such as cost of additives, import-export fees, transport, marketing and distribution cost, as well as a shareholders cut.
- Are you for or against having access to clean water? Did you know that sucralose (Splenda), the most popular artificial sweetener is found to be contaminating wastewater, ground water, and surface water? It affects wellbeing of wildlife and now you can find it in your tap water as well.[v] Sucralose has been shown to negatively impact gut bacteria, which is the backbone of health.[vi]
You get the point.
Doing the right thing
Switching to more wholesome choices is rather simple. Forget about designers proteins. Go for grass-fed cottage cheese sold at your local farmer’s market. Your muscles and immune system may not know the difference, but your pocket and the animals will.
Similarly do not get swiped off your feet by the benefits of low-cal sweeteners. If they are so magical you would be half your size by now. If you are ready to drop this artificial nonsense, get yourself a home-made cherry pie full of real butter and sugar once a month and stop dipping your fingers into a chip bag every few minutes.
Whether whey protein, artificial sweetener, pre-packaged dinner, boxed cereal, or any healthy for you plastic-wrapped “goodness” it makes no difference. Your dollar is your vote, so before your next “healthy” purchase be sure where your heart (not the stomach) is and what you really stand for.
[i] http://www.gallup.com/poll/166082/americans-desire-shed-pounds-outweighs-effort.aspx
[ii] http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2014/healthy-aspirations-the-disconnect-between-americans-desire-for-a-healthy-lifestyle-and-actual-behavior.html
[iii] http://www.foodinsight.org/2012_Food_Health_Survey_Consumer_Attitudes_toward_Food_Safety_Nutrition_and_Health
[iv] http://www.foodinsight.org/2012_Food_Health_Survey_Consumer_Attitudes_toward_Food_Safety_Nutrition_and_Health
[v] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21879743
[vi] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18800291
Did you know that animal agriculture, even if organic and pasture fed and raised uses up most of our water resources. Did you know that animals want to live? Did u know that our ancestors ate meat, raw or cooked, in order to survive, And that we don’t need meat anymore to live and that evem organic red meat is a carginogen? Did you know that organic cows still don’t want their milk taken away, much less their calf, whose milk it belonged to? If we are meant to drink or eat dairy then why do cows only produce it after they give birth? Do you think we are meant to take their milk? Did you know that the inuit mummies were found to have atherosclerosis? Did you know that animal waste gets into our soil and waterway , where it is contaminated with e coli, salmonella? Did you know that cows leave so much green house gasses emmisiobs into the air? Did u know that we don’t have enough land for organic farming? Did you know plants give us fruits and if we don’t eat them they die anyway? Did u know they come back to life next season? Did you that you make healthier choices than the average but still unhealthy and damaging to ones health, the sentient animals and the planet? We as humans have evolved to become smarter, better at finding solutions and we’re throwing it all away in the name of “tradition”
I have no idea how your comment relates to this post Meyes, but will answer your questions: The short answer is yes, I am familiar with all of those talking points and some more that round up the typical vegan propaganda mill.
I am not going to justify your questions by addressing them, as they are a combination of poor correlation, conflicting arguments, psychological projections and flat out lies. I will tell you however that I only advocate for Organic alternatives, because they are supposed to be free of chemicals. Unfortunately recent studies show that even organics are tainted and for various reasons, yet they are not as chemically burdened as conventional foods. The only clear, health promoting option comes from sustainable holistic farming practices and that requires animal husbandry. Such farms are far and few between and therefore not accessible to most consumers.
I would like to suggest to you, that you make sustainable holistic farming practices your next field of study, so you may become a radical health advocate, rather then an extremist, who foolishly spreads nonsense.