Health Fitness

Healthy foods: are they or are they not?

Any food or drink you mention, over the years you can find stories saying it’s good for you or will kill you faster than a bullet. Look at butter, trans fats, eggs, wine, coffee, chocolate, red meat, fish, fruits, vegetables… it’s all the same story. It just seems that there is no food that is healthy. So what do we do and how do we live knowing that everything we consume can kill us? The answer is amazingly simple.

Butter, Eggs, Meats, Cholesterol & Trans Fats: As a child, there was a lot of effort to reduce or eliminate cholesterol in the diet. Butter (along with milk, cream, cheese, meats, etc.) is at the top of the list of the 10 most despised foods. It became common knowledge that margarine was much better than butter. People everywhere, including medical professionals, were touting the health benefits of swapping butter for margarine. Now that more research has been done and more studies have been produced, it turns out that the trans fats in most margarines will kill you, if we are to believe the media. Our politicians seem to think so, because trans fats are becoming illegal. Will someone tell me what’s worse for me, so I can decide what to put on my fat-free, salt-free, low-carb toast? All the other stuff tastes like plastic, and besides, I know that once I switch to one of these other things, there will be a study to prove that it’s the worst thing ever.

To add insult to injury, new studies are revealing things we never knew about cholesterols and animal products. It is true, for example, that cholesterol problems are not only due to poor eating habits… genes have a lot to do with it. Some people can eat much more cholesterol without harm. Some of us produce unhealthy amounts of cholesterol despite a strict diet. Thanks Dad! There are drugs for that! Now, some cholesterols are good. Some other fats are good. We are also finding that strict avoidance of animal products leads to protein deficiencies. Large amounts of soy products can help with that, but then there’s the problem of sodium. Sure, we can load up on seafood, but we could die from heavy metal poisoning and too much sodium. So, at least until the next series of studies is published, animal products are back on the menu.

Drinks, wine, coffee, etc.: In my life, wine has been good and bad for you several times. This topic is so old that even the Bible says that wine is bad, good and even medicinal. In the 2,000 years since the Bible was written, science appears to have proven all three of the claims about wine and other spirits to be correct. First, they say they are “empty calories,” cause weight gain, destroy the liver, and lead to addiction. Then, they say it’s good for relaxation and stress reduction. Finally, it is full of antioxidants, so it helps fight cancer and slow down aging. Coffee, they said, causes high blood pressure, but now they’re finding all kinds of benefits in coffee. Tobacco, one of our most evil inventions, is even being found to help prevent Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Sure, cola, with or without sugar, will kill you now, but who’s to say they won’t discover that it cures heart disease in years to come. In fact, they’ve already found that caffeine helps with migraines and asthma. Green tea is the holy grail of the faithful health drink, but in five years, I have no doubt they’ll find some disease to blame.

Chocolate: My favorite food deserves a segment of its own. I still don’t know why it’s not in the new food pyramid. Everyone knows the evils of chocolate. The fats in it will clog your arteries, leading to heart attack and stroke. The sugars in it will make you obese, leading to diabetes, blindness, kidney failure, cancer, heat stroke, stroke, and worst of all… weight discrimination. There is no end to the evils of chocolate.

But wait! Chocolate has been found to be good for you…especially dark chocolate without sugar. In addition to stimulants to help you stay alert and control your appetite, chocolate produces a feeling of relaxation, useful for managing stress and mild to moderate anxiety and depression. Long known as the sweet of love, recent studies show that chocolate actually causes the body to release the same chemicals that are released during sexual activity. Now you can have that pleasure and excitement without all the small talk or expensive dinner. Thats not all! Chocolate is also rich in antioxidants, which is why it helps fight cancer and aging.

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: Long known as the healthiest foods, these garden produce aren’t out of the woods either. Many healthy staples, like carrots, contain dangerously high levels of carbohydrates. All fruits are guilty of this. Avocados are very high in fat. Celery and soy products are high in sodium. Most of the fruits and vegetables were grown with pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. Some are genetically altered. The jury is still out on whether these methods are harmful… many reports suggest that they are. Even “organically” grown ones aren’t completely safe, as we recently discovered with spinach.

How to have healthy food: Well, this can be pretty depressing. So what do we do? If we stop eating or drinking everything that has been reported to be bad for us, it only takes 3 days to a few weeks to die… from starvation and dehydration. That’s because everything, according to some report, is bad for us. According to Patricia Zifferblatt of the Better Life Institute, “A little won’t make your eyes droop.”

Really, let’s drop our food cravings and eat a regular, balanced diet from all the food groups. Unless you suffer from alcoholism, have a drink from time to time. Have some chocolate… I eat a serving of sugar-free dark chocolate almost every day and am losing weight while keeping my blood glucose and fats in the normal range. Enjoy a good steak or a plate of pork ribs from time to time. You can eat healthy and still have these things. Food is more than fuel for the body…it’s also fuel for the soul. If you plan to stay alive, then live!