A wise man once said ”LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE AND MEDICINE BE THY FOOD”. He was only Hippocrates, the ‘Father of Medicine’.
Em … what the hell happened?!!!
I’ve been thinking …
So if, let’s say for example, Cadbury’s advertising, can insidiously have us think that we need to eat their chocolate to “treat” ourselves, to feel better, to celebrate special occasions, to give to our children and teach THEM that this is a ”treat” ….
If advertising and the increase in creative media has fully ingrained in our psyche, that toast and packet cereal are what we eat for breakfast, that sandwiches or pasta are what we eat for lunch, that condiments with additives like corn by-products, wheat, and sugar are reasonable, every-day additions to home-cooked meals ….
… Then I’m thinking my consciously limited TV time, is indeed a blessing (less brainwashing, right?!), and instead, repeatedly watching videos like this one up the page here, is going to help me, and hey – maybe you, to remember that this way of eating is not cool folks. This is us, allowing ourselves to be manipulated to think that packaged food is real food and perfectly fine to feed ourselves and our loved ones on regularly. I’m all for a little in moderation. And I’d like to believe the adverts, because yes … these foods can be faster to make. But both my head and heart cry ‘NO’ to habitual meals being prepared, if you could call it that, in this way.
It is hard not to get swayed by the media, the beautiful images, the product placement, but when I see videos like this one, I am swayed by the science. I’ve posted about it before here .
So, you can choose to believe it or not, you can choose to try it out and see how your body & brain responds, so that you can make up your own mind, make informed choices & conscious decisions.
Or you can continue to wonder what causes your issues, whether it be digestive problems, migraines, skin irritations, irritable bowel syndrome, overweight issues, diabetes, mood disorders including depression, aching muscles and joints, inflammation in the body, and so on, and decide to not bother reading/researching the labels on your food packaging … so maybe you don’t care … and that’s cool … I’m not saying you should … I’m just saying I do and as a matter of survival, I kind of think it’s in our interests to at least be aware that it is an issue of considerable consequence.
There is always going to be a slice of society who love this style of eating and have no intention of changing their diet, just like there will always be a slice of society that choose to continue smoking, regardless of the risk to theirs and other’s health, and the cost to the health sector. I accept that. And from time to time I will indulge myself in some ‘not-so-good-for-me type foods. Sure, let there be a market for that. But why must it be considered ‘the norm’?
My issue with it, is the veil behind which the truth is hidden. Governments, foundations and institutes (many of whom have, shall we say, “ties” to big sugar/wheat companies) misleading people who don’t make time to research what they’re eating. It’s a little bit evil and a big bit conspiratorial. We are being conned, if you like!
So sharing the video above is good for starters … I find my fight against it being ‘normal’ to eat wheat and sugar is strengthened when I watch this sort of stuff.
We need to re-train the brain.
It has to start with that click with the brain I think, it has to be an “understanding”, the click that makes the story become not that we are trying NOT to eat things that are not good for us (oooh that’s a lot of nots), but that these foods actually begin to repulse us, to the same level that perhaps we may have once craved them. Because we associate them with the negative effects we feel after we eat them. So that it makes sense, and it also makes it much easier. If it happens in the brain with a greater sense of understanding the whole issue, then it provides the motivation we need to organise ourselves enough to prepare the foods that will nourish and heal us, AS WELL as bringing us pleasure. Thing is, we only notice the negative effects they may be having on us, if we ban them from our eating routine for a couple of weeks and sometimes longer.
I was so glad to see this (below) feature on ABC 1’s Catalyst program last week. Basically taking this ‘crazy-out-there-idea-that-sugar-is-hugely-over-used-and-damaging’, that I and many others have been raving on about for the last two years, to the mainstream. I think Maryanne De Masi and the Catalyst team, has done a great job here on explaining the science in a very accessible way. Please watch this one too, whatever you decide to eat, let it be an informed choice. For those of you reading this interested in weight control, you might find the doctor’s research on the calories in /calories out theory interesting- how depending on what kind of calories you are eating – exercise may not make a difference to you losing weight!
I hope some of this helps click the switch in your brain!
Whatever you decide to eat, remember the most important thing of all really – to enjoy it, savour it, share it with friends, and give thanks for it! LOVE your food!
Love Li. xo