Junk Food Jungle

Cheetos are not food. They are not a snack or even a treat. They are things that taste good but that no one should actually eat. Ever. Make no mistake… I like things that taste good. And Cheetos taste good. So do Coco Puffs, Twinkies, Big Macs and Potato Skins. That doesn’t mean you should eat them very often, if ever. We all know that these things are fattening and bad for us, so some of us refrain… in favor of a smoothie?? Fewer of us have gotten the message that substituting an extremely unhealthy treat for a “healthy” one still means you’re taking in extra calories. Yep, that Jamba Juice that you sip to stave off starvation in the late afternoon will set you back at least 250 calories. The Starbucks Cafe Latte costs you 168 calories. That’s the Tall, by the way, not the Grande. So, let’s just stick with something truly healthy. Nothing! Did I hear your jaw hit the desk? “But I get hungry in the afternoon, I need a snack.” Or, “I only eat organic Power Bars so she doesn’t mean me.” Yes, I do. I believe that anything that you eat that isn’t absolutely necessary to sustain your life is a treat, but that’s another blog post. Instead of eating a snack or a treat, take a walk and DON’T BUY ANYTHING TO PUT IN YOUR MOUTH! You don’t even have to go outside if it’s thirty below zero, just get up from your chair and walk around the office. Notice things that you haven’t before. Talk to someone you haven’t before. Take five minutes and call your – insert loved one here - wife, dad, Catalyst Coach, therapist, whatever. If by the time you have gotten back to your desk or off the phone you are still hungry, hunt down an apple. That hunt alone could burn a couple hundred calories since apples are so hard to find. Things that are good for you are scarce and “expensive” in the US. Things that are bad for you are readily available and cheap. Yep… it’s a jungle out there!

Our society is overwhelmed with temptation. Businesses touting “healthy” foods are springing up like weeds in an untended field. And the power of advertising is clear. It is disgraceful that we allow companies to make a product in this country and label it “healthy” just because the company took the time to inject the product with artificial vitamins and minerals of dubious origin. No matter how many claims of whole grain, vitamins and minerals you put on the box of Lucky Charms, no one should actually eat them. They are not healthy for you. Chances are neither is your granola bar. Buying a loaf of bread is a terrific challenge if you’re a label reader and have any knowledge of how bread is made. My aunt made the most delicious bread ever with flour, water, yeast and a little salt. This is the ingredients label from Pepperidge Farm Natural Bread 100% Whole Wheat:

INGREDIENTS: Unbromated Stone Ground 100% Whole Wheat Flour, Water, Crushed Wheat, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Shortening (Soybean and Cottonseed Oils), Raisin Juice Concentrate, Wheat Gluten, Yeast, Whole Wheat Flakes, Unsulphured Molasses, Salt, Honey, Vinegar, Enzyme Modified Soy Lecithin, Cultured Whey, Wheat Starch, Unbleached Wheat Flour and Soy Lecithin.

How they get away with calling it “Natural” when it’s got High Fructose Corn Syrup and Partially Hydrogenated Oil in it, I don’t know. Here is the ingredient list for Kellogg’s Smart Start cereal:

INGREDIENTS: Rice, Whole Grain Wheat, Sugar, Oat Clusters (Sugar, Toasted Oats [Rolled Oats, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Molasses, Honey], Wheat Flakes, Crisp Rice [Rice, Sugar, Malt, Salt], Corn Syrup, Polydextrose, Honey, Cinnamon, BHT [Preservative], Artificial Vanilla Flavor), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Salt, Honey, Malt Flavoring, Alpha Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Niacinamide, Zinc Oxide, Reduced Iron, Sodium Ascorbate and Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Calcium Pantothenate, Yellow No. 5, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (Vitamin B6), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamin Hydrochloride (Vitamin B1), BHT (Preservative), Vitamin A Palmitate, Folic Acid, Beta Carotene (a Source of Vitamin A), Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D

Did anyone notice that sugar is listed four times? And if you add in high fructose corn syrup, molasses, regular corn syrup, and honey, sugars are listed ten times. That’s 10!! Times!! Just start on the insulin right now!!

I recently saw a PBS show where Jennifer Michaels gave a talk about taking control of your metabolism. I like the fact that she uses biochemistry to explain how certain ingredients in packaged and processed foods interfere with your body’s natural processes – particularly the hormones effecting satiety. She also agrees with many health writers that have done research that foods that have been sprayed with pesticides, or other “cides” and foods that have been genetically modified to resist pests, drought, etcetera, no longer have the nutrients that our body uses to regulate its cycles and functions.

The message? Eat organic, unprocessed, unprepared foods. All the time. Or don’t eat at all!!! A difficult thing in our food-marketing-laden society, but a must if we are going to find our way out of the Junk Food Jungle and back to normal human body masses. Eat Greek yogurt and fruit for breakfast, or fry an egg and add some veggies. Do not eat cereal except as a treat – it is not good for you and will make you want more carbohydrates!! Get into the practice of bringing an apple to work every day. Have nuts with no added sugar or salt and berries as snacks. Nuts are very portable!! Eat salads for lunch as often as possible. This seems extreme to you, huh? Okay… okay… When you have been good all week, treat yourself to a visit in the Junk Food Jungle – but beware… make sure you can find your way out!