The ignorant tend to be clueless about nutrition. Food to them is all about filling their bellies, nothing more. If five bucks at Taco Bell will satisfy and fill you up, why bother spending time at the supermarket actually shopping for fresh food that takes time to prepare, when instead you can stay seated on your fat ass in your car at the drive-thru? Knowledge is power! Educate yourself! It's really not that hard.
Yep, but then you also have to deal with corporate weasels trying to pass their stuff off as 'healthy' when it clearly isn't.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, now refined sugar is being sold as a beneficial nutrient, with 'scientific' support:
http://www.kelloggs.co.uk/whatson/cocopopspromise/sugar/
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Sugar gets a lot of bad press, and we are frequently being told to ‘watch out for sugar’. But why is this? Is it detrimental to health? Let’s see what the experts say. An independent dietitian has gathered the evidence so you can see the facts for yourself.
THE FACTS FROM THE EXPERTS
A panel of world health experts recently reviewed all the scientific evidence and concluded that a high sugar intake is not related to obesity, or the development of diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer. Nor was it connected to behavioural problems, such as hyperactivity, in children. As well as this, the panel did emphasise the beneficial role that carbohydrates like sugars play in health.
DID YOU KNOW?
Coco Pops are considered a low fat food – less than 3% fat content.
SUGAR AND WEIGHT GAIN
Contrary to popular belief, there’s no proven association between sugar and weight gain. The main cause is likely to be general overeating and probably to a larger extent lack of physical activity. Scientific evidence shows that people who eat breakfast cereal, regardless of the sugar content, tend to be slimmer than those who don’t. It is excess calories that lead to weight gain. So if we were to cut sugar out, we need to be wary of what we would use to replace it. Sugar provides 4cal per gram, like any other carbohydrate but fat provides 9cal per gram.
SUGAR AND TOOTH DECAY
Tooth decay is something we as parents want our children to avoid. Breakfast cereals eaten with milk (including pre-sweetened varieties) do not actually increase the risk of tooth decay. This is probably due to the fact that they are eaten as a meal and not eaten constantly throughout the day (the more time that teeth are exposed to sugar, the more likely you are to get dental caries), and also because the milk has anti-cariogenic properties thanks to the calcium it contains.
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- AdamS
Thanks, Adam! How true! One has to be smart enough to see through corporate propaganda, obviously. But, if you truly do educate yourself, you'll have the power of discernment.
ReplyDeleteThe "low fat" thing is hilarious, by the way. I've seen "Low Fat" printed on candy bar wrappers (Annabelle Candy Company does that on their "Big Hunk" bars!)
*rubs eyes*
ReplyDeleteAlex Jones, AdamS and Nikk all essentially agreeing with Michelle Obama... well, now I have to start stockpiling food, because clearly the end is near.
Also, I disagree on the sugar. I lost 10 pounds in two weeks switching from juice and soda to water, with no other changes in diet. So worth it to not have to buy new pants.