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Do You Choose Taste Over Health?
What if I invited you to lunch and offered you one of three dishes: A bowl of crunchy potato chips, a bowl of juicy red grapes, or a bowl of leafy greens – which would you choose? My mother asked me this question yesterday as we debated my role in convincing society to change their eating habits.
I personally never saw my stance on health as a threat or even an aim to convince anyone. I only reveal my truths and hope to have a positive impact on others. However, when it comes to my family, I do feel a sense of responsibility to their well-being.
So, when my mom said that she would choose the chips because life is short, I became frightened. “Why do you really think you’d choose the chips, and do you really think they taste good?” I wondered. She replied by telling me that no one in this world wants to change and start adapting new ways. “It’s just hard,” she said.
How Do We Find Balance?
My mom is so right. Life is short, and it is hard to change. Chips taste good (to some). But, chips don’t taste the same to me anymore. I recently splurged a bit and had some Jays. Actually, I had a lot of Jays. That’s right, I couldn’t stop eating them. Until I got sick. But, I didn’t just get a stomach ache.
Why So Many of Us are Addicted to Junk Food
I asked my mom to consider that the genetically modified foods and artificial meals that we find at the grocery store feed viral, fungal and yeast infections; that they cause disruption and chaos in our systems. And, that once we eat them, we want more because infections want to thrive. In a sense we become addicted to these non-food foods and they begin to taste good to us.
I personally noticed that although I always ate my greens and seriously decreased my sugar intake eight years ago, I began craving sugar and chips like nobody’s business after my sixth round of antibiotics last year. At the same time, I knew it was wrong to eat these things when I was ill, but green beans and spinach tasted like metal to me at the time. Just before going to the doctor on my near death bed, I ate 3 Dunkin’ Donuts. I felt as though my body had been invaded by sugar loving aliens.
So many of us think that veggies are gross and that Thin Mint Girl Scout Cookies hit the spot. But why is this so? If you read the packaging and recognize that many of the ingredients in our food are not actually food, why do you think our bodies crave them?
I struggle with the idea that life is short and chips are good. I wonder if I hadn’t gotten sick if I’d still eat chips now and then. I can say that I’ve been detoxing heavily for about nine months now. I still get sick, but my mental clarity has never been at this level. Releasing toxins makes us sick, and it’s hard for some to find a reason to change their diets.
Eating Pure Opens the Mind
Eating pure foods has given my body a chance to recover from years of toxicity. It has made chips and candy look like lima beans do to veggie shunners. When you experience something as profound as this, it is hard not to share the joy and accomplishment with others. And, when you see others suffering with headaches, joint pain, infections or any other ailment, it’s hard not to try and help.
So, I’m not here to change anyone. And, I know that life is short. But, I think it’s important to always keep an open mind. Consider why we are told that dairy is healthy, or that we have to pasteurize milk. Consider who is paying for the advertisement for Healthy Choice Meals. Why don’t all doctors agree on nutrition or medicine? Is it because doctors are human and fallible? Is somebody making money at the expense of your health?
Next Part: Begin Super Market Recovery Today (Part 2)
Gina Laverde is a Chicago-based writer and researcher whose expertise in natural health stems from her experiences with Body Ecology Diet, Blood Type Diet and homeopathic remedies. Gina believes that we’re in the midst of a serious world health crisis, and that the key to survival lies within our guts.
Dr. Rajesh Vishwanathan says
Potato chips in India are rich in trans fats. Another horrifying thing in India is that ever since we opened our markets, processed foods from the west have hit our malls big time. McDonald’s outlets are mushrooming everyday. KFC has made inroads in India. We have Pizza Hut and Dominos pizza doing well.
I have become an unpopular physician in my area. Some youngsters look at me as if I have come from outer space, when I tell them to eat green.
Gina, at least your mother is elderly. India is the second most populous country in the world with an alarming increase of diabetes and CAD. I have watched twenty year olds getting bypassed. I have seen so many deaths among 30 years old. What can I say?
When it comes to junk foods, I am in a hopeless minority. Even my teenage son feels I am harsh and dumb.
Gina says
sorry to hear that you’ve become unpopular. Attimes like this is when people really need to consider slowing down and thinking more basic. That is so sad about young folks like me with heart disease — it is really preventable. Here, in the States, even chain fast food joints are doing their part to eliminate trans fats and hydrogenated oils. Of course, its not perfection — but I think a giant and necessary step. As for my mom, she tries very hard to remain healthy. When she slips its mostly due to stress. so many of us soothe ourselves with food (and, the wrong food too) Of course I am concerned for her because I can see ways of preventing Alzheimers (which runs in our family). Hey…. we;ve got to encounter some road blocks if we are going to make a real impact, right?
Thanks, Doctor!!
Gina