Is Healthy is the New Black?

I saw the following flier posted at work today and wanted to share. It got me thinking, I am really proud of the company I work for because they are making an attempt to offer healthier, affordable, options in our Café. They have recognized the obesity epidemic and have wisely noticed that some people want to make healthy choices. It doesn’t hurt that they might profit from it. I think this is ingenious. And I’m not excited about it simply because they are offering fish taco’s(though that is what grabbed my attention). I am hopeful that healthy living is actually becoming a trend.

I had a very fruitful conversation with a friend at work today. He is from the baby boomer generation and noted that many companies developed “junk food” in response to world-wide starvation epidemics “back in the day.” It was a point of view I have never heard before. He went on to say that companies never set out to develop foods that would cause mass obesity or harm our planet. They were looking for ways to stem the mass deaths caused by starvation around the world. There are people who would disagree with this logic, but I thought it was an interesting point of view. He said that today we don’t hear about starvation issues the way he did when he was younger, and much of that is due to companies like Monsanto who found a way to produce more food per acre. The sad byproduct is GMO’s that cause diseases like Celiac’s and other terrible food allergies and auto immune disorders. Also, in our attempt to make a bigger, leaner cow and chicken, we now have girls going through puberty at a very early age because of added hormones. What I loved about this conversation was that he noted his hope that the United States would recognize the harmful effects of these byproducts and begin to change course by conducting research that will lead us back to producing healthier foods that eliminates these kinds of side effects. It was one of the most positive conversations I’ve had about the foods we consume, well, ever.

I was at the pool this weekend and was paying close attention to the children at play. When I was a child, I thought I was fat. I was one of the larger kids in my class(I always had a sweet tooth that could not be reckoned with) when most kids were thin. Today, children in general are much more plump than I ever was. Why is that? Well, I believe it is because “junk food” is cheaper, and more convenient. It also tastes pretty darn good. I believe educating people is one way to motivate them to make healthier choices. I can’t imagine most people want to be fat. I believe we can eat yummy food and be relatively healthy. It sure is easy to pick up a couple frozen pizzas and pop them in the oven as opposed to cooking. I have made the sacrifice to take the time to cook healthier meals for my family.

Now I realize there is a faction of people who say eating any food that is NOT organic and that IS genetically modified is NOT healthy. Well, I’ll be frank, you have to start somewhere. To me, stopping the McDonald’s craze is one place to start. Make hamburgers at home and eat a bake potato instead of French fries. I have lost 140 pounds doing this very thing all while controlling my portions. I fully admit I eat foods that are not certified organic. Why? I’m not rich and can’t afford to spend half my salary on food.

Here is one example of something I do to eat “healthier” and not spend too much money. Instead of buying 3 frozen pizzas to feed a family of 5(3@ $3.00=$9.00). I buy 1 pound of ground beed($3.99), a 5lb bag of potatoes($2.50), frozen veggies($.99), and a bag of buns($.99) which all adds up to about $8.47 which is roughly the same price. And, at least there is nutrition in the baked potato skin and the corn. And my family is happy.

I am really hopeful that our country as a whole is beginning to recognize the obesity epidemic and I agree with my friend. Maybe we can shift the nations consciousness and make healthy the new trend of our generation.