DYING TO EAT HEALTHY

DYING TO EAT HEALTHY

Kathleen Cavender

You've heard of the “three second rule” friends will say if you drop a piece of food on the floor. My English grandmother had a similar saying, “You've got to eat a pound of dirt before you die." (Waste not/want not, right?) These days, my phobia of dust bunnies on the popcorn have fallen far behind me. I have more serious considerations about what I am digesting. Considerations that seem reasonable to some and ridiculous to others.

Let me back it up a bit…

About a week or so ago, we watched a Netflix documentary called "What The Health". One of my Facebook friends had posted a suggestion to watch it and I jumped on it immediately. I didn't get too far into the film before I realized that I should wait for Mark to watch it with me. It was clear that a documentary of this magnitude could change my thoughts about food in a big way…a way that could create a conflict in our relationship should we not be on the same page. The information about meat was extremely alarming…as was the segment on dairy. Even fish had a big red flag. It quickly became clear that we needed to be more informed on this stuff!

Mark is an artist in the kitchen and I love to cook as well. If one of us is preparing a meal, the other is generally assisting. Since the kitchen is one of our favorite places to collaborate, what we prepare and how we prepare it is important to both of us. We grow our own herbs and veggies. We buy organic. But have you considered that vegetables downwind from a nuclear power plant can be sold as “organic”? And the cows down the road sold as “grass fed”? Organic my ass. This is disturbing…extremely disturbing.

Food is a big deal. It becomes more and more of a big deal as we age. GERD alone can give you pause before you stuff your face with cheese stuffed pizza. Remember when you were a kid and your aunt would comment, after watching you pour salt all over your corn, “When you grow up you're not going to be able to continue eating like that.” Turns out Auntie was right!

Why is that?

Here is something you may not know: Recent scientific research has discovered within the body tiny signaling molecules that are communicators between our cells. They are responsible for detecting if a cell needs repaired or replaced. Like the contractor on the construction site, they call in whoever is needed to either replace the damaged cells or get them back in working order. Since we have approximately 75 Trillion cells, it's imperative that these molecules are present to do their job. When we are born, each of our cells contains several of these signaling molecules. However, as soon as we hit puberty, we begin to lose these valuable worker molecules at an alarming rate. Thus, our system starts to falter at assimilating and distributing nutrition efficiently. Organs break down. Skin loses its elasticity. You get the picture. We age. Thankfully, we can replenish our bodies with these signaling molecules via a safe, non-toxic and unique supplement. 

You can learn more here: www.katcavender.teamasea.com. (Or you can message us for more information.) 

It seems that Baby Boomers, in particular, are in search of the Holy Grail of optimal nutrition ...as if one diet were the same for everyone. But it's not the same for everyone. Many of us have different food allergies and intolerances. What is more challenging is deciphering all of different types of diets available. There are dozens of options. And most followers of each have decidedly strong convictions. Do you even know what a comprehensive list of diets looks like? It's quite entertaining, I assure you. There’s the Egg Diet, the Potato Diet, the Oatmeal Diet, the Grapefruit Diet, the Cabbage Soup Diet, the Baby Food diet, and believe it or not the Cookie Diet and the Ice Cream Diet. There’s the Vegan Diet, the Fruitarian Diet, the Vegetarian Diet, the Paleo Diet, the Atkins Diet, the Blood Type Diet, the Ketogenic Diet, the Military Diet, The Fat Flush Diet, the Hollywood diet, the Halleluiah, the Victoria Secret diet. There are celebrity diets: the Janet Jackson diet, the Al Roker diet, the Karl Lagerfeld diet, the Suzanne Somers diet, the Lady Gaga diet, the Beyonce diet, the Khloe Kardashian diet, and (you guessed it) the Oprah diet.


These are just a few. To view a comprehensive list visit: HERE

When it comes to commitment to a diet plan, Vegans are my favorite. I witness their self-discipline to turn down meat, eggs & dairy with great awe. I seriously want to become Vegan…especially after watching “What The Health”. But I have a life-long dairy addiction. (It is addictive you know.) That said, when cheese is referred to as “cow puss”, one reflects…or refluxes…whichever. So, yeah...please don't hold me accountable, but I'm taking baby steps in the Vegan direction. I'm pretty good with the vegetarian thing. Never been a huge fan of meat. One, I love animals and then there’s that evidence of fecal matter present in each bite which is a bit of a downer. I don’t even want to discuss “Mystery Meats”.  My partner, on the other hand, is a definite carnivore. Oh, he loves his veggies……right alongside a thick juicy slab of beef. However, after watching the documentary, he too is considering the Vegan lifestyle. (“Honey, would you like some fecal matter with a side of cow puss for dinner?”)

I do love the Fat Flush Diet. Incidentally, Dr. Ann Louise Gittleman recommends you eat Vegetarian. And I have friends who swear by the Paleo Diet. They look amazing! You won't see a morbidly obese person who is committed to the Paleo Diet. Those meat lovers. But watch that documentary, “What the Health” and get back to me. Seriously.

Okay, let's talk about SUGAR! In my opinion, those who turn down sugar are Rock Stars! I know sugar is bad. Especially in large quantities. A sample of the ills connection to sugar (besides rotting teeth) are: obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, macular degeneration, renal failure, chronic kidney disease, and high blood pressure. Someday the FDA will have warning labels about sugar placed on our food, just like cigarettes. It's that bad. But, I know, I know… we Americans LOVE our sugar!  Soooooo… here's a confession: I named my cat Sugar. Can you imagine naming your pet Nicotine? (I am so late to the party.)

I admit that I would LOVE to be all dogmatic about my diet the way some of my friends are. To be so SURE! So disciplined! I’m close, but I'm not quite there yet. I still have lots to learn. Much of the information out there is proven to be cut and dry. Yet, a few studies can be quite controversial. It’s confusing. Anyway, I am committed to doing my due diligence before I put all four of our feet in. Until then I guess I’ll just munch on this bowl of ice cubes…made from filtered water of course. (Or is it?)

“Sugar”