Have you ever met someone who always seemed to rub you the wrong way but the things they were saying actually made a whole lot of sense? Maybe their tone of voice or their choice of words turned you off completely and caused you to resist the message. I wonder if there are times where we do need to suck it up and take a hit.
Never bite the hand that feeds you
The other day I was watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, one of the few reality shows that doesn’t make me roll my eyes so hard I risk my eyeballs popping out and going blind. Jamie Oliver is a Welsh-British chef who is famous in the U.K. for his cooking show, The Naked Chef, and creating a U.K. foundation to introduce disadvantaged young adults into the restaurant business (and putting his house up for collateral to do so). He’s a loud, dedicated advocate for helping people eat healthy and I LOVE that about him.
His current show, Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, goes to Huntington, West Virginia, which was identified statistically as one of the unhealthiest towns in America. His focus was on a local elementary school cafeteria. In any case, I’m excited a show like this made it to primetime TV and I (skeptically) cross my fingers that it stays around for a while.
I only watched the first episode on Hulu, but I couldn’t wrap my brain around the amount of resistance Jamie received. Admittedly the British can be very brash but people were more concerned about him being a foreigner and therefore “why doesn’t he fix the nutrition problems in his country before coming over here and bossing us around?!”
Never mind that the cafeteria ladies don’t really cook: they are actually professional microwave button pushers.
Jamie brought up a new experiment to cook REAL chicken. He was met resistance from the cafeteria ladies because it would be too much work and was handed a bunch of FDA approved nutritional charts. I just wanted to scream because I’m not one of those people who think the FDA is the be-all, end-all. The worst part is the kids actually preferred the processed pizza over the real chicken. It’s that ingrained.
Eating healthy isn’t rocket science unless you make it out to be
Commence the ranting.
It baffles me how people still continue to scratch their heads over why they can’t seem to maintain a healthy weight and why they have so many obesity-related health issues. Don’t even use genetics: once you hit 300 pounds it becomes so small of a factor that it’s meaningless. What kind of genes would make you so unhealthy and unfit for survival, save for a serious gene mutation? Not to mention humans have never been as obese as they are now.
You can’t tell me that a quarter of the U.S. population – millions of people – have the same (or similar) gene mutation. That’s unusually good odds for a seriously defective mutation, unless there’s something in the food or water. Which should then be an indication to stop eating it.
In my humble opinion, any health care overhaul won’t stand a chance in the long run as long as people continue stuffing junk into their mouths, starting with the kids. It’s not rocket science. It has to be a conscious choice to take responsibility – not an opportunity to point fingers at everyone and their momma as to why this processed food keeps ending up on their tables and why they keep ending up in the ER over obesity-related heart failure.
More coddling and hand-holding is NOT the answer
The U.S. food and diet industry is riddled with perfect examples of where people put too much emphasis on someone’s tone of voice and choice of words over the message. It has led to misleading information on food packages, contradicting nutritional advice, and just too much coddling and babying.
I was disgusted that one of the “healthy,” “no high-fructose corn syrup added” fruit drinks I was drinking actually contained 8 tablespoons of sugar for 8 ounces and had beet sugar and others as one of the top 10 ingredients – so in essence, they substituted one highly processed sugar for a less familiar one. But who cares, because it makes the consumer feel good!
Who approved this?? The FDA? Another reason why you shouldn’t put all your faith in the FDA and start learning, through trial and error, what is right for your body! Eating well is an integral part of being healthy and having the energy to consciously live your life to the fullest and grow as a person. If anything, the FDA is counterintuitive to most of that!
After years of abusing and sacrificing our bodies in the name of convenience, we need more people like Jamie to wake people up and help them see the light. We need second opinions and loud, outspoken ones at that!
/rant
My no-microwave challenge
After watching that show, I thought to myself: how much of a change could we make if everyone threw out their microwaves? It wouldn’t completely eliminate all processed foods since conventional and toaster ovens would still be around. But maybe, just maybe …wouldn’t it force people to rethink their food choices since it won’t be as easy as throwing a TV dinner in the microwave for 3 minutes?
One of my uncles does not have a microwave in his house. He doesn’t even have the huge toaster ovens that a lot of people have – just the ones that take slices of bread and the bread pops up when it’s done. And that didn’t even work. He’s definitely not a glowing example for healthy eating at all, but it’s a start. When I went to visit for a few days, I was actually frustrated for a while because I was forced to reheat and toast everything on the stove top.
Well, by the third day I got used to it. I thought to myself, if I’m actually going to take this much time to reheat something, why not make the food as fresh and healthy as I could? It’s not as appealing to reheat the leftovers from TGIF on the stove top, but you can refrigerate and reheat something you made and it will actually taste better. It’s the same concept here on content versus circumstances.
It may not be convenient, appealing, or pretty … but the core message is there. The basics are being relearned. And eventually you get used to it and it becomes ingrained. The same way we got used to the taste of processed foods so much that real food is disgusting to us. Just think, when processed foods were first introduced, I’m sure it got a lot of resistance for the methods used to obtain it and the unnatural taste!
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
First, I’m cracking up @ “they are actually professional microwave button pushers.” And I’d argue that “professional” may be a stretch. LOL
As for the entry, I loved it. You are so spot on with everything you have here. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that the Appalachian folks would be resistant to some Brit soming in telling them what to do. Hell, they’d be offended in someone from a city here in the States tried to do the same thing.
Much like your exercise entry, eating healthy is a lifestyle decision. And it’s not that hard once you actually start. Yes, it requires more time and energy, and yes it is more expensive to buy organic ground beef, all the ingredients for tomato sauce from scratch, whole grain pasta, and lowfat organic cheese than it is to just plop down $5 for a Stouffer’s frozen lasagna, but so be it. It is better for you and more satisfying because you made it and know what it is you’re eating.
Ignorance may be bliss, but it can also kill…. in this case, oh so slowly.
ForNot´s last blog ..Powerless
Hey Val,
I heard about the show and thought that it might be a challenge for naked Jamie! He did some amazing work in schools in the UK and changing the food they give to kids…I know as I’ve had plenty of school meals over the last few years in my ventures in schools and the meals haven’t been too bad…
Good luck with the no microwave challenge, something I might undertake myself in the future!
Amit Sodha – The Power Of Choice´s last blog ..Video – How To Find The Blessing In Even The Worst Of Situations
Again, I agree with you. I saw the clip where he was showing the children how Chicken McNuggets are made (attempting to gross them out). When he asked if they would ever eat the McNuggets again, much to his surprise, they all raised their hands. This is poor parenting, in my opinion. Parents should put more effort into providing vital nutrition to their growing bodies (and schools and parents should put more effort into teaching nutrition). A big pet peave of mine is when someone at McDonalds (yeah, I know…I know, I still eat there from time to time) who is grossly overweight orders a Big Mac with extra large fries and a DIET coke. They should have more respect for their bodies than that.
If everyone ate fresh, healthy food and then burned off the calories by working out a half hour a day, I really feel that it would curb not only obesity, but depression as well.
Unfortunately, it is a lot easier (and cheaper!) to buy a pizza and nuke it in the oven for 16 minutes then to go to the store, select the fresh vegitables, find a recipe, cook the food, and clean all the pots and pans. There really needs to be a quick, healthy alternative to fast food or maybe Americans just need to work a lot less. For instance, I drive an hour a day to get to work, work 2 jobs (one in a cubicle where I just sit all day) and then go home. I can’t make a fresh meal for lunch and often times I’m too tired to make a fresh meal for supper. I really think that our American work ethic and lifestyles negatively impact our health and keep us in an unhealthy rut as well. I will have to make more of an effort to cook fresh meals for supper on a daily basis.
Richard Riley´s last blog ..Test Blog Post
The reason people eat unhealthy is the unhealthy food tastes so good and doesn’t have an instant consequence. Your not going to wake up with 30 extra pounds.
Along with that comes the freedom for people to chose what they want to eat. If they think the food tastes good and it doesn’t have any problems that are noticeable within 24 hours of eating it then why should they stop? Because you said so?
Take the same person and give them some unhealthy food and put some poison in there just for fun. After they throw up or go the the hospital or get really sick they will never ever eat that food regardless how safe or healthy it is.
People make their eating choices and most choices based on emotional conditioning. They focus on how thinks look, feel and taste. It works well in nature but not so much in the manipulate science of processed food and fast food and all the rest of it.
For a quick example something that tastes bitter is generally poison (in nature) while something sweet is generally ok to eat.
All it takes is a few scientists to put a bunch of chemicals and what not add some sweeter like aspartame and you got a “ok food choice” that is safe to consume.
Mac´s last blog ..A Pause From Poker…
@ ForNot: Yep, the initial investment to eating healthy can be a deterrent, but to be honest it doesn’t even have to start that way. I think the best way is to start small. If you eat out 3 times a day, trim it down to 2x and cook the 3rd one at home. I personally do not buy any organic products (yet) and I’m no poster child for eating fresh veggies and fruits everyday. There’s definitely room for improvement. But I eat stuff from home 95% of the time (most of it quick homemade foods), bring leftovers from home for lunch everyday (and NOT the TV dinner stuff). That still makes me better off than the person who lives at the McDonald’s drive-thru or eats out 5 times a week. I do think baby steps work better for some people so they can desensitize themselves from the high-fat, sweet/salty taste of the processed foods. I also believe that you do not have to give up all the ‘bad’ stuff if it stays as a small percentage of your diet. Drastic changes in diet often sets people up for failure.
@Amit: That’s great the schools in the UK seem to be improving, I’m very excited to hear that because I heard the UK was having obesity problems, too. I think the first step definitely has to be with the kids, because it’s very hard to move from eating habits you’ve learned in your childhood.
@ Richard: I think you’re my new best friend! You bring up some excellent points that I didn’t think about. The culture associated with obesity (sedentary lifestyle and high-fat, high-sugar foods) definitely does impact a persons mood. I wonder if the sluggish, depressive behavior happens because of the food ingredients or because of the convenience. I’m thinking it’s a mixture of both. And the sad thing is, depression can result in the person eating more of the foods that causes them to be so sluggish. #2, the work culture is another good point. I fully recognize it isn’t easy when people are working long hours. It wouldn’t be entirely fair especially in the past when families could afford to have one person stay home and cook meals. Unfortunately, change won’t happen if people continue using that as an excuse. This is where creative planning comes into play. This is how we can use modern appliances (refrigerators and freezers) that people in the 1900′s and 1800′s didn’t have to our advantage instead of a reason to continue storing and eating processed foods. Else, in the long run we’ll pay for it because the crappy food we eat now will force us into an early retirement, still eating that “cheap” fast food cause we’re scraping by to make ends meet.
@ Mac: I agree with you, people won’t stop eating the processed foods just because someone says it’s bad for you. It is emotional conditioning, I agree with you 100%! When it tastes good, you want what you want. I mentioned before, when processed foods were first introduced, they probably tasted weird to people… until they acquired a taste for the high levels of sugar, salt, and fat in them. At the end of the day, it takes a conscious decision to reverse it. I don’t know what it’s going to take to break that emotional conditioning. I just know when I cut out a lot of junk food in my life I got desensitized from the taste of it. One day, I decided to have a fried chicken for the first time in years and I just couldn’t finish it because it was so salty and I felt terribly sluggish after eating it. Mind you, in high school I used to love fried chicken and I’d eat it a few times a week (it was offered at my school).
Your last point just emphasizes why I trust the FDA less and less. It’s the same story every time. The scientist comes up with a new chemical or sweetener, the FDA approves it, then a few years later you hear from the same FDA that it’s bad for you. What the heck were they doing before then? Throwing tea & biscuit parties?
I can share for myself the difficulties I’ve had in the past with eating and it relates to a couple things:
* It’s easy to eat what you were fed as a child. It becomes ingrained in you. For me this was baked potatoes, stroganauf (spelling?), and steak. Not to mention as a child, we’d always stop at a McDonalds and stuff our faces.
* The instant gratification factor is catered to at fast food places. It’s easy to just drive to Burger King after work and get some fries and a burger than it is to go home and consciously decide to cook a healthy meal.
I think until it becomes easy and tasty to eat healthy food regularly (and have it taste amazing), we are going to have a problem in the U.S. Even then, people are so used to going out to eat or buying crap that it’s going to be like pulling Excalibur out of the stone.
I suppose most people could experience a shift in consciousness that then changed their outlook on life and hence cut out the junk food. I’m hoping it’s that really. Someone shouldn’t have to figure out some magical system of healthy eating to try and ‘beat’ the junk food. The real solution is a shift in value for life and your body.
Jeremy Johnson´s last blog ..Passive Income Experiment – Beachbody Coaching
For me, in addition to the no microwave challenge I would have to extend it to a no fast food challenge because I’m very bad about eating fast foods on a whim.
This really makes me think. This proposal of yours reminds me of a food challenge version of Oprah’s not texting and driving pledge. Where’s the pledge form so that I can sign the petition…lol!
But seriously, this is great food for thought. Thank you, Valerie, for providing such valuable information, and making me laugh.
Great article!
Your friend,
Jarrod
Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey´s last blog ..You Know You’re Favored by God When…
What’s sad is how so many people get defensive when you try and educate them about their poor diets. It’s not like anyone is talking DOWN to these people, they’re merely trying to HELP them (and in the process, prolong their life span at that!) yet these people choose to respond with ignorance. Eating well really ISN’T rocket science, yet it seems like most peoples biggest obstacle when overcoming this challenge is themselves and their refusal to change.
Travis´s last blog ..Branching Out
@ Jeremy: I also hope that a lot of people make that shift in consciousness but it seems like it’s going to take something extreme for that to happen. If someone were to create a magical system of eating healthy, I feel like the battle will be lost in the long run. Processed foods started out as a magical system of eating healthy if you think about it (or at least eating conveniently). So to give up one ‘magical system’ for another means nothing’s been changed.
@ Jarrod: I also had something of a fast food challenge four years ago and that’s what changed my attitude towards food tremendously. And I was still eating processed foods from the grocery store a few times a week. Of course at the time I didn’t really know the details of why fast food was bad. I just did it on a whim: “What would happen if I ceased for a while?” I think all of this begs the question: Is fast food worse than food at sit-down restaurants? And are those worse than the processed foods you buy in the freezer aisle of your grocery store? Are they all equally bad?
@ Travis: Right, no one likes to be told that they’re wrong especially if they feel patronized. That’s even IF they knew that something’s not working with the way they’re operating in life. So the default answer, whether it makes sense or not is: “It’s what we’ve always done, so it must be right.” I definitely feel like the avoidance of hurting these people’s feelings is what helped fuel this entire movement.
I agree with ya there. I hope that it doesn’t come to trying to create a magical system or band-aid solution. I think the key is to tackle the problem at its roots. And that is people deciding to live healthy and abundant lives and taking extra effort rather than the easy way out.
Jeremy Johnson´s last blog ..Passive Income Experiment – Beachbody Coaching
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