You are what you eat

Why is it so hard to do what is good for us? Why do we do things that we know will cause us (or others) pain or suffering? You might think I'm talking about being kind to others, not hurting or lying to people, not sacrificing our own health and well being in order to be successful or wealthy. But no, I'm not talking about anything quite that profound (although this could easily be made about those things). I'm talking more about the mundane things, like what we eat. Why is it so hard to eat vegetables when we know they are good for us? Why do we choose the fluffy, non-nutritious white bread over the whole grain ones? And why do we eat things that we KNOW will not sit well on our stomachs, cause pain or other discomfort, and otherwise just be bad for us?

This all comes from a bad choice of a snack to munch on a little while ago. Granted, my GI tract is anything but "normal" or "healthy", but I know more or less what I can handle and what I can't at any given time. So when I grabbed the bag of (low-fat) granola and started munching on it while working on school work I KNEW it wasn't a good idea with the way my stomach has been over the past week or so. On my GOOD days I can tolerate a little granola or something equally difficult to digest but I know that on my bad days (or even my middle-of-the-road days) eating something like that is just asking for trouble. But somehow my brain gets overruled by my taste buds or desire for something crunchy to snack on and I just can't help myself from eating a little bit of things I shouldn't. And then after a few minutes of munching I remember why it is that I avoid those foods. Pain, nausea, just generally not feeling well.

So why do I repeatedly do this to myself? Why do I look at some foods, have my brain tell me it's NOT a good idea to eat it, but still go ahead and have some anyway? Do I have no will power? Or do I think deep down that things will be different this time, that maybe things have gotten better and I won't have to deal with all the problems that come with eating "normally"? I don't know the answer to any of these questions but it's an ongoing struggle with me. Instead of sticking to the applesauce, soup, and other mushy/liquidy foods I go out on a limb and try eating "real" food only to end up in pain or feeling like I'm going to throw up.

Don't get me wrong, this doesn't happen all the time. There are days (even whole WEEKS) where I can eat many more different foods without much trouble. I can have baked chicken breasts, sandwiches (made with vegetarian "meat" and rice cheese), cereal, sometimes even adapted pizza or pasta. I can tolerate some things more often than others but there ARE days where I hardly have to watch what I eat at all. But the days of paying for eating much of anything that's "normal" outnumber the ones of being able to eat anything I want (within reason - I still can't handle much fat or fiber). I just don't know why I'm not able to really listen to my brain when it says I shouldn't eat something. And this extends to anyone, not just someone with stomach problems. Do you eat your vegetables and fruits and whole grains everyday? Do you give in to fast food even when you know it's bad for you and will probably leave you at least mildly sick to your stomach? Do you snack all day long on chips and cookies and soda or do you stick to carrot sticks and apples and water? And speaking of water, do you drink your 8 glasses a day? Do you stay way from foods that you know you SHOULDN'T have or do you just eat them anyway and pay the price later?

You don't have to answer those questions, but maybe we should all ask ourselves why we do what we do when we know it's bad for us. With more people in our society being diagnosed with Diabetes and obesity, I think we as a society need to look at what's wrong with our lifestyles. We need to look at why it's easier and cheaper to pick up a double bacon cheeseburger at McDonalds than to make chicken and a salad at home. We need to ask why most public schools continue to serve food high in fat and saturated fat. (For more information on the Boston Public School system's lunch program, see this article.) How many of you have seen Super Size Me, a documentary about how bad McDonald's food is for you? Do you know the nutritional content of that can of soda? (Talk about empty, sugar calories.) Have you seen how big portion sizes SHOULD be versus how they ARE in the US? It's shocking to see how bad our diets have become. An average diet should consist of approximately 2000 calories and approximately 60 grams of fat (with less than approximately 20 grams of saturated fat). Did you know that a Big Mac carries a whopping 30 grams of fat and 10 grams of saturated fat? And if you make it a meal and add a large order of french fries you'll be doubling the amount of fat and taking in over 1100 calories? It's crazy.

So let's say you're watching what you eat and when you stop at McDonald's you make a "smart" choice and go with a salad thinking it will be good for you. It could be, if you go with a grilled chicken salad and skip the dressing (or go for a little of the low-fat offerings). But if you go with a Caesar salad with crispy chicken (i.e. fried chicken strips), the fat content more than doubles, and if you add creamy Caesar dressing you'll end up with 31 grams of fat - MORE than a Big Mac!

I didn't mean for this to turn into a whole nutrition rant but it really makes you wonder why our society is stuck in these ways. Are we really only interested in how things TASTE and we disregard how they will affect our health in the long (or even short) term? Or are we so bombarded with advertisements for new foods high in fat and saturated fat and low in real nutritional value that we can't help but go out and buy the newest KFC bowl or McDonald's crispy chicken sandwich? It seems as though we have two choices - just sit back and let the fast food industry become more and more powerful or make a stand against it. It doesn't have to be a big stand. I'm not talking about picket signs outside the local Taco Bell or Burger King. Imagine what we could do if a lot of us decided to start making more healthy choices, started cooking at home more often, started bringing sandwiches or salads to work with us instead of stopping off at the nearest fast food joint to grab a bite to eat, started looking at the big picture! The fast food places would lose money and perhaps be forced to serve some food that is REALLY healthy rather than simply looking healthy as with the McDonald's Caesar salad. Buy organic fruits and vegetables. Look for more quick and easy dinners that you can make using healthy ingredients instead of calling out for pizza (or for that matter, keep some pizza dough in your fridge or freezer and make your own pizza with lots of healthy toppings - skip the artery clogging pepperoni and sausage and instead put on garlic, chicken, and onions for a flavorful and healthy alternative). Just take a few minutes to really look at your diet and your eating habits and see if there are areas where you can make small changes towards a healthier diet. Or just ignore me and go on your merry way. The choice is yours.

Yours,
Penguini