Fat and Sick
Could it actually be something as simple as food?
We all have our favorite rabbit holes. Mine is food. Now I’m not saying I consume the healthiest diet on the planet. Not by a long shot. (And I don’t think there is such a thing as a “perfect” diet because we are ALL different!) But I do the best I can with what is available to me in my area. Between my garden and shopping “the outside” of the grocery store (stay out of the isles, that’s where 90% of the processed foods are), combined with making pretty much everything I eat from scratch (including most condiments), I have been able to stay out of the doctor’s office and off of pharmaceuticals.
In the 1980’s a whole litany of things started becoming popular. High Fructose Corn Syrup as a replacement for natural sugar in soft drinks and almost everything pre-made that you buy (HFCS is pure poison. Our bodies do not process this “sugar” the same way as raw sugar). Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame started being placed in almost everything and touted as “calorie free” and “safe” for human consumption (aspartame is pure poison, breaking down into alcohol when processed by the body, and it’s extremely addictive). Healthy fats started being ripped from the shelves in the name of “public health.” Raw milk started being banned everywhere to be replaced by “safe” ultra-pasteurized dairy products (ultra-pasteurized means that the milk was heated to near boiling killing *everything* in it. In other words, the enzymes, vitamins, etc are wiped out leaving us with a “dead” product that can keep for weeks, and sometimes months. Real milk should start spoiling in a few days). Roundup became prolific in industrial farming. Fast food ads were ramped up like crazy and sales that made it nearly too hard to pass up were constantly being shoved in front of the public (2 extra large pizzas with 2 toppings for 5 dollars, 10 tacos for 5$, etc). And who can forget the “supersize” me promotions that coerce people into spending an extra dollar or 2 to get portions of this garbage that were/are almost double the regular portion size. Seed oils like soybean and canola became prolific. Just read a label! It’s almost impossible to find things that are made without some kind of horrible oil and artificial garbage in it. How many of you know that most American processed foods are *banned* in a lot of other countries? Wouldn’t you think there’s a reason for that? There are plenty more examples, but I believe you get my point.
And then the shameful ads for pharmaceuticals started in the 1990’s. “If you have a problem, we have a pill for that!” There are pills for everything. Americans, in their desire to always take the “easy” way out, began gulping down these pharmaceuticals like candy (and still do). Now we have generations of people who truly believe that the only way they can live and function is by taking a synthetic product into their bodies for everything. They believe this so firmly that to try and discuss a better way with them ends up in a heated argument in many cases. Even though there are/has been examples of people who did things a different way and lived long, healthy lives (myself, many of our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents) the people taking the pills and eating all this garbage food *refuse* to see it. They are true believers in the cult of junky over-processed food and pills. It’s astounding.
Don’t get me started on the “vaccines” that people really think they HAVE to take in order to stay “healthy”. We’ll leave that conversation for another day.
If all of these “approved” products and medical interventions are so great, why are people sicker and fatter than ever? Why are people all of a sudden allergic to everything? Things our ancestors ate without any issues? I only know a handful of people who *aren’t* always sick, *aren’t* always battling “allergies”, and *aren’t* overweight! (Don’t get me wrong, I could stand to lose a few pounds as well). What has really changed over my lifetime? FOOD. I have studied food extensively. The “approved” foods are killing us and the companies and governments who are pushing this garbage on us don’t care. In fact, they are doing their best to make sure that *all* healthy foods and supplements are no longer available. How have they been able to get away with this? Because of America’s addiction to “convenience.” We have been convinced that convenience is more important than spending an extra 10 minutes making something ourselves.
Another reason companies and governments get away with all of this is because the public, like always, trusts organizations like the FDA instead of trusting their own bodies and people like me who actually care about them. The public has become lazy, fearful, and has chosen ignorance when it comes to their food. Heck, most people don’t even read the labels on their food and just see the pretty picture and throw it in their cart. Folks, if you can’t pronounce most of the things that are in your food, why in the heck would you want to put it in your body?
I’m not sure what the answer is. Is it too late? Are we destined to become a population that lives shortened lives in which we spend more time at the doctor than we do at the grocery store? Because that’s what I’m seeing. Young people all over the place rushing to the doctor for everything, and many of these same people go through a fast-food drive-through on their way to the doctor’s appointment!
The good news is: your health *can* be improved! Even if you can’t stop all the bad food habits at once, even doing just one thing differently can have a profound effect on your health. Start by making just one meal from scratch per week. Try to buy the freshest ingredients you can afford. At first (and this is strange to say) you will think that some of these foods you make from scratch taste “weird” or they don’t taste “the same” as what you are used to. That’s because there are chemicals and things in almost all processed foods/fast foods, etc that are designed to make this garbage taste “better” and be more addictive (and that is a FACT). When you make something from scratch, that’s the way that food is *supposed* to taste. So, anyway, there is a learning curve. One thing you may notice is that you don’t need to eat as much to feel full. It’s amazing. I promise, it’s worth it.
We must start taking back our health my friends. It’s imperative. The food we eat is one way we can do that. If we all start becoming aware of how important quality, nutritious food is, we can stop these horrible companies and governments in their tracks. But we better start doing it right away, because they really are working very hard to shut down anything healthy. It’s not a conspiracy theory. It’s really happening.
I would like to continue, but I won’t. I could write for many pages on this subject. There are so many details I’ve left out and I could definitely provide links to studies, etc. But I think you, my readers, get it. If you’ve been on the fence regarding the impact of food on your health, please just take a chance and make a few changes. You will be *amazed* at the difference in your quality of life. I’m speaking to you as someone who is setting the example. I live this way. It works. One thing I’ve committed to since starting this substack is making sure I will *never* suggest you do anything that I’m not doing myself.
Good luck on your food journey. I hope you will begin today.
Eating single ingredient foods only and prioritizing sleep would solve 99% of people's health problems. But like you said, we're slaves to comfort. We have become a nation of Jabba the Hutts.
America: A population of useless eaters eating all the poisons that the government introduces to them. 🤔