Day 58

Confusion

It’s no wonder that people are confused about what to eat and what not to eat. What’s good for you? What’s not? Should I count calories? Fat grams? Carbs? As I’m reading the news this morning, I found an article about “The 10 worst choices for Halloween Candy” It goes on to tell you how many calories, grams of fat, and grams of sugar are in each of the ‘fun size’ choices. Of course, all the candy I’ve ever eaten is on the list!! J. We all tell ourselves that the ‘fun size’ candies aren’t so bad, right? And you’d be lying to yourself if you think you’ll eat just one! I’m not the person that can have one of anything. One turns into two, which turns into three…..  The very next article I read is titled “10 Guilt-Free Halloween Treats” Great! I’m curious to know about those! Five out of the ten candies on the ‘guilt free’ list are the exact same candies on the ‘worst’ list! What? The difference is how they explain it in the article. For example, in the ‘guilt free’ article they say Snickers “have just 42 calories per piece but all the flavor of the original”. In the ‘worst’ article they say “Ever wonder why the commercials say “Hungry? Grab a Snickers. With 144 calories, 7 grams of fat, and 14 grams of sugar, they are small meals!” It’s all in the presentation! Of course we all know that candy is not nutritious, it’s an indulgence. But the same holds true with all foods and the way it is labeled and presented to the public. When people see “fat free” or “no sugar” they assume it’s good for you. But that’s not the case. When they take out the fat they have to put something back in to keep it tasting good, and that’s usually sugar. And yes, our body does need sugar for fuel, but it needs a small amount. I think we forget what an efficient machine our body actually is. Those “healthy food” phrases actually amount to something quite different.

“fat free” – but full of sugar and chemicals

“sugar free” – but artificial everything else

“no added sugar” – because the natural version has enough sugar to give you type 2 diabetes anyway

Cotton candy, jelly beans and jolly ranchers are fat free, but it doesn’t mean they are good for you.  

* Thought for the day*

HAM AND EGGS - A day's work for a chicken; A lifetime commitment for a pig.