a little and a lot

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

doctor, doctor, tell me the news...

today's post is dedicated to all of the annoying medical rumors and plethora of fake healthy foods we come across on a daily basis.

now, don't get me wrong. i am really thrilled that america is becoming more obsessed with health. that is a good thing. all of these whole grain froot loops, flavored water capri suns, and fruit smoothies made with ice cream have to be a tiny step in the right direction. but c'mon, do you really think those are super healthy? drinking gatorade all the time instead of coke is STILL putting a lot of sugar into your system. you're still better off drinking water. (my husband and i cannot agree on that particular point.)

i am tired of being slammed with fake healthy choices. no, chocolate chip granola bars are not more healthy than carrots. probably the fruit granola bars are still more unhealthy than a handful of almonds. is anyone with me? it makes me mad at the marketing people who think they can dupe me. no, i don't want your sugar-filled 10% juice and your enriched wheat flour!

another thing that drives me crazy are the health reports we hear about various things all the time that contradict the previous health reports.
for example, healthful or harmful:
coffee & tea
stretching before you excercise
carbs
splenda & other artifical sweeteners
running

it really stresses me out to hear that one cup of coffee a day could keep you from getting cancer, but be careful because caffeine drains your energy. or green tea has antioxidants but will dehydrate you. stretching before you excercise will either warm up your muscles or cause them to be injury-prone. carbs will make you fat, but not if they're whole grains or if you are about to run a race. splenda is a wonderful alternative to fattening sugar, but it might give you cancer. running is a great form of exercise that will cause your joints to wear out by the time you're 35.

what the heck???!

3 comments:

Ashley @ pure and lovely said...

I couldn't agree more, Jesse. I will try the water flavors of capri suns, but if im going to enjoy a coke, then im going to enjoy a COKE, dagnabbit. I think all that diet crap they put in there in the first place is just as bad as the real thing...so if im going to indulge im going to do it all the way. And I know carbs are good for you, because I tried south beach a couple of years back and ralfed EVERYWHERE. it was not pretty. I have to have carbs. Pass me some more of that bread, please.

Brooke said...

Here's another one - butter vs. margarine. I even read today about stick margarine vs. tub margarine. Seriously there is no way to really know what is better for you. Just don't overindulge and we'll be fine, I say.

Also I do not shop at overpriced Whole Foods stores for this reason.

Tesney said...

Isn't it maddening to try to figure all the nutrition stuff out? I'm a big beliver in "everything in moderation". One of Greg's family members, who shall remain nameless, is always lecturing about the latest health kick. Drives me nuts! Have whatever you want, I say, as long as you are relatively healthy and don't overdo it.


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