"health" food

     This subject has been swirling around in my head for a week now.  There is so much to talk about that I think it best to break it up into parts. Basically the issue is what exactly does "healthy" mean.  There are a million advertising tag lines such as "wholesome", "light", "non fat", "trans fat free" etc etc. How do we understand the truth behind labels that are often designed to confuse us and certainly to make us buy. The business of "Health" is a multi billion dollar one. I want to teach you how to read labels. I want to educate as much as possible so that you can make the right choices for yourselves.

     I invite you to ask questions. If I do not know the answer, I will find it. It is amazing to me even when you research a topic, how many conflicting facts there can be.  On Saturday I was listening to Doctor radio. They were discussing methods for quitting smoking.  There is a lot of debate over the safety and addictive qualities of some nicotine replacement. It seems especially the gum can be rather addictive.  The discussion called to mind two things for me.  (This is where I wander onto a tangent that seems unrelated but you will understand afterward)

     My Mother and I both have horrible hangnails and chapped lips. The kind of chapped that you get plate like hard spots that peel and bleed.  I carry around lip balm in every coat, pair of jeans and bag I have. You may even notice I keep it in the front of the room when I teach.  My Mom has heard that Chap Stick is "addictive".  She does not want to get "addicted" to it so she won't use it.  She has painfully chapped lips that split and bleed.  I do not.  Now the question is, am I "addicted" or do I simply need to use it to avoid having chapped lips.  There is no correct or clear answer.  Do users of nicotine gum get hooked on it? There likely is no right answer to that question either.  What it really comes down to is making the decision of which is better.  Smoking is so damaging to the human body.  SO damaging.  I believe it is better to be addicted to nicotine gum and to not be smoking than to smoke. I believe it is better to be "addicted" to lip balm than to walk around with painfully chapped lips.

      Now here is where I tie in the "health food".  Many  food choices out there have similar good/bad aspects.  Sugar free being top on  the list.  There are questions as to the safety of sugar substitutes. What it comes down to is making the correct choice for your given concerns and issues. I (and my twins) have horrible teeth. We get cavities like other people get up in the morning. (In one visit my daughter had 9 and my son 8).  We use rinse, floss and brush.  For us, sugar free is important.  If you are someone that has a dreadful sugar habit and anything sweet calls to you like a siren, sugar free may be important to you too.

     A few years ago there was a big buzz about fat substitute that was available in chips and other normally high fat foods. People were very excited about it.  This was big news for "salty" food lovers. It turned out that there were some nasty and embarrassing side effects to this fat substitute and it quietly crawled out of the headlines. 

    We all know that drinking water is important and healthy. Bottled water is a huge business these days.  There are several "unhealthy" questions about bottled water. It seems that the plastic bottles may leach out chemicals into the water. On the bottom of the bottle is a number in a triangle. This number is how many times the bottle has been recycled.  There is no fluoride in bottled water.  The bottles are very damaging to the environment.  

     You get the idea.  Almost every "healthy" option has aspects that we need to consider.  I am going to take them on one by one and help you weigh the benefits and risks.  It is all about knowing what your personal health concerns are.  Your medical history. Your goals and personality.  The more we know, the more we can make the right choices.