So as yours truly was reading in bed with her huzzband and as I was reading the latest celebrity gossip (HEY real news makes me sad), he was reading a New York Times article about junk food. He seemed engrossed in the article and was dumbfounded yet not surprised by the articles findings. I was like meh I am busy reading about Duchess Kate and her baby bump watch mmmkay. So I left it at that.
Fast forward to a week later and I stumble on a Huffington Post blog written by a doctor that stated a calorie is not a calorie. I said hmmm I gots to read this. Well as soon as I read it it linked to another article which linked to another article which then linked to the New York Times article. DURRRNIT Foiled again so I guess this was a sign for me to read the article. Well folks I read it and man this stuff is as bad as reading about cigarette companies trying to appeal to teens to get them to smoke!!!!!!!!!! I mean they package their food in colorful sugary packages and it appeals to kids! No wonder we have one of the highest obesity rates in our children! I read about the man who invented lunchables and how UNHEALTHY they are and now he educated people on healthy whole foods nutrition. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?! Side note I never liked lunchables just the crackers. My mom got them once for me because it was tiny lunch meant and tiny cheese and crackers and it was gross. I was fortunate that my mom rarely gave into my junk food demands when I was younger. Now my dad well that is another story heh heh heh heh. The man knew I loved chocolate Moon Pies and RC cola. (You can really tell I grew up below the Mason Dixon line from that sentence.) Anyways you need to read the following articles: New York Times, The Extraordinary Science of Addictive Junk Food and The Huffington Post, Still believe "A Calorie Is a Calorie?"
Reading these articles made me realize why we complain about how hard it is to lose weight. Yeah when your economical food choices that are widely available are just basically a box of sugar in disguise no wonder your fat jeans are now your skinny jeans! I wish they would research and write about obesity and poverty. There is a serious correlation there. I recall grocery shopping in an area of Houston that was located in a economically challenged area and there was some fresh food choices some but a plethora of giant aisles filled with processed foods. Hello heart disease and diabetes. The area was predominantly Hispanic and it saddened me that families would grab two bananas but boxes and boxes of Pop Tarts and Popsicles and you name it they had that sugary treat in their cart. No wonder they state that some children do not know what some vegetables and fruits look like. Well anyways this is my soap box post and I think it is time to get informed on what we are eating and how it affects us. As I have found my way back to the healthy promise land I make sure I move everyday and eat food that is food. I am even getting better at not ingesting processed sugars! (Although you cannot really avoid sugar it is in EVERYTHING look at the packages y'all) Huzzah! I have too. I gotta think about my health and future child(ren)'s health. I want my family to make choices that are good for them. I know we cannot avoid junk food because it is there and by God or god (Big G or little g?) I grew up on it and dangit sometimes you want that milkshake from Fast Food USA that is filled with antifreeze and corn syrup and you cannot help it!!! But at least I will know what is going in my body and so will my family.
