Have you heard the acronym term "SAD" which stands for the Standard American Diet? It is sad but true that most Americans are eating poorly. I know what it's like. Not long ago, I used to eat the SAD diet too. I grew up on sugary boxed cereals (alpha bits, apple jacks, sugar pops, frosted flakes, etc.), wonder bread, canned pasta (ravioli, spaghettios), cookies (Mallomars, girl scout thin mints, Pepperidge Farm butter cookies, etc.), and convenience foods (hamburger helper, tuna helper, boxed potatoes, etc.). I thought nothing of eating a candy bar or cheese doodles. I didn't have a weight problem so what difference did it make?
I should give my Mom some credit for what I ate as a child. We all sat to eat dinner together. She made an effort to give us a full meal of meat, vegetables, and a starchy food like potatoes, corn or rice. She kept a bowl of fruit on the counter. She didn't enjoy cooking though. It was more of a chore. I didn't learn to like cooking from her. In fact, I followed in her footsteps, feeling mostly uninspired in the kitchen. I found grocery shopping a boring chore as well.
I didn't enjoy cooking and shopping until I studied nutrition. A whole new world was opened to me. In fact, I never would have dreamed of being a cook or a nutritional health counselor ten years ago. I was working as a graphic artist, making a good living, doing a good job. But, something was missing. I felt like I could do "so much" more but I didn't know what that "so much" was.
The turning point was when I had my first child. It was about that time, my mother was diagnosed with colon cancer. I became keenly aware of the need to keep well to be there for my child through much of her life and to avoid getting a devastating illness like cancer. I always had an interest in health and wellness though. I grew up as an athlete. I never smoked. I tried to eat well with what knowledge I had about nutrition.
I started investigating programs for studying nutrition and fitness. The Institute for Integrative Nutrition caught my eye and resonated with me. After reading a few of their catalogs, I knew I had found a school and a new career path in the fascinating field of nutrition and health.
I became enlightened. I saw how the SAD diet was hurting me and how it hurt my Mom, eventually taking her down the path of cancer. I began making changes, little by little, step by step, choice by choice. I wasn't getting my information from the food industry nor the pharmaceutical industry. They are big business and they have one priority in mind, making money... at the expense of our health. Now we pay exorbitant fees for health care. When are businesses going to see the link between wellness and reduced health care costs and start educating their workers on how to get and stay well? A little bit of money for wellness goes much farther than a lot of money for reactionary medicine which oftentimes does more harm than good!
Don't fall prey to all that fancy marketing for food and drugs. The truth lies in nature -- mother nature. No one makes food better than mother nature. Forgo the processed, chemicalized, nutrient-poor, junk foods. There is a reason why pretzels and lollipops are cheap -- you get what you pay for. Eat from nature, the way you were intended to eat. Get help if you are stuck.
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